Kohat

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title: "Kohat" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-kohat-district", "cities-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohat" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
native_name
settlement_type	City
image_skyline	Ghamkol Shareef Kohat, KPK Pakistan.jpg
imagesize	250px
image_caption	Ghamkol Sharif, a shrine associated with the Naqshbandi order of Sufism within Sunni Islam
pushpin_map	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa#Pakistan
pushpin_label_position	bottom
pushpin_map_alt	Location of the city of Kohat within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Pakistan
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_type2	Division
subdivision_type3	District
subdivision_name1	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
subdivision_name2	Kohat Division
subdivision_name3	Kohat District
government_footnotes
government_type	Mayor-council
governing_body	District Government
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Shair Zaman
leader_party	JUI-F
leader_title1	Deputy Mayor
leader_name1	Vacant
elevation_m	489
population_total	228779
total_type	City
population_rank	35th, Pakistan
4th, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
population_note	Kohat Municipal Committee: 191,844
Kohat Cantonment: 36,935
population_as_of	2017
population_footnotes
timezone1	PKT
utc_offset1	+05:00
postal_code	26000
area_code	+92 922
area_code_type	Calling code
blank_name_sec2	Number of union councils
blank_info_sec2	31
website
leader_title2	Deputy Commissioner
leader_name2	Abdul Akram Chitrali (PMS)
leader_title4	District Police Officer
leader_name4	Umar Khan (BPS-18 PSP)
blank_name	Highways
blank_info

| name = Kohat | subdivision_type4 = Tehsil | subdivision_name4 = Kohat Tehsil

Kohat (Urdu and ; ) is a city in Pakistan that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. With a population of over 220,000 people, the city is the fourth most populous in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 35th most populous in Pakistan. Kohat's immediate environs were the site of frequent armed skirmishes between British colonial forces and local tribesmen in the mid to late 19th century. The city is centred on a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. Pashto and the Kohati dialect of Hindko are the main languages spoken in Kohat.

The city of Kohat is also the namesake of and largest city in the Kohat Division, being over four times larger than the second-largest city in the division: Karak.

History

Early history

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Zahir_al-Din_Muhammad_Babur_-Foray_to_Kuhat(Kohat)_-Walters_W5967A-_Full_Page.jpg" caption="A miniature painting depicting the 1505 visit of the [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Babur]] to Kohat."] ::

Little is known of Kohat's early history. According to local lore, Kohat was founded by an ancient Buddhist king by the name of Raja Kohat. Another Buddhist Raja named Adh is believed to have established his domain on the north side of the city. A fort, now in ruins, serves as a marker of their domain. The remains of this fort known as Adh-e-Samut, is possibly named after Buddhist Raja Adh. The fort is still fitted with weaponry from the Buddhist period. The Buddhist kings built roads, which were in use until the end of the Mughal rule.

According to local tradition they arrived here in the time of Daulat Khán son of Bai Khán. This would make their settlement contemporaneous with that of the Baizai Bangashes which seems to have taken place previous to the time of Babar's invasion (A.D. 1505) . I believe, however, that they must have arrived before the settlement of Baizai.

The region had been primarily populated by Orakzai Pashtuns, who were then displaced from the west by the Bangash in the 14th-15th centuries, and Khattaks from the south. The Kohat region was likely firmly dominated by Bangash tribesmen by the early late 15th century following a decisive battle at nearby Alizai, after which Bangash tribes settled in the fertile valleys and assimilated remaining indigenous inhabitants into the larger Bangash tribe, while Orakzai tribes were confined to the nearby hills.

The first historical record of the city comes from the Baburnama autobiography of Mughal emperor Babur. After capturing Peshawar, Babur was reportedly told of vast riches in Kohat. He invaded and plundered Kohat in 1505, only to discover the tales of its wealth were exaggerated. After capturing Kohat, Babur's army marched towards Bangash country, where he defeated a band of tribesmen.

