Abbottabad District

Abbottabad District (Urdu: ضلع ایبٹ آباد‎) also spelled Abbotabad is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km² with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town. Neighbouring districts are Mansehra to the north, Muzaffarabad to the east, Haripur to the west, and Rawalpindi to the south.

History

Origin of name

The district is named after Major James Abbott, the first deputy commissioner of Hazara (1849–1853).

Hazara

During British rule Abbottabad became the capital of Hazara division, which was named after and contained the Hazara valley, a small valley in the outermost Himalayas, between the Indus in the west and Kashmir in the east.

The current Abbottabad District was originally a tehsil of Hazara, the Imperial Gazetteer of India described it as follows:

Demography

According to latest information the population of the district is 1,182,000. According to an estimate this had risen to 1.05 million in 2008. according to the old Hazara gazetteers the main tribes here are the Dhunds, Dilazaks, Tanolis, Awans, Jadoons, Kashmiris, Shilmani, Sarrara (a section of the Dhund-Abbasi), Karlals, Qureshi, Mughals, Gujjars, Syed and Satti.

Abbottabad

Abbottabad (/ˈæbətəbæd/ or /ˈɑːbtəbæd/) (Urdu, Hindko: ایبٹ آباد Aibṭ ābād [ɛːbʈaːˈbaːd̪]) is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in northeastern Pakistan. The city is situated in 110 kilometres (68 mi) north of the capital Islamabad, 130 kilometres (81 mi) from Rawalpindi and 150 kilometres (93 mi) northeast of Peshawar at an altitude of 1,260 metres (4,134 ft) and is the capital of the Abbottabad District. Kashmir lies to the east of the city. The city is well known throughout Pakistan for its pleasant weather, high-standard educational institutions and Military Establishment Pakistan Military Academy Kakul. It remains a popular hill station attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

History

Abbottabad, under the British Raj, was the headquarters of the Hazara District during British rule of India. It was named after Major James Abbott who founded the town and district in January 1853 after the annexation of Punjab. He remained the first Deputy Commissioner of the Hazara district from 1849 until April 1853. Major Abbott is noted for having written a poem titled "Abbottabad", before he went back to Britain, in which he wrote of his fondness for the town and his sadness at having to leave it. In the early 20th century, Abbottabad became an important military cantonment and sanatorium, serving as the headquarters of a brigade in the Second Division of the Northern Army Corps. The garrison consisted of four battalions of native infantry, of the Frontier Force (including the 5th Gurkha Rifles) and two native mountain batteries.

Abbottabad (poem)

"Abbottabad" is a poem by Major James Abbott (1807–1896) who wrote the work about his experience of living in the area before leaving it. He was impressed by beauty of the area. The Pakistani city Abbottabad, which he founded (then capital of the Hazara District of British India), is named after him. A plaque commemorating his poem is displayed at Lady Garden Park within the city.

Poem text

I remember the day when I first came here
And smelt the sweet Abbottabad air

The trees and ground covered with snow
Gave us indeed a brilliant show

To me the place seemed like a dream
And far ran a lonesome stream

The wind hissed as if welcoming us
The pine swayed creating a lot of fuss

And the tiny cuckoo sang it away
A song very melodious and gay

I adored the place from the first sight
And was happy that my coming here was right

And eight good years here passed very soon
And we leave you perhaps on a sunny noon

Oh Abbottabad we are leaving you now
To your natural beauty do I bow

Perhaps your winds sound will never reach my ear
My gift for you is a few sad tears

I bid you farewell with a heavy heart
Never from my mind will your memories thwart

Abbottabad (disambiguation)

Abbottabad is a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Abbottabad may also refer to: