Hund, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

It was Turk Shahi capital of Gandhara, which possibly functioned as a winter capital alternating with the summer capital of Kabul, within their kingdom of Kapisa-Gandhara in the 7-9th century AD. Hund was also the last capital of Gandhara, following Charsadda (then Pushkalavati) and Peshawar (then known as Purushapura), under the Hindu Shahi rulers until the beginning of 11th century AD, when Mahmud of Ghazni defeated Anandapala, the last Hindu Shahi ruler in Gandhara. The Hindu Shahi capital was then shifted to Nandana in the Salt Range, Punjab. It has also been said that the Mongol invader Genghis Khan also followed Khwarezm Shah up to Hund, before the prince jumped into the Indus River on his way to India. == Geography ==

The village Hund is surrounded by a fort, remains of which are still visible. There were four gates of the walled city which are visible till to date and were used as entry and exit points. It is said that of the walled city a deep trench was also dug to control un authorized entry. The trench was crossed by a movable wooden bridge which used to be lifted at night by the guards of the gates and Garrison closed at night. According to some historians there was a tunnel inside the walled city which connected Hund Garrison with Attock Fort so that both Garrisons can reinforce each other in case of attack and used the tunnel as a withdrawal route in case a Garrison fell into enemy hands. Old relics and remains of ancient civilizations have been found in the village after excavation work was undertaken by the government in recent past. The history and past glory of the Hund has been preserved by the govt by constructing a museum in the village on the bank of river Indus. A replica of tower of Olympia has also been constructed watching the mighty Indus in the memory of Alexander the Great who crossed river Indus and stayed in Hund during his last military campaign of the Indian subcontinent. == Settlements ==

Before the partition of India, the village had a mixture of Hindu and Muslim population. Remains of Hindu worship places and their residences were visible till near the past, however some are now nearly non-existent after increase in population. After the partition, most of the non-Muslims left for India. Soon the village was mainly inhibited by Pathans who later on invited artisans from other clans and casts to settle down in the village so as to make it an independent entity. The settlements of Balar Khel are mainly in villages Zaida, Maini, Yaqubi, Yar Hussain, Hund, Ambar, Lahor, Kaddi and Panj Pir in Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. Hund also had the unique honour to be the capital of a Hindu Maharaja and a military garrison of Akbar. According to historians, Hund is one the oldest surviving cities in the world. == Gallery ==

File:Museo d'Arte Orientale, Torino 05.jpg|Buddhist Devata statue from Hund, 6-7th century AD. Museum of Oriental Art (Turin) File:Pakistan, hund, devata maschile, vi-vii sec.JPG|Buddhist Devata, 6-7th century AD, Hund. Museum of Oriental Art (Turin) File:Hund_Museum.JPG|Hund Museum ==See also==