Muzaffarabad (; ur, ) is the capital and largest city of

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...

, and the 60th largest in Pakistan. The city is located in

Muzaffarabad District The Muzaffarabad District ( ur, ) is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan's dependent territory of Azad Kashmir. The district is located on the banks of the Jhelum River, Jhelum and Neelum River, Neelum rivers and is very hilly. The total area of ...

, near the confluence of the

Jhelum Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...

and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the west, the Kupwara and Baramulla districts of Indian-administered

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

in the east, and the

Neelum District The district of Neelum (spelt also ''Neelam''; ur, ) is the northernmost of 10 districts located within the Pakistani-administered territory of Azad Kashmir. Taking up the larger part of the Neelam Valley, the district has a population of ar ...

in the north.

History

Muzaffarabad was founded in 1646 by Sultan Muzaffar Khan, chief of the Bomba tribe who ruled

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. Khan also constructed the Red Fort that same year for the purpose of warding off incursions from the Mughal Empire.

2005 earthquake

The city was near the epicenter of the

2005 Kashmir earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu and ...

, which had a magnitude of 7.6 M_w. The earthquake destroyed about 50% of the buildings in the city (including most government buildings) and is estimated to have killed up to 80,000 people in the Pakistani-controlled areas. , the Pakistani government's official death toll was 87,350, while other estimates have put the death toll at over 100,000.

Administrative subdivisions

The district of Muzaffarabad is administratively divided into 2 tehsils, which are subdivided into 25 union councils. * Muzaffarabad * Pattika (Naseerabad)

Climate

Transport

The nearest railway station is located in the

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropolitan area. Rawalpindi city is the district capi ...

Pakistani Punjab Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...

.Google Maps
Maps.google.co.uk. Retrieved on 3 July 2012.

Notable people

Anam Najam Anam Najam ( ur, ) is a Pakistani medical doctor and psychiatrist. She is Pakistan's first and only quadriplegic psychiatrist. She is a recipient of the Chevening Scholarship for higher studies in the United Kingdom. Early life and education N ...

, medical doctor and psychiatrist

Gallery

Notes

References

External links

Government official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muzaffarabad Capitals of Pakistan Tehsils of Muzaffarabad District Hill stations in Pakistan Kabul Shahi Kashmir 2005 Kashmir earthquake Populated places established in 1646