Batkhela
Batkhela (, ) is a city, tehsil and the district headquarter of the Malakand District within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. According to the 2017 Census of Pakistan, the population of Batkhela was recorded at 68,200. Batkhela is considered as one of the most popular business cities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A water canal that pours into a small dam in the Jabban area near Batkhela is the main source of electricity production here. Batkhela General Civil Headquarters Hospital is the main hospital of the district Malakand. Batkhela's main bazaar is more than 2 Kilometres long. There are no intersections (junctions) so there are no traffic lights. It is, therefore, also known as the longest bazaar in Asia that has no traffic lights and junctions (intersections) in it. History Etymology During the Ashoka and Kanishka Empires, Batkhela was ruled by a leader named Butt. The name "Batkhela" is, hence, associated with his name. Early history At the time when Mahmud of Ghazni (997-1030) was attacking India, one of his army leaders Pir Khushal assailed Batkhela. During the course of this assault, most of his soldiers were sunk in a big marsh at a place called Gheli in Batkhela.