Durrani period

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Durrani_prince_tomb_in_kohat.JPG" caption="A royal Durrani tomb near Kohat"] ::

During the Nader Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire in the 1730s and 1740s, Kohat escaped destruction as Emperor Nader Shah's forces followed invasion routes north in the Peshawar Valley. Following the departure of Persian forces, Kohat was absorbed into the Durrani Empire by 1747.

Following the fall of Shah Shuja Durrani in 1810, Kohat was brought under control of the Durrani kingdom based in Peshawar and Kabul, which leased lordship of the city to various chiefs. The first chief of Kohat was Mirza Girani, who was followed in succession until 1818 by Shakur Khan, and Sultan Muhammad. In 1818, Kohat came under the control of Samad Khan following the collapse of Durrani suzerainty, though the city then came under the influence of Pir Muhammad in 1827.

Sikh period

Ranjit Singh's armies marched to Peshawar in 1819. In 1834, Azim Khan was defeated by the Sikhs and the chiefs of Peshawar became tributaries of the Sikh Government. Kohat was captured by Sikh governor Avtar Singh Sandhanwalia in 1839, and became part of Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire, though Pir Muhammad was allowed to continue administering the region around Kohat.

In 1840, the Sikhs abandoned Kohat, and Sultan Mohammed became ruler of Kohat. In 1848 during the Second Anglo-Sikh War, Colonel George Lawrence, the British Resident at Lahore, sought refuge in Kohat, but was instead taken prisoner and handed to Sikh forces in Peshawar under Chattar Singh before being released. In 1849, Kohat and the rest of Punjab was formally annexed by the British.

British period

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Tehsil_gate.jpg" caption="Railway station in 1900"] ::

Following British victory over the Sikhs in 1848, Kohat came under British rule and was annexed in March 1849. Lieutenant Pollack was appointed as Kohat's first Assistant Commissioner. British authorities in Peshawar commenced construction of the Kohat Pass road in 1849, and completed it by 1850 despite violent opposition from local tribes. The pass was closed temporarily in 1853 after a quarrel arose among nearby tribes. The road which connected Kohat to Rawalpindi via Khushalgarh was of little trouble compared to the Kohat Pass road.

Kohat remained largely peaceful during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, and local Pashtun soldiers largely ignored calls for rebellion. The British established a Hill Station at Cherat, just north of Kohat, in the 1860s. Kohat Pass road was closed on and off by British authorities for several more years on account of quarrels among local tribes, including in 1865 when it was closed for more than one and a half years. Armed skirmishes between British forces and Pashtun tribesmen continued on and off between the 1860s and 1870s. Kohat Cantonment was established by the British in 1874. Routes between Kohat and Bannu and Thall were frequently blockaded by Wazir tribesmen by 1880 that resulted in large clashes between the British and Wazirs. In the Tirah campaign of 1897–98 Kohat was the starting point of Sir William Lockhart's expedition against the Afridis and Mohmands.

In 1924, Kohat was the scene of widespread communal rioting that resulted in a 21-day fast by Mohandas Gandhi, known popularly as Mahatma Gandhi, as a plea for unity. During the 1947 Kashmir War, Pashtun tribesmen from around the region convened in Kohat before departing for Kashmir in hopes of capturing the territory for Pakistan.

Modern period

Kohat suffered several attacks during the War in North-West Pakistan and war on terror between 2008 and 2014. 35 people were killed in a suicide bombing in 2009, while twin bombings in April 2010 killed 41. 20 more were killed in a suicide bombing in September 2010, while the Kohat Tunnel was attacked by the Pakistani Taliban in January 2011, resulting in the deaths of 5 people. 2 more were killed in a bomb attack in July 2013. In February 2014, 12 were killed in a roadside blast near the city, while 6 more were killed in an attack on a van in October 2014. After a few years' lull in violence, 5 policemen were killed outside of Kohat following an anti-terror operation in May 2017.

Geography

Topography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Kohat_Velly.jpg" caption="Kohat Valley"] ::

Kohat city is located at an altitude of 489 m. Kohat Pass lies to the north. It is situated on the left bank of the Toi river at a point where after running nearly due east for 50 mi, it turns to the south. The total area of the district is 2545 km2

Climate

Kohat has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). |location=Kohat (1961-1990) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan high C = 17 |Feb high C = 20 |Mar high C = 25 |Apr high C = 31 |May high C = 36 |Jun high C = 38 |Jul high C = 35 |Aug high C = 34 |Sep high C = 33 |Oct high C = 30 |Nov high C = 23 |Dec high C = 18 |year high C = 28 |Jan low C = 4 |Feb low C = 7 |Mar low C = 11 |Apr low C = 16 |May low C = 21 |Jun low C = 24 |Jul low C = 24 |Aug low C = 24 |Sep low C = 21 |Oct low C = 15 |Nov low C = 8 |Dec low C = 5 |year low C = 15 |Jan rain mm = 25 |Feb rain mm = 31 |Mar rain mm = 31 |Apr rain mm = 20 |May rain mm = 36 |Jun rain mm = 44 |Jul rain mm = 114 |Aug rain mm = 95 |Sep rain mm = 44 |Oct rain mm = 16 |Nov rain mm = 9 |Dec rain mm = 39 |rain colour = green |source=My Weather}}[[File:Tanda-001.jpg|thumb|Tanda lake in monsoon]]

Dam

Kohat has a dam called Tanda Dam located on Tanda Lake, which is a protected site under the Ramsar Convention. Completed in 1967, it was included as a Ramsar site on July 23, 1976.

Parks

Tanda Wildlife Park

Tanda Wildlife Park is located near Kohat city. The total area of the park is 2800 acres (11 km²), consisting of Tanda reservoir and its catchments in Kohat. This is the largest wildlife park of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Its wonderfully rich and varied landscape supports a range of mammals and birds, both migratory and indigenous, as well as a few reptiles. Kohat is famous for guava.

The park is bounded by three different villages, Bar, Kaghazi, and Tanda Banda. The park is approachable by Hangu-kaghazi gravel road, shahpur-Bar road which is 18 km from Kohat.

The local people do not have any right of grazing, lopping or firewood collection as the ownership lies with the provincial government. The park area falls in the natural habitat of urial and chinkara, and also provides suitable habitat to hog deer. The urial is associated with scrub forest of Olea species and Accassia species. Urial were once abundant in the area but due to continuous habitat destruction these were disappeared from the area in the near past. The natural habitat of urial and chinkara lies in close proximity of human habitation.

Kotal Pheasantry

Kotal Pheasantry is established in Kotal wildlife park in district Kohat over an area of 1 kanal, with an objective to propagate and provide breeding environment to exotic/indigenous wildlife species like silver pheasant, golden pheasant, reeves pheasant, pea-cock etc. About 20-30 visitors including students and general public visit the pheasantry for education and recreation purposes per day. There are four species of pheasants in the pheasantry including ring necked pheasant, silver pheasant, peacock pheasant and white pheasant.

Demographics

Population

| title = Historical Population | shading = off | percentages = pagr | align = center |1941 |44977 | 1951 |40534 | 1961 |49854 | 1972 |65202 | 1981 |77604 | 1998 |126627 | 2017 |228779 |source = |2023|235,880}} Kohat is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century.

Languages

According to the 2023 Census of Pakistan, Pashto is overwhelmingly dominant in Kohat City, spoken by 73.30% of the population. Hindko is the second most common first language at 19.70%, Urdu accounts for 3.75% of speakers, followed by Punjabi at 2.41%, this is followed by an additional 0.85% which consists of a multitude of other languages spoken in Pakistan (mostly Saraiki and Sindhi).

