Mardan, Pakistan
مردان
Mardan is a town of 300,424 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Why visit Mardan
Townapedia lists 35 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 8 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 13 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, College of Aeronautical Engineering, Jamal Garhi and Mardan Museum.
Weather in Mardan
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Mardan
Mardan is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (only after Peshawar). It is a fast growing city that experienced a population boom in the latter half of the 20th century.
From the Wikipedia article Mardan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Mardan on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do13
Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan
School · 5.2 km
Public university in Mardan, Pakistan
College of Aeronautical Engineering
School · 16.6 km
Pakistani military college
University of Engineering and Technology, Mardan
School · 2.8 km
Public university in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Women University Mardan
School · 1.6 km
Public university in Mardan, Pakistan
1 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks35
Jamal Garhi
Monument and historic site · 13.3 km
Human settlement in Pakistan
Seri Bahlol
Monument and historic site · 11.1 km
Archaeological site in Pakistan
Shahbaz Garhi
Monument and historic site · 11.0 km
Archaeological site
Takht-i-Bahi
Monument and historic site · 16.7 km
Archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery in Pakistan
Bakhshali Patwar Khana
Monument and historic site · 1.1 km
1 Bickht Gunj
Mo-Sa 09:00-16:00
Garden City Township, Mardan
Monument and historic site · 2.4 km
Mohallah Landaki
23 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes8
Marhaba Sweet and Baker
Bakery · 1.6 km
1 Mardan - Malakand Road
Mo-Su 09:00-21:00
History
Mardan is located in a region which is rich in archaeological sites. In 1962, the Sanghao Caves were discovered outside of Mardan, which yielded artefacts from the Middle Paleolithic period, over 30,000 years ago. Other sites in the immediate area have yielded evidences of human activity from the Upper Paleolithic period. Further excavations in the area around Jamal Garhi near Mardan recovered artefacts from the Mesolithic period.
The area around Mardan then formed part of the homeland of the Gandhara grave culture around 1800 BCE. The Gandharan grave culture appears to have been a Central Asian group that may represent part of the Indo-Aryan migrations into the subcontinent. Mardan then formed part of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara. Rock edicts of Ashoka in nearby Shahbaz Garhi date from the Mauryan period in the mid-200s BCE, and are written in the ancient Kharosthi script.
The nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of Takht-i-Bahi was established as a monastery around 46 CE. The Bakhshali manuscript, which contains the earliest record of the use of the number 0 in the Indian subcontinent, was found near Mardan in 1891, and dates from the third or fourth century CE. It is the oldest extant manuscript in Indian mathematics. The nearby Kashmir Smast caves served Buddhist hermit monks, and dates from the fourth to ninth century CE.
From the History section of Mardan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship11
Shopping10
Gas and EV charging9
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Healthcare14
Dr.Hameed ur Rehman Cardiologist’s Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.9 km
1 Canal Road
Mardan Medical Centre Dentistry Department
Hospital · 5.4 km
1 Mardan - Malakand Road
Map of Mardan
119 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Bacha Khan International Airport (PEW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 55 km away.
- Noorabad 10 km northwest, about 10 min by car
- Risalpur Cantonment 16 km south, about 16 min by car
- Nowshera Kalan 21 km south, about 21 min by car
- Ashanagro Koto 21 km southeast, about 21 min by car
- Nowshera Cantonment 23 km south, about 23 min by car
- Akora Khattak 23 km south, about 23 min by car
- Amangarh 24 km southwest, about 24 min by car
- Utmanzai 26 km west, about 26 min by car
- Peshawar 48 km southwest, about 48 min by car
- Mingora 71 km northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Guides Memmorial, Adil Shah of Mardan at English Wikipedia, CC0
- Court of Votive Stupas at Jamal Garhi, Muhammad Zahir, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Seri-Bahlol Showing village view and agriculture land, Shahidmrd, CC BY-SA 4.0
- A closer view of the rock - Ashoka Major Rock Edict, Raza Shah Khan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Takht-e-bahi, Asif Nawaz, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.