Mardan
Second largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, rich in ancient history.
Mardan is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, it is the second largest city in the province after Peshawar. Mardan later formed part of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara, and nearby rock edicts of the Indian King Ashoka from the Mauryan period (mid-200s BCE) represent the earliest irrefutable evidence of writing in South Asia.
- Location
- Mardan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
- Coordinates
- 34°12'0 N, 72°1'60 E
- Largest city in province after
- Peshawar
- Climate
- Hot semi-arid (Köppen BSh)
- Average temperature
- 22.2 °C
Lore & Background
Mardan is located in a region with extensive archaeological heritage. Other sites have produced evidence from the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods. Mardan then formed part of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara. Rock edicts of Ashoka in nearby Shahbaz Garhi, written in the Kharosthi script, date from the Mauryan period in the mid-200s BCE. The nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of Takht-i-Bahi was established as a monastery around 46 CE.
Reader's Guide
Mardan's significance lies in its deep historical roots and its role as a major urban center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the modern era, Mardan grew rapidly in the latter half of the 20th century, becoming the second-largest city in the province. It is a growing industrial center, home to textile and edible oil mills and one of the largest sugar mills in South Asia. The city is also the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe of Pashtuns.
Did You Know?
- Mardan's population grew fivefold in just 50 years during the latter half of the 20th century.
More in Cities Starting With M 1-24
Elsewhere in the Cities Starting With M universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record