City guide
Nowshera: Cantonment Town on the Kabul River
A river and garrison town on the Grand Trunk Road east of Peshawar, home to Khattak country, the tomb of the poet-warrior Khushal Khan Khattak and the Pakistan Air Force Academy at Risalpur.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Peshawar Division)
- On the Kabul River
- On the Grand Trunk Road and M-1
- Best season: October–March
Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Nowshera at a Glance
About Nowshera
Nowshera lies on a sandy plain beside the Kabul River in the Valley of Peshawar, about 43 km east of Peshawar on the Grand Trunk Road. The name, Nowkhar in Pashto, Nowshera in Urdu, means "new city". It is the headquarters of Nowshera District, and with its large cantonment, its neighbouring air-force town of Risalpur and the hill cantonment of Cherat, it has long been one of the army's main bases in the north-west.
The 2023 Census counted 88,472 people in the municipal area (Nowshera Kalan) and 34,481 in Nowshera Cantonment, 122,953 together, while Risalpur Cantonment had 36,074. The district as a whole had 1,740,705 people. Pashto is the first language of most residents, and the Khattaks are the largest tribe in the district; Urdu is widely understood.
Nowshera is a commercial and industrial town, with textile, paperboard and chemical industries, and the main market for the farming villages along the river. Its position on the Grand Trunk Road, the M-1 motorway and the Peshawar railway makes it a natural stop between Islamabad and Peshawar.
The Kabul River is Nowshera's lifeline and its biggest risk. The town and its surrounding villages were badly flooded in 2010 and again in 2022, and flood defences and warnings now matter to everyone who lives here. For visitors, Nowshera's highlights are historical and literary: the tomb of Khushal Khan Khattak, the great 17th-century Pashto poet and warrior, and the old towns of Akora Khattak and Pabbi along the Grand Trunk Road.
Nowshera means 'new city', but this stretch of the Kabul River has been fought over and travelled through for millennia.
A Short History of Nowshera
1613–1689
Khushal Khan Khattak
The Khattak chief and poet, born and buried in the Akora area, writes the verse that makes him Pashto's national poet.
18th century
Durrani era
Nowshera develops under the Afghan Durrani Empire on the road between Peshawar and the Indus.
March 1823
Battle of Nowshera
The Sikh army of Ranjit Singh defeats Afghan forces here, opening the Peshawar Valley to Sikh rule.
1849
British rule
The British annex the region; Nowshera becomes a town and cantonment of Peshawar District.
1903
Railway bridge
A railway bridge over the Kabul River opens on 1 December 1903.
1947–1967
Risalpur
A flying training school is set up at Risalpur in 1947; it becomes the PAF Academy in 1967.
2010 and 2022
Floods
Severe Kabul River floods inundate Nowshera and nearby villages.
Getting There and Around
By road
M-1 and Grand Trunk Road
The Islamabad–Peshawar motorway (M-1) and the Grand Trunk Road (N-5) both pass Nowshera. Roads also run north to Mardan and Risalpur.
By rail
Main line to Peshawar
Nowshera is on the railway between Rawalpindi and Peshawar, and is the junction for the branch line to Mardan.
By air
Via Peshawar
Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar is the nearest airport.
Around town
Rickshaws and wagons
Rickshaws and wagons link the town, cantonment and nearby market towns along the highway.
Plan Your Visit
Best time to visit
October to March
Winters are mild; summers on the plain are hot and humid, and the monsoon months can bring floods.
Where to stay
Peshawar or Islamabad
Nowshera has few hotels for visitors; most people visit on the way between Islamabad and Peshawar.
Etiquette
Military town
Do not photograph military or air-force installations, checkpoints or bridges. Dress modestly and ask before photographing people.
Flood safety
Monsoon months
In July and August, follow flood warnings issued by the district administration and keep away from the riverbanks after heavy rain upstream.
Advisories
Check before you go
Check current travel advisories and local authority guidance for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before travelling.
Nowshera Through Time
Every dated moment our guides record about Nowshera, from its own history and from national events that touched it. Each entry links to its source page.
- 1823–1834
Towards the Khyber
Sikh armies defeat Afghan and Pashtun forces at Nowshera (1823); Peshawar is brought under direct Sikh rule in 1834.
- May 1857 – 1858
The War of 1857 in Punjab, Sindh and the Frontier
The uprising of 1857 against the East India Company reached the lands that are now Pakistan through mutinies and disarmings in Peshawar, Mardan, Jhelum, Sialkot and Karachi, and through rural risings in the Ravi country around Gogera and in the hills near Murree. The Company…
- 18–19 May 1857
Unrest at Nowshera and Mardan
Officers report discontent in the 55th Bengal Native Infantry at Nowshera and Mardan; British troops are ordered to garrison Attock (Becher's report, 1858).
Do you remember Nowshera as it used to be? Share a memory or an old photo, our editors review every story before it appears.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Nowshera mean?
'New city'. The Pashto name is Nowkhar and the Urdu form Nowshera; the town grew in the Durrani period.
What is the population of Nowshera?
The 2023 Census counted 122,953 people in Nowshera city and cantonment (88,472 and 34,481) and 1,740,705 in Nowshera District (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics).
Where is Khushal Khan Khattak buried?
In his home country near Akora Khattak in Nowshera District, at the hamlet of Esori Bala off the Grand Trunk Road; the mausoleum dates from 1949.
How far is Nowshera from Peshawar?
About 43 km east along the Grand Trunk Road; the M-1 motorway also passes the town.
What is Risalpur known for?
It is home to the PAF Academy Asghar Khan, the Pakistan Air Force's officer training academy, about 8 km from Nowshera.
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- Type Place guide
- Sources 7 (2 official/academic)
- Reviewed October 2026
- Disputed points None
7 sources
- Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – cities, towns and districts (Census 2017 and 2023), City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), citing Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
- Census 2023 – Table 2: Population of urban localities, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
- Nowshera, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Khushal Khan Khattak's mausoleum, Dawn
- Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Wikipedia (used to locate primary sources)
- PAF Academy Asghar Khan, Wikipedia (used to locate primary sources)
- Akora Khattak, Wikipedia (used to locate primary sources)
Photo credits (1)
- Nowshera City.JPG, Waleed Abbas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
