The early history of the district is limited to the vaguest
traditions. It is said that in the Buddhist times, two Rajas named Adh
and Kohat settled alongwith the northern border of the district. The
remnants of the Buddhist day is a road cut off the mountain side, on
the western skirts of
the Jawaki hills near Kotal Post which leads by an even gradient
towards the crest.
The first historical mention of Kohat is to be found in the memoirs of
Emperor Babar who visited Kohat in I 1505 AD. Babar in his memoirs
calls the inhabitants of the area as Afghan.
After Babar the history of Kohat revolves around two major tribes
namely Bangash and Khattak. These people appear to have settled in the
district, during 14th am 15th centuries. From 16th to 18th centuries,
Kohat remained as a part of Afghanistan Kingdom, administered by the
Chiefs of two afore mentioned tribes. In the beginning of 19th century
Kohat came under the control of Sikhs who ultimately withdrew leaving
to the administrative control of Khan of Teri in 1836 AD.
Kohat was finally annexed to the British dominion on 28th March 1849
with the rest of Punjab and an Assistant Commissioner was posted here
to run the administration and to look after the British interests. In
the initial stages of the British administration, the locals of the
area posed considerable problems. Later on some of the tribe joined
with the British Government and helped them in running the affairs of
the ar smoothly. Nevertheless, the Britishers were never at peace in
this part of their Kingdom as resistance and opposition always cropped
from one quarter or the other. But their tactics of "Divide and Rule" ultimately strengthened their hold over the region. They put one tribe
against the other by giving preference to one against the other and
finally succeeded in administration them. An example of British
un-rest in this area is the event of the brave Afridi Ajab Khan, who
forced to surrender the entire British administration of the district
against his demands.
GEOGRAPHY
Name, Location, Boundary and Area
As mentioned in the history, in the Buddhist times, two Rajas namely
Adh and Kohat settled along the northern border of the district. Raja
Kohat gave his name to the town of Kohat and Raja Adh to the fort, the
ruins of which are found on the hill side north of Muhammadzai, a
village 6 kilometers to the west of Kohat. Another version about this
name is that it is a combination of two words, "Koh and Hat" meaning
mountain market i.e. a bazar situated in the mountain.
The district lies between 33° - 04’ and 33° - 34’ north latitudes and
70° - 29’ and 72° - 01' east longitudes. It is bounded on the north by
Orakzai agency, tribal areas adjoining Kohat, Peshawar and Nowshera
districts, on the east by Attock district of the Punjab province, on
the south by Mianwali district of the Punjab province and Karak
district and on the west by Hangu district and Orakzai agency of FATA.
The total area of the district is 2545 square kilometers.
Physical features/Topography
The topography of the district is dominated by the mountains and
hills. In the northwest of the district the important ranges include
lower Miranzai and Bangash, which run in an eastwest direction.
Further in the south is Kamar -Tanda. The height of these ranges
varies from 650 to 1000 meters above the sea level. In the northeast
the Sowaki and Adan Khel hills run in a southwest -northeast
direction. These hills gradually rise in the extreme northeastern part
of the district. The intervening open valleys between the hills are
seldom more than eight kilometers in width. The Kohat valley is most
important agriculturally rich area. Generally, the district is
elevated and the ranges attain only inconsiderable heights above the
plain area. The headquarter town of Kohat is more than 550 meters
above the sea level.
Rivers and Streams
The river Indus forms the eastern boundary of the district, which
separates it from the province of Punjab. Kohat Toi is a principal
stream, which enters from Hangu district and flowing to east and
southeast, drains into river Indus. The river has a small perennial
flow, which disappears before it reaches the town of Kohat, it
reappears again at some distance down stream and then flows
continuously to the Indus. The Kohat Toi has several small torrents or
tributaries, which join it at different places. Another, stream Teri
Toi, which flows from west to east, in the southern half of the
district, joins the river Indus. The river has a tittle or no
perennial flow.
Climate
The climate of the district is hot from May to September. June is the
hottest month. The mean, maximum and minimum temperature recorded
during June is about 40° C and 27° C respectively. A pleasant change
in the weather is noted from October onwards, up till February. The
winter is cold and severe. In winter a wrong west wind known as '`Hangu
Breeze" often blows down the Miranzai valley towards Kohat for weeks.
The mean maximum and minimum temperature, recorded during the month of
January, is about 18° C and 6" C respectively.
The rainfall is received throughout the year. The monsoon rain is
received from May to October. August is the rainiest month, with an
average of about 111 mm. The winter rain occurs from November to
April. The highest winter rainfall is received in the month of March.
The average annual rainfall is about 546 mm. The maximum humidity has
been recorded in the month of August during summer season and in
December during the winter season.
|
