Overview
The history and culture of Swabi is very rich. The late historian Roshan Khan Baba from this region wrote about the history of this great tribe in his book 'History of the Yousafzai Tribe'. A drive to Swabi from Jehangira or Mardan is scenic and a beautiful experience. Lush green fields and shady trees line the road on either side.
Swabi is proud of its illustrious sons like Nawab Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum founder of Islamia College, Peshawar and the brave martyr of the Kargil war Captain Karnal Sher Khan recipient of the highest military award of Pakistan Nishan-e-Haider. Hafiz rehmath Khan Of Rohilkand Badsh was from Swabi,The Great Muslim League Leader Bakht Jamal Khan was From Swabi ( Karnal Sher Killi)Now days Majid Ali of Karnal Sher Killi is Conducting his thesis on The Life of Bakht Jamal Khan. the Second most important leader of Muslim League Pordal Khan Was from Swabi.Many Swabiwaals are liberal in their outlook yet devout Muslims. They are well known for their hospitality.
Tobacco is a popular cash crop of Swabi along with vegetables, wheat, sugar cane and maize. Its climate is ideally suited for citrus in particular while many other fruits like watermelon, peaches and apricots are also grown there. Swabi is also rich with mineral resources founded in the Maneri village and its white marble is very popular throughout the country.
Maini is the most beautiful, religious and highly educated village of Swabi. There are the most famous Islamic institutes, i.e. "Madrassa Rahmania" and Dar Ul Najah".
Swabi is home to the largest earth–filled dam of the world, the Tarbela Dam. It also boasts one of the most prestigious institutions of Pakistan, the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology located in village Topi.
A six lane motorway connecting Islamabad with Peshawar passes through Swabi District with an access interchange at Ambaar.
People
The People of Swabi are famous for their hospitality. They are brave and look after their guests, they say guest is mercy of GOD. Many people work in the Middle East, Europe and America to support their families. People are very hard workers and moderate by nature. The people have strong unity among themselves and living peace fully.
Archaeological Sites
Swabi contains many important archaeological sites; it was part of the Gandhara civilization. Alexander the Great crossed river Indus where the village of Hund now lies on its right bank. Hund is an archaeological treasure and been the capital of the Hindu and Turk Shahi for nearly three hundred years. Archaeological sites are found peppered all over Swabi and they are great tourist attractions.[1]
Rani Ghat is another start of the Gandhara archaeological site located further deep in the mountainous area. Rani Ghat is the famous historical palace on the top of mountain used by the Rani (queen) of that era. She was famous for buying the fresh air coming from Swabi side. She paid the villagers for clean air -- they were not allowed to pollute it by blowing the crops in the air for cleaning purpose. The ruins are still a famous place for visitors. As a part of the origin of Buddhist Gandhara civilisation it has also attracted re-construction funds from Japanese research institutes. With the help of Japanese funds the local NGO Shewa Educated Social Workers Association (SESWA) built a walkway to the historical sites and built fences to protect the area. It also built a mountain resthouse on Baga mountain which is a popular tourist site. This area attracted many tourists including Japanese, who came here for studies in the ancient times to learn about Buddhism.
Similarly the ruins of Darsan are also here. Not enough archaeological work has been done on this area and it needs attention from archaeologists.
Molana Abdul Qadir was a great scholar resident of the village of Pabaini. He was the founder of Pushto Academy and Pushto department. The first Pushto dictionary was written by him.
Partition
Before partition, Hindus also lived here and most of the businesses were owned by them, both Muslims and Hindus lived peacefully. The majority of Hindu population was present in Baja Bamkhel and Naranji village before partition. After partition, the vast majority of Hindus left for India. People from Swabi are from the Yousafzai tribe, also known as Yousafzai-Afghan and Awan's(Afghani).The Awan were traveld with Sher Shah Surri from Afghanistan to N.W.F.P . Their origin is Kandahar.
After Partition
Today almost the whole population is Pakhtun of the Yousafzai tribe, however even today Hindus and Sikhs are found in some areas of Swabi.
'Thand Koi .is the village Of Swabi. Thand Koi is a beautiful village and it is home to the Manora (Abaseen)Means (Green Village). Thand Koi also has a resthouse on Mountain and another one on Pang Peer Mountain near olive gardens. Both these spots are famous tourist spots. Thand Koi has some of the best Maily MAKHA, Kabaddi, Cock Fighting, and Dog Fighting, jalsa(bail raice), and Asses, Akor, Gulu Dandai, Bilorai and Pat patonay. players in whole of Swabi district. Thand Koi has more than 10 schools which is one of the highest for any village of its size in the whole of Pakistan.
The well-known Islamic scholars of this village are mufti Gulzar Khan Babakhel, Maulana bin Amin, Maulana Shamsul Nawaz, Maulana Hussain Ahmed.
The most populated village in Swabi is Yar Hussain, a village in Tehsil Lahor. Archaeologically, Lahor was the original Lahor and the Lahore city of Panjab was raised after this one. Hund was called Hind and Lahor was the capital of Hind.
The museum of Peshawar is decorated with the historical utensils and ornaments of Lahor. The poets of Pashtu Mir Nawas Khan, Bakhshir, Norbaz Haji, belonged to this locality.
An historical place in Swabi District is Haryan, named after the Arians civilisation. Haryan is located 3 km from the main Swabi-Jahangira road from Lahor Tehsil and on the bank of river Indus. in old period, Haryan was well developed and spread from Hund to Attock fort of Mughal King Akbar. the proverb is famous amongst old people that "if the goat climb to the roof of one house in Haryan, then she could visit entire area from Hund to Attock", because of the densely populated area.
Beka village is at the edge of River Indus. People are very hospital caring and famous for their rich culture. Historically Village Beka was replace by river Indus. It was the famous village during Akbar (emperor). Akbar sent his faithful soldiers to live in this area. After flood on old Beka people move parallel to river on other side e.g. existing Beka, Nabi, Sala, and Haryan till Zida.
In Beka village, Yusuf Zai clan, Khattak clan, Shahib Zadgan (Bacha Sahib) and Blar Khel are living. Literacy rate is high compare to other villages. Haji Mohabat Khan late was a social welfare activist. He aimed to bring literacy in females as equal to man. Haji Mohbat khan devoted his life for the welfare of people. He donated his land for girls Primary school, Girls High school and also land for grave yard and hospital. The Bacha Sahib family served for a long time. Their ancestors were scholars from Bukhara (Central Asia). They are famous in Tib (Health). Every year people come from miles and miles and from abroad to celeberate uras (celebration). Swabi has a green valley called Gadoon. Gadoon touches its boundaries with Haripur up side Bunir.
One of the most famous village in Swabi is Kernel Sher Khan Kalay (Previously called Nawan Kalay). The village was renamed after Kernel Sher Khan who gave his life for his nation in the Kargil War. Sher Khan is the only Pukhtoon to have received the highest military award in Pakistan, the Nishan-e-Haider. His tomb lies close to the Mardan Swabi highway near Shewa Adda.
Next to Kernel Sher Khan Kalay is the village Shewa. Shewa is a beautiful village and it is home to the tomb of Yousuf Khan and Sher Bano. Shewa also has a resthouse on Baga Mountain and another one on Karmar Mountain near olive gardens. Both these spots are famous tourist spots. Shewa has some of the best Mukha players in whole of Swabi district. Shewa has more than 12 schools which is one of the highest for any village of its size in the whole of Pakistan.
Tourism
Swabi is notable for being the setting for the Yusuf Khan and Sherbano folktale, a famous Pashtun love story. Visitors come to the village of Shera Ghund and climb the mountain to visit the tomb of Yousaf Khan. Gadoon Amazi is one of the most popular places for tourist, especially the village of Mangal Chai.
Kund park which lies on the banks of the rivers Indus and Kabal. It is located in town Tordher. Tordher is second leading trading city after Swabi.It contains nearly 50,000 population.People are very hospitable and highly civilized. There are 18 primary and three high schools. Another tourist area is Ghazi-Bharota dam, which lies near Topi and Tarbela. Mahaban Hill in Gadoon has a scenic beauty like Swat and other hilly areas. Pir Galai resort is here, 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above sea level. From here one can see Mansehra, Buner and Kaghan Hills.
Afghan Refuges Camp
The Afghan Refugee Camp was established more than 20 years ago when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and five million Afghanis fled to Pakistan for shelter. This was the biggest camp in the country. Most of the refugees speaking the same language and culture had little problem settling down. But the huge flow of arms (confiscated from Soviet soldiers during the war), together with the rise in drug smuggling from Afghanistan and theft had become great challenges for the local population. The local people wished to have peace in Afghanistan so that refugees could leave as soon as possible. This camp is also called Sawabi Camp. The very hospitable people of Sawabi have graciously accepted this camp's presence for more than two decades. Baja, the small village of Swabi famous for many reason. The people are very highly educated most of the serve in the Pakistani army. Many of them are doctors, professors, civil judges and chief secretary.
Games
In the category of games, two types of games are played in Swabi. Local and ancient games include Maily MAKHA, Kabaddi, Cock Fighting, and Dog Fighting, Horse racing, and Asses, Akor, Gulu Dandai, Bilorai and Pat patonay, etc.
The popular games of modern times are: cricket and football. The Famous player in cricket in all over the district, Ibrahim Shah, also belongs to Village Khunda. Swabi is regarded as one of the best volleyball nurseries in the country. Many of the national team players are from this district, including former national volleyball team captain Raheem, originally from village Zaida.
Mukha, a type of archery, is the traditional game of Swabi, in which different villages take part. Mukha uses a bow and an arrow made from a long bamboo stick. Instead of a tip, th e arrow has a flat dish-shaped head called Tobray. The Makha game has a famous rivalry between the two villages Mangal Chai and Channi of the Gadoon. People come from all over the Swabi to enjoy this game.
Kabbadi is one of the most famous sports of the area. Panj Pir is the current champion of the game.
The Hub of Streams and Rivers
Swabi is home to dozens of streams and two great rivers, the Indus and the Kabul River. Both the rivers meet at a place called Kund, another major tourist attraction. The Indus river with its spectacular blue colour and the Kabul river's muddy brown water go side by side without blending. It is a treat to watch these two rivers hug each other quietly for thousands of years in their own special way. Also there are several small streams in different locations of the Swabi. A unique stream is in village Maini. The water of the stream comes out in the centre of the village. Its speciality is that in the winter the water of the stream is so hot. And in the summer water becomes cold. This water is used for irrigation in the village. This stream is called china which means spring. The three villages named Kotha, Topi and Maini are collectively called Utman. They all have natural springs called cnina in Maini, chino in Kotha and bayin in Topi.
Gadoon Amazai
Gadoon Amazai is one of the biggest Industrial estates of the North-West Frontier Province. Here there were once 580 industries and mills but due to improper planning it is losing its charm. The owners were not giving workers their rights. Twelve hour shifts, with no weekend leave, no casual leave, and no medical leave. Labour law of Pakistan meant nothing to the industrialists because many of them were ministers and members of assembly. Often workers demonstrated and government withdrew incentives because industrialists were sending their products to others parts of Pakistan at low prices while other industrialists from different parts of Pakistan were also against them for many more reasons. One reason was that the industrialists of Gadoon were not giving rights to workers and even not giving jobs to them while often labour leaders were charged in false cases and often put in jails. Most of them are still wanted in many false charges and they live in hiding from government eyes so when incentives were withdrawn local people and labour leaders would not take any action. And it is also a cause of disturbance of the Gadoon Amazai industrial estate.
Maneri is the most popular village of Swabi. It is a big village with a huge population. Most people are in Guld and Europe. It has the most educated people of the district. They are famous for hospitality and bravery.
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