Khwazakhela (, ) is a town and an administrative subdivision (

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

) of

Swat District Swat District (), also known as the Swat Valley, is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Known for its stunning natural beauty, the district is a popular tourist destination. With a populati ...

in the

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Khwazakhela town has 16 villages collectively called the Azikhel. The majority of the population is

Yusufzai The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( Malakand, Dir, Swat, Shangl ...

, with

Swati Swati may refer to Films * ''Swati'' (1984 film), a Telugu film * ''Swati'' (1986 film), a 1986 Bollywood romantic drama film * '' Swati Mutyam'', a 1986 Telugu-language drama film written, directed by K. Viswanath * '' Swati Kiranam'', a 1992 ...

and

Gujjar The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

as minorities. The famous clans living in Khwazakhela are Saidan, Khadikhel, Umikhels, Zareefkhel, Barakhel, Hamzakhel and Tindakhel. Khwazakhela is famous for the graveyards of

awliya The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

(saints). Some of which are Mian Baba, Derai Baba, Chinar Baba and Byne Baba. Mian Baba and Byne Baba were famous warriors of Syed dynasty and Chinar Baba was from Shamakhel dynasty. Khwazakhela is at centre of Swat. It has its northeastern border with Shangla valley which is a major trade route for the people of Shangla. On the northern side, it shares its border with

Behrain Tehsil Behrain, also known as Upper Swat Valley and Swat Kohistan, is a tehsil located in Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The population is 270,620, according to the 2023 census. Behrain has an area of , comprising more than half of total ar ...

. The southern border lies in association with

Charbagh Tehsil Charbagh is an administrative subdivision (tehsil) of Swat District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. District Swat has seven tehsils: Tehsil Charbagh, Tehsil Babuzai, Tehsil Matta, Tehsil Khwaza Khela, Tehsil Barikot, Tehsil Ka ...

. The western lies along the bank of

Swat River The Swat River (, ) is a perennial river in the northern region of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The river's source is in the high glacial valleys of the Hindu Kush mountains, where it then flows into the Kalam Valley before for ...

. Khwazakhela is the second largest marketplace and business hub in Swat after

Mingora Mingora (, ''Romanised: Minga Wara'') is a city in the Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located on the Swat River, it is the 3rd largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 26th largest in Pakistan. Mingora is the largest city and ...

. Thousands of people from

Kalam ''Ilm al-kalam'' or ''ilm al-lahut'', often shortened to ''kalam'', is the scholastic, speculative, or rational study of Islamic theology ('' aqida''). It can also be defined as the science that studies the fundamental doctrines of Islamic fai ...

Kohistan Kohistan (, , ), also transliterated Kuhistan, Kuhiston, Quhistan, may refer to: In Afghanistan *Kohistan District, Kapisa, Kapisa Province ** Kohistan Hesa Awal District, a district in Kapisa Province, created within the former Kohistan Distr ...

, and Shangla come to Khwazakhela for shopping. Khwazakhela is surrounded by lush green mountains on its easters side, with the elevation gradually descending until it reaches the Swat River on its southern side. Lwar-e-Jamat Mosque is one of the most historical sites in Swat, built in the 12th century by

Mahmud of Ghazni Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (), was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usuall ...

during his visit to the region. This area was among the least affected during the peak of the Taliban insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Khwazakhela had a population of 57,113.

History

Mahmud Ghaznavi Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (), was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usuall ...

, on his way to

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( English: /ˈhɪndustæn/ or /ˈhɪndustɑn/, ; ) was a historical region, polity, and a name for India, historically used simultaneously for northern Indian subcontinent and the entire subcontinent, used in the modern day ...

, crossed Khwazakhela many times. He built a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

which still exists even today by the name of Lwar-e-Jamat.

Climate

With a mild and generally warm and temperate climate, Khwazakhela features a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. The average temperature in Khwazakhela is 18.1 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 969 mm. Even in the driest months, there is a lot of precipitation. November is the driest month with 24 mm of precipitation, while July, the wettest month, has an average precipitation of 138 mm. July is the warmest month of the year with an average temperature of 28.1 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 6.4 °C.

Administrative units

According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act 2013, Tehsil Khwazakhela has following 7 Wards: # Khawazakhela #

Shalpin Shalpin is an administrative unit, known as Union council, of Swat District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Union council Shalpin has 3 village councils i.e. Shalpin, Faqira and Bawrai. Village council Faqira includes the following ...

# Shin # Kotanai # Miandam # Fatehpur # Jano

References

External links

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Government website section on Lower Dir and neighboring placesUnited NationsHajj 2014 Uploads

Swat District Tehsils of Swat District Populated places in Swat District Union councils of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Union Councils of Swat District {{Swat-geo-stub