Bannu ( ps, بنو, translit=banū ; ur, , translit=bannū̃, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the

Banuchi The Banuchi (Shitak) ( ps, شيتک), originally BannuZai ( ps, بنوزي), also Banusi ( ps, بنوڅي) or Banisi, is a Pashtun tribe inhabiting the Bannu District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and North Waziristan of the Federa ...

tribe and speak Banuchi (Baniswola) dialect of

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

which is similar to the distinct Waziristani dialect. Total 5 Tehsil in Bannu. The major industries of Bannu are cloth weaving, sugar mills and the manufacturing of cotton fabrics, machinery and equipment. It is famous for its weekly ''Jumma'' fair. The district forms a basin drained by the Kurram and Gambila (or Tochi) rivers.

Etymology

According to the philologist

Michael Witzel Michael Witzel (born July 18, 1943) is a German-American philologist, comparative mythologist and Indologist. Witzel is the Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University and the editor of the Harvard Oriental Series (volumes 50–80). Witze ...

, the city was originally known in

Avestan Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...

as ''Varəna'', from which its modern name derives. The ancient

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

grammarian,

Pāṇini , era = ;;6th–5th century BCE , region = Indian philosophy , main_interests = Grammar, linguistics , notable_works = ' (Sanskrit#Classical Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit) , influenced= , notable_ideas=Descript ...

, recorded its name as ''Varṇu''. During the 6th century BCE, the basin around Bannu was known as '' Sattagydia'' (

Old Persian Old Persian is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan language, Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native ...

: 𐎰𐎫𐎦𐎢𐏁 ''Thataguš'', country of the "hundred cows").

History

The history of Bannu goes back to prehistoric times, due to its strategic location along the Kurram and Tochi routes which lead into the Indus Valley. Sheri Khan Tarakai is an ancient settlement site located in the Bannu District with ruins of the oldest known village settlement in the Bannu region, which was occupied from the late fifth until the early third millennium BCE. Recent archaeological excavations at Akra, Bannu showed that it was a large urban site that existed throughout the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and had trade relations with

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. The sacred texts of

Zend Avesta The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the litu ...

and Vendidad mentions Varəna, the Avestan predecessor of the name for Bannu, as the 14th in the list of the "16 perfect lands" created by

Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...

.Michael Witzel, "The Home of the Aryans"
people.fas.harvard.edu. According to the Avesta, Varəna was the homeland and birthplace of the legendary King Fereydun (known in Avestan as ''Θraētaona'', and also known as ''Āθβiiāni'', "of the house of

Abtin Abtin (), or Athwya is a character in Shahnama (national epic of Persia), who is the father of Fereydun. He is mentioned as the father of Fereydun in the Avesta, having been the "second man" to prepare Ahura-Mazda for the "corporeal world" (the f ...

"). In the 6th century BCE, the region around Bannu was known as Sattagydia (lit. "country of 100 cows") and constituted the southern part of the greater region of Paropamisadae. Under the Persian

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

, Sattagydia became part of the Empire's 7th taxation district, which also included the Gandāra,

Dadicae Daradas were a people who lived north and north-west to the Kashmir valley. This kingdom is identified to be the Gilgit region, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region (part of ancient Baloristan) along the river Sindhu or Indus. They are often spoken alo ...

, and

Aparytae The Afrīdī ( ps, اپريدی ''Aprīdai'', plur. ''Aprīdī''; ur, آفریدی) are a Pashtun tribe present in Pakistan, with substantial numbers in Afghanistan. The Afridis are most dominant in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal ...

regions. Sattagydia was mentioned in the Behistun inscription of

Darius the Great Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his d ...

as one of the satrapies in revolt while the king was in

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

. The revolt was presumably suppressed in 515 BCE. Akra_(A)_Mound,_Bannu

After being conquered by Alexander in the 4th century BCE, the region became part of the Greek

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...

for a short while until the

Mauryan Empire The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

took control over the region around 305 BCE, as the entire region of North-West India constituting Paropamisadae,

Arachosia Arachosia () is the Hellenized name of an ancient satrapy situated in the eastern parts of the Achaemenid empire. It was centred around the valley of the Arghandab River in modern-day southern Afghanistan, and extended as far east as the In ...

and

Gedrosia Gedrosia (; el, Γεδρωσία) is the Hellenization, Hellenized name of the part of coastal Balochistan that roughly corresponds to today's Makran. In books about Alexander the Great and his Diadochi, successors, the area referred to as Gedro ...

was transferred to

by the Seleucids. After the decline of

, the region fell under the administrative and political control of Indo-Greeks,

Indo-Scythian Indo-Scythians (also called Indo-Sakas) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples of Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into modern day Pakistan and Northwestern India from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th centur ...

and Indo-Parthians successively. Kushan emperor Kujula Kadphises defeated the Indo-Parthians and incorporated the region under the

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...

