Introduction

Mardan is the second largest city of NWFP. Area constituting Mardan district is part of the Peshawar valley. It was made district in 1937 with the bifurcation of district of Peshawar. Swabi and Charsadda districts were later carved out of Mardan in the 1980s. Mardan district is now comprises of two tehsils i.e. Takhtbhai and Mardan.

Most of its land is agricultural. It has one of the world's best irrigation systems, which were laid down by the British government during British Rule on subcontinent (1857-1947). It was part of the ancient Gandhara Civilization. There are still remains of the Gandhara Civilization, scattered in different areas of Mardan.

The total area of Mardan is about 1,632 sq km. It is clear from the map that Malakand, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi and Buner Districts surround the District Mardan.

Mardan district is hilly in the northeast, while the southwestern half is a fertile plain. Generally streams flow from north to the south. Most of the streams drain into the Kabul River. The summer season is extremely hot. During May and June dust storms are frequent during the night. Most of the rainfall occurs in the months of July, August, December, and January.

The area constituting Mardan district is a part of the Peshawar valley, which first appears in history as part of the Gandhara kingdom. The armies of Aitizaz Khan reached the Indus Valley by two separate routes, one through the Khyber Pass and the other led by Aitizaz himself through Kunar, Bajaur, Swat, and Buner in 326 BCE. After Aitizaz's departure, the valley came under the rule of Chandragupta, who ruled the valley from 297 to 321 BCE. During the reign of the Buddhist emperor Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, Buddhism was the religion of the Peshawar Valley. The valley saw the revival of Brahmanism after the Greeks took over in the time of King Mehanda. The Scythians and Indians followed and retained control of the valley till the 7th century CE.

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