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Peshawar
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<p>Peshawar is the capital and <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_in_Khyber_Pakhtunkhwa_by_population/8ImtxB2g">largest</a> city of the <a href="/facts/Administrative_units_of_Pakistan/c1UCTqjc">Pakistani province</a> of <a href="/facts/Khyber_Pakhtunkhwa/A5IKDXIH">Khyber Pakhtunkhwa</a>. It is the sixth most populous city of <a href="/facts/Pakistan/cbIsvJy1">Pakistan</a>, with a district population of over 4.7 million in the 2023 census. It is situated in the north-west of the country, lying in the <a href="/facts/Valley_of_Peshawar/I8aQAy6y">Valley of Peshawar</a>. Peshawar is primarily populated by <a href="/facts/Pashtuns/qqXpHAKN">Pashtuns</a>, who comprise the second-largest ethnic group in the country. </p><p>Situated in the Valley of Peshawar, a broad area situated east of the historic <a href="/facts/Khyber_Pass/qvNBzEGg">Khyber Pass</a>, Peshawar's recorded history dates back to at least 539 BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in South Asia. The area encompassing modern-day Peshawar is mentioned in the Vedic scriptures; it was one of the principal cities of the <a href="/facts/Gandhara/FF0QL0ew">ancient Gāndhāra</a>. Peshawar served as the capital of the <a href="/facts/Kushan_Empire/QvUh1thw">Kushan Empire</a> during the rule of <a href="/facts/Kanishka/pbQtD4eF">Kanishka</a> and was home to the <a href="/facts/Kanishka_Stupa/Pl10CSPM">Kanishka Stupa</a>, which was among the tallest buildings in the ancient world. </p><p>Peshawar was then ruled by the <a href="/facts/Hephthalites/mPWNqPeT">Hephthalites</a>, followed by the <a href="/facts/Hindu_Shahis/UH1zuUjD">Hindu Shahis</a>, before the arrival of a variety of <a href="/facts/Islamic_rulers_in_the_Indian_subcontinent/Dsr46MUv">Muslim empires</a>. The city was an important trading Centre of the <a href="/facts/Mughal_Empire/yRg2kAy5">Mughal Empire</a> before becoming part of the <a href="/facts/Durrani_Empire/JATE9KWV">Durrani Empire</a> in 1747, after which it served as the Durrani winter capital from 1776 until the capture of the city by the <a href="/facts/Sikh_Empire/RpnHH4Ty">Sikh Empire</a> in 1823. In 1849, the city was captured by the <a href="/facts/British_East_India_Company/jpfw533d">East India Company</a> and subsequently became part of <a href="/facts/British_Raj/hBe6wvPS">British Raj</a>, under whose rule it remained until the <a href="/facts/Partition_of_British_India/c8xmUWfG">Partition of British India</a> and subsequent independence of Pakistan in 1947. </p>