. In the Tochi Valley of

North Waziristan North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanist ...

near Bannu,

Bactrian language Bactrian (, , ) is an extinct Eastern Iranian language formerly spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria (in present-day Afghanistan) and used as the official language of the Kushan, and the Hephthalite empires. Name It was long thought t ...

inscriptions originally written in the 9th century have been discovered. This shows that after the collapse of the Kushan Empire, its official language continued in use for at least six more centuries. After the decline of the

, the region subsequently came under the control of

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gol ...

. The

Kidarites The Kidarites, or Kidara Huns, were a dynasty that ruled Bactria and adjoining parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Kidarites belonged to a complex of peoples known collectively in India as the Huna, and in Euro ...

began invading the North-West regions of

during the reign of Emperor

Kumaragupta Kumaragupta I (Gupta script: ''Ku-ma-ra-gu-pta'', r. c. 415–455 CE) was an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India. A son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and queen Dhruvadevi, he seems to have maintained control of his inherited te ...

. The

ended up losing its control over the region around the early 5th century CE. The

then too came under the attack from

Hephthalites The Hephthalites ( xbc, ηβοδαλο, translit= Ebodalo), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during th ...

who defeated the Kidarites and appointed sub-rulers and kings to rule over the region. Hūṇa King Mihirakula was the most famous ruler from the Hūṇa Dynasty. Aulikara ruler Yashodharman defeated the Hūṇa King Toramana and took control over most of North-West India. The remnants of the Hepthalite Empire continued to rule over the region until the 9th century CE when the

Hindu Shahis The Hindu Shahis (also known as Odi Shahis, Uḍi Śāhis, or Brahman Shahis, 822–1026 CE) were a dynasty that held sway over the Kabul Valley, Gandhara and western Punjab during the early medieval period in the Indian subcontinent. Details r ...

came to power and established their rule over the region for over 150 years. In the late 10th and early 11th century CE, the

Ghaznavids The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...

conquered the area.

Mahmud of Ghazni Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...

used the Bannu route for several of his raids deeper into Northern India.

British rule

The city was renamed in 1848 by Herbert Benjamin Edwardes, a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers Regiment of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

's private army. He ordered the construction of the fort – named Dhulipgarh (Dalipgarh) in honour of the Maharajah of Lahore – at the same time. At the time of its founding, the town was named Dhulipnagar (Dalipnagar). Its name was later changed to Edwardesabad in 1869. In 1903, it received its current name, Bannu. Bannu was used as the base of operations for all punitive expeditions undertaken by detachments of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

to the Tochi Valley and the Waziristan frontier. A military road led from the town of Bannu toward

Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakistan ...

. This road was built by military engineers under the supervision of a Bannu engineer, Ram N. Mullick. Mullick graduated from Banaras Engineering College and had served in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

as an expert in heavy earth-moving equipment before the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1947.

Malluck Jaffar Khan Yousafzai, Rais e Ghoriwala Bannu, A Horse Merchant, Circa 1816-1820

Mallak Jaffar Khan Yousafzai was the Chief of Ghoriwala, Bannu. Progenitor of the Jafar Khel branch of Mughal Khel(Yousafzai) Tribe of Bannu Circa 1826-1820. According to the ''Imperial British Gazetteer'', Bannu was described by the following:

he population in 1901 was14,291, including cantonment and civil lines (4,349). It was founded in 1848 by Lieutenant (afterwards Sir Herbert) Edwardes, who selected the site for political reasons. The fort, erected at the same time, bore the name of Dhulipgarh (Dalipgarh), in honour of the Maharaja of Lahore; and the bazar was also known as Dhulipnagar (Dalipnagar). A town gradually grew up around the bazar, and many
Hindko Hindko (, romanized: , ) is a cover term for a diverse group of Lahnda dialects spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pun ...
speaking Hindu traders moved there from Bazar Ahmad Khan, which had formed the commercial center of the Bannu valley prior to annexation. The
Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
supports a small church and a high school founded in 1865. The cantonment centers in the fort of Dhulipgarh. Its garrison consists of a mountain battery, a regiment of native cavalry, and two regiments of infantry. The municipality was constituted in 1867.
The municipal receipts and expenditure during the ten years ending 1903–1904 averaged Rs. 46,000. In 1903–1904 the income was Rs. 47,000 chiefly derived from octroi; and the expenditure was Rs. 55,000. The receipts and expenditure of cantonment funds during the ten years ending 1902–3 averaged Rs. 4,200 and Rs. 3,700. The profuse irrigation and insufficient drainage of the surrounding fields render Bannu an unhealthy station. The town has a considerable trade, including fish guts and butts. Also, embracing the whole traffic in local produce of the Bannu valley. The nearest railway station is at Kohat on the
Khushalgarh Khushalgarh is an administrative unit known as “Union Council” of Kohat District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. District Kohat has 2 Tehsils i.e. Kohat and Lachi. Each Tehsil comprises certain numbers of Union council. Ther ...
-
Thal Thal may refer to: Places * Thal, Lower Austria, Austria * Thal, Styria, Austria * Thal, Ruhla, Germany * Thal, Uttarakhand, Didihat district, India * Thal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan ** Thal railway station * Thal, St. Gallen, Switzerland * Th ...
branch of the North-Western Railway, 79 miles distant by road. A weekly fair collects an average number of 8,000 buyers and sellers. The chief articles of trade are cloth, live-stock, wool, cotton, tobacco and grain. Bannu possesses a dispensary and two high schools, a public library and a town hall known as the Nicholson Memorial.