Religion

::data[format=table title="Religious groups in Kohat City (1881−2017){{efn|1881-1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Kohat, which included Kohat Municipality and Kohat Cantonment.{{rp|19}}|name="KohatCity1881to1941"}}"] | Religious group | 1881 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 2017 | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Total population | 18,179 | 30,762 | 22,654 | 27,853 | 34,350 | 44,977 | 228,555 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Islam [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]] | 13,752 | | 19,818 | | 15,930 | | 18,898 | | 24,388 | | 32,111 | | 224,520 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hinduism [[File:Om.svg|15px]] | 2,798 | | 7,833 | | 4,850 | | 5,796 | | 6,709 | | 8,250 | | 978 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sikhism [[File:Khanda.svg|15px]] | 1,562 | | 2,832 | | 1,693 | | 2,139 | | 2,152 | | 3,562 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jainism [[File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg|15px]] | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Christianity [[File:Christian cross.svg|15px]] | | | 279 | | 168 | | 1,020 | | 1,101 | | 445 | | 2,942 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Judaism [[File:Star_of_David.svg|15px]] | | | 0 | | 13 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Zoroastrianism [[File:Faravahar.svg|15px]] | | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Buddhism [[File:Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg|15px]] | | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ahmadiyya [[File:Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya_1-2.svg|15px]] | | | | | | | | | | | | | 51 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Others | 67 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 609 | | 64 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

Transportation

Rail

Construction of the Kohat Tehsil railway station and railway line was started in 1897, and was completed in 1902. The Kohat Cantonment railway station serves as the terminus for the Khushalgarh–Kohat–Thal Railway - which ceased onward narrow gauge (762 mm or 2 ft 6 in) railway service to Thall in 1991. Kohat is the terminus railway station of Kohat-Jand railway line and has daily train service to Rawalpindi.

The Kohat Rail Service, suspended in 2013 due to unforeseen circumstances, caused immense hardship for the local population. Undeterred, President Saleem Altaf Advocate spearheaded a peaceful movement through Karwaan-E-Amal Kohat. Following a resilient 4-year struggle, the Kohat Rail Service was triumphantly restored in 2017. Today, millions of people in Kohat reap the benefits of this vital transportation link.

Air

Main article: Kohat Airbase

The nearest airport served by commercial services is Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar. Kohat Airbase is a Pakistan Air Force base that began as a runway built by the British. PIA once used the airport using de Havilland Twin Otter, though Kohat is no longer served by commercial services.

Road

Kohat is a major node on the N-55 Indus Highway that connects Peshawar to Karachi, and the N-80 highway that connects Kohat to Islamabad. The 1.9 km Kohat Tunnel was completed in 2004, and connects the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Peshawar. Constructed with Japanese assistance, the tunnel drastically reduced travel times across the Kohat Pass.

Media

Radio Pakistan Kohat
Kohat Press Club

In popular culture

Kohat plays a central role in the eighth season of U.S. political thriller Homeland particularly in the episodes Threnody(s), In Full Flight and Designated Driver.

Education

Universities

University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar Kohat Campus
Kohat University of Science & Technology
Preston University in Kohat

Colleges

Historical military significance

Kohat Cantonment was established in the British Era, and it is one of the eight cantonments falling in the Peshawar region. Kohat is also the headquarters of Pakistan's Inter Services Selection Board (ISSB), which selects commissioned officers for the Pakistan armed forces of Pakistan including the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Notable people

Afzal Bangash, politician and co-founder and president of the Mazdoor Kisan Party
Iftikhar Hussain Shah, former Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
Malik Saad, Pakistani police officer
Shahid Afridi, Pakistani international cricketer and former captain of Pakistan national cricket team.
Rohan Mustafa, Pakistani-born United Arab Emirates cricketer.
Rashid Mansoor, Pakistani cricketer

Notes

References

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{{EB1911
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(April 13, 2020). "Adnan Jaffer makes an appearance on Homeland". [[Jaag TV.

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