Azakhel Payan


Azakhel Payan is a village in Pabbi Tehsil of Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Its Geographical Coordinates are: 33° 59' 0" North, 71° 53' 0" East and its original name is "Äza Khel Payan". It lies along the Grand Trunk Road, some west of Nowshera. The majority of the population of Azakhel Payan are engaged in agriculture, mainly potatoes, sugar cane, wheat, corn, tomato, cucumber and numerous other vegetables. According to the Pakistan Forest Institute, "pale yellow silt-stone forms the soil parent material near Azakhel Payan village." There is an Afghan Refugee Camp located here.

Etymologies

The word Azakhel Payan is compound word; consisting of three words, i.e. "Aza", most probably the name of its founder.
However, it is suggested that khel comes from the Avestan word khuail, meaning "uncountable" or "over-populated", such as the counting of stars or counting grains of rice. The word is a cognate of the Persian word kheleh, meaning "lots" or "too much". In usage, the word khel is placed after the name of the common ancestor or leader. A khel is often based in a single village, but it may also be based on a larger area including several villages, or part of a town. while "Payan", means "Lower" in "Persian" or "Urdu".
1. Aza Khel Payan Origin:
a. One thought is; The name "Aza Khel" is given to this piece of land after its founder "Aza Khan" or "Raza Khan",who was considered as one of the great Afghan warriors.
b. Another thought is; The name Aza Khel derived is derived from the word ZA Khel, which is the name of a town in Kondoz, Afghanistan (some kilometres away from Kondoz towards

History

Although the History of Azakhel Payan is so much complex & full of ambiguity, but still there persist some ideas regarding its history, origin, settlement of people here, their distribution into different Sub- Division, Demography & ethnicity of its inhabitants, etc.
Some of these are;

Climate

The overall climate of the Area is Harsh;
Cold in Winters & Hot in Summers.
There are four seasons;
1. Winter, which are mostly dry with low Rainfall
2. Spring
3. Summer
4. Autumn

Sub- Division (Mohallas)

The village: Āza Khel Pāyān, is now divided into different Mohallas, some of which are named after their founders' names ;
Some Mohallas are named upon the profession of its inhabitants like;
The other Mohallas are upon their location in the village;
The population of the Village is about 30-35 thousand. After demographic changes in recent decades due to Afghan Refugees and Tribal peoples arrival, Pashto language speakers are in majority today which make up about more than 90% of total population of Nowshehra. Pashto language Pukhto dialect, speakers are in majority (99.9% of the total population. Urdu being National language is also spoken and understood.
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the population density was 520 persons per km². The annual growth rate was 3.0%
The literacy rate is increasing very swiftly & is about 80-85 %.

Administration

Political Statistics

Almost all the political parties of Pakistan have their representation in the village to some extent but the dominant among them are;
Its surrounded by the Cherat Mountains from the South & on about the same side, it has about hundreds Brick-Kilns. On North side it have Kabil River; about 2, 3 km from the Grand Trunk Road, On its West is Azakhel Bala and on its East it have Pir Pai.

Azakhel Park

Azakhel Park, Azakhel Payan Nowshera, spreading over 83 acres of Agricultural Land is granted on lease to University of Peshawar's The Centre of Plant Biodiversity by the District Government to develop a Botanical Garden, including the provision of her-barium, museum, research laboratories, botanical nurseries, green houses, conference hall, lecture theaters, library and faculty offices for training of students leading to non degree and degree awarding Programmes like short courses, diplomas, B.S., M. Phil. and Ph. D. degrees in various disciplines of Plant Biodiversity. The Centre also provides forum for exchange of mutual ideas by arranging conferences, seminars, workshops and other gatherings.

Main Characteristics

The village has a central bazaar, named Charsoo Bazaar, which is often crowded in the evenings and in the Eid days. The bazaar is furnished and houses many different foods. Often, people from neighboring areas visit the place to have their dinners. It serves as a significant source of income for the people. The village has fields, small hills, and abundant greenery. The village has concrete roads, both government-run and private schools, its own Basic Health Unit, Veterinary Clinic with doctor, Post Office, Union Council, Police station, petrol pumps, Govt Go-downs, and play grounds etc. It has the Peshawar University's botanical garden, used for new research on plants.