State of Dir
[[Image:{{{region_flag}}}|100px|Flag of State of Dir]] This article is part of the series: Historical regions of Pakistan National Emblem of Pakistan (large) This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... The historical regions of Pakistan are former states, provinces and territories which mainly existed between 1947 and 1975 when the current provinces and territories were finally established. ...
[[Image:{{{region_map}}}|200px|Map of Pakistan with State of Dir highlighted]]
Capital	Dir
Area	5,282 km²
Main language(s)	Khowar
Established	1863
Abolished	28th July 1969
Historic regions of Pakistan
Original Provinces Baluchistan East Bengal Federal Capital Territory North West Frontier Province Sind West Punjab One-Unit Provinces Khowar is classified as a Dardic Language. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chief Commissioners Province of Baluchistan was a former province of Pakistan located in the northern parts of modern Balochistan province. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with East Pakistan. ... The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) around Karachi was the original capital territory of Pakistan. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... Sindh (Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... The Punjab/ پنجاب province of Pakistan is part of the larger Punjab region. ... East Pakistan West Pakistan	Former States Amb Bahawalpur Chitral Dir Hunza Kalat Khairpur Kharan Las Bela Makran Nagar Phulra Swat
Other regions Baluchistan States Union Gilgit Agency Trans-Karakoram Tract
Government of NWFP

This article details the historical State of Dir. For other uses of Dir, see Dir

The State of Dir was a small former princely state located in the modern North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan. The state ceased to exist in 1969 when it was incorporated into Pakistan. The area once occupied by the state (5,282 km²) now forms two districts of Pakistan - Upper Dir and Lower Dir. The two districts were part of Malakand division until divisions were abolished as an administrative tier. It has been suggested that East Bengal (province) be merged into this article or section. ... Independent (as part of Pakistan) from British Empire - August 14, 1947 Separated from East Pakistan as Pakistan - March 26, 1971 Capital Karachi Language Urdu, English West Pakistan consisted of the western part of Pakistan from 1947 until 1971, when East Pakistan became Bangladesh and West Pakistan became the present-day... Amb was a small princely state in what is today the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. ... The State of Bahawalpur was a princely state of the Punjab in what is now Pakistan, stretching along the southern bank of the Sutlej and Indus Rivers, with its capital city at Bahawalpur. ... The State of Chitral, or Chitrāl, was a former princely state of Pakistan and British India which ceased to exist in 1969. ... This page is about the town of Hunza in northern Kashmir. ... The State of Kalat was a princely state located in the centre of the modern province of Balochistan. ... The State of Swat was a princely state which existed in the north of the modern North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan until it was dissolved in 1969. ... This article details the former Pakistani region of the Baluchistan States Union. ... The Gilgit Agency was an occupied province of the Maharaja of Kashmir before November 1, 1947. ... Trans-Karakoram Tract is occupied by China now, having been part of Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir until 1963, when Pakistan had handed over it to China according to the border agreement. ... In computer software, dir has several meanings: Dir is a district of NWFP It is short for directory It is a command in the DOS operating system; see dir (DOS Command) It is also a command in the OpenVMS operating system; see directory (OpenVMS command) In SCUBA diving, DIR commonly... A princely state is any state under the reign of a prince, both terms being taken in the broad sense. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... Upper Dir is an area in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. ... Lower Dir is an area in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. ... // History Geography Climate Economy Civic administration Transport Utility services Demographics People and culture Media Education Sports External links Further reading References ...

Geography

Most of the state lay in the valley of the Panjkora river which rises in the Hindu Kush mountains and joins the Swat River near Chakdara. Apart from small areas in the south-west, Dir is a rugged mountainous country with peaks rising to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) in the north-east and to 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) along the watersheds with Swat to the east and Afghanistan to the west. The Hindu Kush or Hindukush (هندوکش in Persian) is a mountain range in Afghanistan as well as in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ...

History

The Partition of India in 1947 led to the mountain states of the Frontier becoming part of Pakistan, although they retained considerable autonomy until their abolition in 1969. The State of Dir was incorporated into the North-West Frontier Province. Britains holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948, becoming four new independent states: India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan (including East Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh). ...

Demographics

At Partition there was a Muslim majority in Dir with small minorities of Hindus and Sikhs who left for India during partition.

The main language of the State of Dir was Khowar. Khowar is classified as a Dardic Language. ...

Government

The rulers of Dir originally held the title of Khan but from June 1897 onwards were styled Nawab Khan Bahadur. The royal status of the rulers was abolished in 1972 at the same time as most other princes of Pakistan. Khan (sometimes spelled as xan, han, Polish chan) is a title meaning ruler in Mongolian and Turkish. ... A Nawab was originally the provincial governor or viceroy of a province or region of the Mughal empire. ...

See also

• North-West Frontier Province
• Historical regions of Pakistan
• Federally Administered Tribal Areas
• Afghanistan
• Pakistan

North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... The historical regions of Pakistan are former states, provinces and territories which mainly existed between 1947 and 1975 when the current provinces and territories were finally established. ... Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are areas of Pakistan outside any of the four provinces, comprising a region of some 27,220 km² (10,507 mi²). Neighbouring regions are: Afghanistan to the west with the border marked by the Durand Line, the North-West Frontier to the north, the Punjab...

External Links

• Government of NWFP
• Government of Pakistan