Peshawar

Peshawar's recorded history dates back to at least the sixth century BC, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in South Asia. One of the principal cities of the ancient Gandhara, Peshawar served as the capital of the Kushan Empire during the rule of Kanishka the Great in the second century CE. A variety of Muslim empires ruled the city following the conquest of Peshawar by the Ghaznavids from the Hindu Shahis in 1001 CE. It was an important trading centre of the Mughal Empire, later serving as the winter capital of the Durrani Empire from 1776 until its capture by the Sikh Empire in 1823. In 1849, the city was annexed by the East India Company along with rest of Punjab and subsequently became part of the British Raj. In 1901, Peshawar was made capital of the North-West Frontier Province after it was created by bifurcating the northwestern districts of Punjab Province. Following the Partition of British India in 1947, it became part of Pakistan.

Peshawar is a major cultural, political and economic centre of the region.