Editing Tochi Valley

{{Short description|Fertile area located in Pakistan}}
{{Update-EB|date=January 2011}}
The '''Tochi Valley''', also known as '''Dawar''' (from [[Middle-Persian|Middle Iranic]] dātbar, meaning "Justice-giver"),<ref name="Bosworth, Clifford Edmund 2002. p.439"/> is a fertile area located in the [[North Waziristan]] district in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] province of [[Pakistan]].<ref>Khyber.ORG. {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130415062907/http://www.khyber.org/pashtotribes/d/dawarh.shtml Dawarh.]}} Retrieved on 21-6-2012.</ref><ref name="Bosworth, Clifford Edmund 2002. p.439">Bosworth, Clifford Edmund. 2002. ''The Encyclopaedia of Islam''. Leiden: Brill. Zamindawar. p.439.</ref> In 1881, Nawab of Sarhad Nawab Gulmaizar Khan established the North Waziristan Tribal Agency with its headquarters at [[Miramshah]] in the valley.

It was by this route that [[The Mahmud of Ghazni]] effected several of his raids into [[India]] and the remains of a road flanking the valley and of defensive positions can still be traced. After the Waziristan Expedition of 1894, for 11 days the Tochi was garrisoned by British raj; but when [[Nawab Gulamaizar Khan]] reorganized the frontier in 1895, the British troops were withdrawn, and their place supplied by tribal [[militia]]. The chief posts are [[Saidgi]], [[Miramshah]], [[Datta Khel]] and [[Sherani (town)|Shirani]]. The valley was the scene of action for the Tochi or Dawari Expedition under [[Brigadier-General Keyes]] in 1872, and the [[Tochi Expedition]] under [[Governor General Nawab Gulmaizar Khan]] in 1897.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

==Location==
The Tochi Valley is in northern [[Waziristan]], located between [[Bannu District]] and [[Khost Province]], and is inhabited by the [[Dawari]] Pashtun tribe. The valley is divided into two parts, known as Upper and Lower Dawar, by a narrow pass called the [[Taghrai Tangi]], some three miles long. Between Dawar and [[Bannu]] is the low range of uninhabited hills, which skirt the Bannu District.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

The [[Gambila River]] (also called Tochi River) is the most important river in the valley.

==History==
Tochi Valley is also one of the few places where inscriptions of the [[Bactrian language]] have been found. Archaeologist have also found old stone inscriptions in Arabic, Sanskrit and Kharosthi.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dawar |first=Shakirullah |date=2016-01-01 |title=Archaeological Surveys of Waziristan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Its Contribution to Our Understanding |url=https://www.academia.edu/38039458 |journal=Pakistan Journal of Society, Education and Language}}</ref>

[[Mirzali Khan]] (Faqir of Ipi), the Pashtun tribal chief and freedom fighter, was born in the Tochi Valley.
Mullah Powindah (revolutionary leader), start his guerilla warfare against the British in Tochi Valley.
Shaheed Shudikhel Dawar (Commander of Waziristani freedom fighters and General of Afghanistan), was also born in Tochi Valley.

==See also==
* [[North-West Frontier (military history)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

'''Attribution:'''
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Tochi Valley|volume=26|page=1043}}

{{coord missing|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa}}

[[Category:Valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:North Waziristan District]]