1947 Bannu Jirga

On 21 June 1947 in Bannu, a

jirga A jirga ( ps, جرګه, ''jərga'') is an assembly of leaders that makes decisions by consensus according to Pashtunwali, the Pashtun social code. It is conducted in order to settle disputes among the Pashtuns, but also by members of other ethnic ...

was held by Pashtun leaders including Bacha Khan, his brother

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Dr Khan Sahib, the

Khudai Khidmatgars Khudai Khidmatgar ( ps, خداۍ خدمتګار; literally "servants of God") was a predominantly Pashtuns, Pashtun nonviolent resistance movement known for its activism against the British Raj in colonial India; it was based in the country's ...

, members of the Provincial Assembly, Mirzali Khan (Faqir of Ipi), and other tribal chiefs, just seven weeks before the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

. The jirga declared the

Bannu Resolution The Bannu Resolution ( ps, د بنو فیصله), or the Pashtunistan Resolution ( ps, د پښتونستان قرارداد), was a formal political statement adopted by Pashtun tribesmen who had wanted an independent Pashtun state on 21 June 1947 ...

, which demanded that the Pashtuns be given a choice to have an independent state of

Pashtunistan Pashtunistan ( ps, پښتونستان, lit=land of the Pashtuns) is a historical region in Central Asia and South Asia, inhabited by the indigenous Pashtuns, Pashtun people of Afghanistan and western Pakistan. Wherein Pashtun culture, the Pashto ...

composing all Pashtun territories of British India, instead of being made to join either India or Pakistan. However, the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

refused to comply with the demand of this resolution, in response to which the Khudai Khidmatgars boycotted the

1947 North-West Frontier Province referendum The North-West Frontier Province referendum ( ps, د شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ایالت ټولپوښتنه) was held in July 1947 to decide whether the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of British India would join the Dominion of Indi ...

for merging the province into Pakistan.

2022 Pashtun National Jirga

On 11–14 March 2022, the

Pashtun National Jirga The inaugural meeting of the Pashtun National Jirga (PNJ; ps, پښتون قامي جرګه), also known as the Bannu Jirga (), was held at Mirakhel Cricket Ground in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 11 to 14 March 2022 to discuss the critical issues ...

was held at

Mirakhel Mirakhel ( ps, میراخېل) or Mira Khel is a town and union councils of Pakistan, union council in Bannu District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is located at 32°51'9N 70°38'39E and has an altitude of 314 metres (1033 feet). ...

in Bannu in order to defend the rights of the

Pashtun people Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

in the country. The critical issues which were faced by the Pashtuns were discussed during the jirga in a bid to suggest solutions to them.

Education

The first public sector university, University of Science and Technology, Bannu, opened in 2005. Bannu also has a medical college,

Bannu Medical College Bannu Medical College (BMC) ( ur, , ps, د بنو طب پوهنځی) is a public medical institute located in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is one of several medical colleges affiliated with the Khyber Medical University and enrolls 1 ...

, and a campus of

University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar The University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar (UET Peshawar), formerly known as NWFP University of Engineering and Technology, is a public university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Formerly known as ''NWFP University ...

. The oldest and most renowned public sector institution is Government Post-Graduate College Bannu, which started operating in 1951.

Notable people

* Peter Gracey (1921–2006), English cricketer * Abdul Hamid (field hockey), Former Olympian *

Abdul Rashid (field hockey, born 1947) Abdul Rashid, known as Rashid Junior, (3 March 1947 – 4 November 2020) was a Pakistani field hockey player. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics, the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 � ...

, Former Olympian * Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Former President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan * Qazi Mohib, Former Olympian *

Akram Khan Durrani Akram Khan Durrani ( ur, اکرم خان درانی, ps, اکرم خان دراني; born 2 March 1960) is a Pakistani politician who is the current Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in office since 2 Oc ...

, Former Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa *

Dost Muhammad Khan (judge) Dost Muhammad Khan ( ur, ) (born 20 March 1953) is a Pakistani jurist who remained a senior justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1 February 2014 to 20 March 2018. Previously, he served as Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court fro ...

, Supreme Court of Pakistan *

Zakir Khan (cricketer) Zakir Khan (born 3 April 1963) is a Pakistani cricket administrator and former cricketer who played in two Test matches and 17 One Day Internationals from 1984 to 1990. He was a fast bowler. Cricket administration After retiring from cricket he ...

* Nasir Iqbal, International Squash Player *

Khushdil Shah Khushdil Shah (Urdu, ps, خوشدل شاہ; born 7 February 1995) is a Pakistani International cricketer who played for Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He played for Multan Sultan in the Pakistan Super League. He made his international debu ...

, International Cricket Player

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Bannu District Bannu District Populated places established in 1848 Cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa