Bannu District
| District Bannu | |
|---|---|
| District | |
.svg) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's location in the Pakistan |
|
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Headquarters | Bannu |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,227 km2 (474 sq mi) |
| Population (1998) | |
| • Total | 677,350 |
| • Density | 552/km2 (1,430/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
Bannu District (Pashto: بنو, Urdu: ضلع بنوں, Avestan Varəna), as formed by the British in 1861, is one of 26 districts that make up the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It borders North Waziristan to the northwest, Karak to the northeast, Lakki Marwat to the southeast, and South Waziristan to the southwest. It is represented in the provincial assembly by four MPAs. The district's main city is Bannu.
The major industries of Bannu are cloth weaving and the manufacturing of cotton fabrics, machinery, and equipment. It is famous for its weekly Jumma fair. The district forms a basin drained by the Kurram and Gambila (or Tochi) rivers, which originate in the hills of Waziristan. Although Bannu is surrounded by rugged and dry mountains, it is a very fertile place, and early English visitors had been known to refer to it as a "paradise" – see the beautiful description by Edwardes quoted by Thornton.
The district forms a basin drained by the Kurram River and Gambila River (or Tochi river) which originate in the hills of Waziristan. The Bannu Valley proper stretches to the foot of the frontier hills, forming an irregular oval, measuring 60 miles (100 km) from north to south and 40 miles (60 km) from east to west.
The history of Bannu goes back to prehistoric times, due to its strategic location. Sheri Khan Tarakai is an ancient settlement site located in the Bannu District with ruins of the oldest known village settlement in the Bannu region, which was occupied from the late fifth until the early third millennium BC.
The sacred texts of Zend Avesta and Vendidad mention that Varəna, the old name of Bannu, has one of the sixteen most beautiful and perfect lands created by Ahura Mazda, the God of Zoroastrianism, predating Islam. Bannu is the homeland of FerΘraētaona/Frēdōn/Afrīḏūn;
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Wikipedia