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| demographics1_info1 = {{ bulleted list| '''Total:'''<br />48.13% | '''Male:'''<br />61.83% | '''Female:'''<br />33.95% }} | | demographics1_info1 = {{ bulleted list| '''Total:'''<br />48.13% | '''Male:'''<br />61.83% | '''Female:'''<br />33.95% }} | ||
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'''Swat District''', commonly referred to as the '''Swat Valley''', is located within the Malakand Division of [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]], [[Pakistan]]. Renowned for its breathtaking natural landscapes, this district attracts numerous tourists each year. According to the 2023 national census, Swat has a population of 26,87,384, making it the 15th largest district in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]. | |||
Swat District is primarily focused on the Valley of Swat, often simply called Swat, which comprises a natural geographic area surrounding the Swat River. This valley was a significant hub for early Buddhism within the ancient civilisation of Gandhara, particularly associated with Gandharan Buddhism. Elements of Buddhism continued to exist in the valley until the Yousafzai conquest in the 16th century, which led to the region predominantly converting to Islam, alongside the Pashtunisation of Swat and its adjacent areas. In the early 19th century, Swat emerged as an independent state under the leadership of Saidu Baba. By 1918, the State of Swat became a Princely state under British suzerainty as part of the British Raj. | |||
In 1947, after the [[Partition of India]] and the subsequent creation of Pakistan, Swat joined the [[Dominion of Pakistan]], maintaining its status as a self-governing princely state until it was officially annexed and integrated into [[West Pakistan]]. By 1969, it became part of the [[North-West Frontier Province]], which is now known as [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]. The region fell under the control of the [[Pakistani Taliban|Tehrik-i-Taliban]] in late 2007, but Pakistani authority was restored by mid-2009. | |||
Swat's average elevation is 980 meters, contributing to a significantly cooler and wetter climate compared to other areas of Pakistan. With its lush forests, green alpine meadows, and snow-capped peaks, Swat ranks among the country's most sought-after tourist destinations. | |||
== Etymology == | |||
The name "Swat" (स्वात) is derived from the [[Swat River]]. In the [[Rigveda]], the river is referred to as सुवास्तु (Suvāstu), which translates to "of fair dwellings." Some interpretations suggest that the Sanskrit name may signify "clear blue water".<ref>{{cite book|author=Susan Whitfield|author-link=Susan Whitfield|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cHBdDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT136|title=Silk, Slaves, and Stupas: Material Culture of the Silk Road|publisher=University of California Press|year=2018|isbn=978-0-520-95766-4|page=136}}</ref> Another theory posits that the term Swat comes from the Sanskrit word श्वेत (Śvēta), meaning 'white', which also describes the clear waters of the Swat River.<ref name="Sultan_2008">{{cite book|author=Sultan-i-Rome|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pIsMAQAAMAAJ|title=Swat State (1915–1969) from Genesis to Merger: An Analysis of Political, Administrative, Socio-political, and Economic Development|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-19-547113-7|page=13}}</ref> To the ancient Greeks, the river was known as ''Soastus'',<ref>{{Cite book|author=Edward Herbert Bunbury |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6GYDAAAAQAAJ&q=Soastus+swat&pg=PA442|title=A history of ancient geography among the Greeks and Romans|date=1879|publisher=J. Murray|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Arrian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2hdHI2Gd0HwC&q=Soastus+swat&pg=PA231|title=Alexander the Great: The Anabasis and the Indica|date=2013-02-14|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-958724-7|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Saxena|first=Savitri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sw4qAAAAYAAJ&q=swat+river+soastes|title=Geographical Survey of the Purāṇas: The Purāṇas, a Geographical Survey|date=1995|publisher=Nag Publishers|isbn=978-81-7081-333-0|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Sultan_2008" /> while the Chinese pilgrim [[Faxian]] referred to the region as ''Su-ho-to''.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Rienjang|first1=Wannaporn|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9yWNDwAAQBAJ&q=Faxian+su-ho-to&pg=PA107|title=The Geography of Gandhāran Art: Proceedings of the Second International Workshop of the Gandhāra Connections Project, University of Oxford, 22nd-23rd March, 2018|last2=Stewart|first2=Peter|date=2019-03-15|publisher=Archaeopress|isbn=978-1-78969-187-0|language=en|access-date=11 September 2021|archive-date=25 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825152325/https://books.google.com/books?id=9yWNDwAAQBAJ&q=Faxian+su-ho-to&pg=PA107#v=snippet&q=Faxian%20su-ho-to&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
== Geography == | |||
== Demographics == | |||
[[File:Sunset over the Mingora City, Swat Valley, Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Photograph of [[Mingora]], the largest city in Swat – May 2014]] | |||
{{Historical populations | |||
|align=center | |||
|percentages=pagr | |||
|1951 |2,83,720 | |||
|1961 |3,44,859 | |||
|1972 |5,20,614 | |||
|1981 |7,15,938 | |||
|1998 |12,57,602 | |||
|2017 |23,08,624 | |||
|footnote= Sources:<ref>{{cite web |title=Population by administrative units 1951-1998 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/1998/administrative_units.pdf |publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]] |access-date=26 August 2023 |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605161446/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/1998/administrative_units.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>|2023|26,87,384}} | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
== Read also == | |||
* [[Batkhela]] | |||