Sherwan is a town and union councilAdministrative Units of District Abbottabad that serves as the headquarters of Lower Tanawal Tehsil in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.Minister opens uplift plans in Lower Tanawal The town is located 15 km west of Abbottabad,Sherwan, Pakistan Page the area is composed of two adjacent villages: Sherwan Kalan to the north and Sherwan Khurd to the south. Positioned on a ridge some 4190 feet in the heart of TanawalGazetteer of the Hazara district, 1907 By Hubert Digby Watson page 143 Sherwan is surrounded by large, forested mountains on three sides, creating a scenic valley landscape.
These forests are home to diverse wildlife, including jackals, wolves, wild boars, porcupines, foxes, and occasionally leopards. Sherwan Kalan covering a larger area, contrasts with the smaller Sherwan Khurd. To the northeast of Sherwan town lies the village of Batheel, while to the west is the village of Bacha Kalan. The River Mangal flows to the south of the valley, providing habitat for various fish species such as trout, Eels, and soles.
Demographics The local language is Hindko; the local people also understand and speak Urdu. Sherwan was once part of the Princely State of Amb and located in the Lower Tanawal part of the estwhile state."Tanawal occupies the centre of the District, Abbottabad, Gazetteer of the Hazara District 1883-4, Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2000 " The main tribe of Sherwan is the Tanoli;"Tanolis"Gazetteer of the Hazara District 1883-4, Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2000 – Hazāra District Pakistan – 213 page other tribes include the Gujjars, the Awans, the Syeds, and the Mughals.
Subdivisions According to the 2023 census the population was 6,631 of which 3,261 were males and 3,370 females.
+ Demographic and Area Data from 2023 CensusVillage Total Population Males Females Area (acres)Bhateel 393 200 193 213Shaheedabad 1,820 906 914 1,428Sherwan Kalan 1,323 640 683 1,681Sherwan Khurd 2,270 1,127 1,143 981Thorey 825 388 437 356
History Under Turkish rule
Tanawal was a part of Pakhli, which was ruled by Turks for centuries.Raja Qayasuddin, also ruled Tanawal Sherwan was the capital of Lower Tanawal under the Turks. The last Turkish Wali (governor) of the area was Qias-ud-din during the third quarter of 18th century.
Under the rule of the Sikhs After doing away with Sardar Muhammad Khan Tarin, Bostan Khan Tarin, and others in lower Hazara, the Sikh administration implemented measures that significantly impacted the local population.Dr SB Panni, Tarikh-i-Hazara (Urdu: History of Hazara), 1969, pp. 102–114 The Mashwanis of Srikot were displaced from their ancestral lands and lived as refugees in nearby areas for approximately six to seven years. A number of them eventually crossed the Indus River and resettled in Swabi. During this period, several Mashwani youths were also conscripted into the Sikh military forces. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Empire experienced internal instability, leading to a gradual decline in its authority and governance.Panni, p. 109
Under British rule Four months after the Second Sikh War began, Chatar Singh declared war on the East India Company, it was at Sherwan that James Abbott rallied the Hazarawals to fight against the rebellious Sikhs. The Mashwani tribe were the first to rally, Abbott described them as a "rugged looking race, ugly and not gracefully built, whose clothing is of cotton cloth, dyed indigo black. But they are among the truest and staunchest defenders of a hillside that the world can boast, and are good shots with their clumsy smooth-bore matchlocks."Charles Allen, Soldier Sahibs: The Men Who Made the North-West Frontier
In 1849, the Sikhs were finally defeated by the British and the area came under the British jurisdiction in the Hazara district.Hazara gazetteer 1883–84, pub Peshawar, 1884, p. 67
The British ruled the region mostly through the local chiefs.Hazara gazetteer p 67 Nawab Khan Tanaoli and his allies conquered Sherwan Fort, Sherwan and nearby villages and continued ruling Sherwan."Nawab Khan Tanaoli continued from the Sikh rule, given annexation", Report of the land revenue settlement of the Hazara district of the Punjab,E G.Wace 1872 page clxxx
Fort of Sherwan
Sherwan Fort was built by the Sikhs in 1822 A.D.Shewan Fort, General Hari Singh Nalwa: Builder of the Sikh Empire, Autar Singh Sandhu Uppal Publishing House, 1987 – Generals – 140 pages, Pg 124, History of the Pathans, Volume 1, P. 469 It was stormed and conquered by Nawab Khan Tanoli.Sherwan Villages, Gazetteer of the Hazara district, 1907, Hubert Digby Watson Sarhad Urdu Academy, 1992 – Hazara (Pakistan: District) – 363 pages, Pg 360 Later, Major James Abbott constructed the interior in a Victorian style. It was auctioned on May 24, 2007. The fort was mentioned by Sir General James Abbott, one of the builders of the British Empire, in his diaries.
Economy Locals grow seasonal grain crops such as maize and wheat. The area of Sherwan has plenty of water and soil rich with nutrients, allowing producers to grow cherries, plums, apples, pears, and apricots. The mountains of Sherwan are full of minerals like soapstone."Soap Stone" Annual Report, Geological Survey Of Pakistan, 1969 Pg156" The largest soapstone deposits of the country are located near Sherwan in Hazara."The largest soapstone deposits of the country are located near Sherwan in Hazara, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Pakistan, Volume 12, The Survey, 1977, Pg119", A huge deposit of soapstone"Soap Stone Deposits Of Sherwan In Hazara District", Science and Industry, Volumes 1–2 Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research., 1963 – Science, is found in the mountains of a nearby village.Resource base and economic progress of the Peshawar Valley, University of Peshawar. Dept. of Economics 1970 – History – 284 pages A large number of people are also engaged in soapstone mining. The most extensive steatite deposits in Pakistan are found in the Sherwan area of the Hazara District."The most extensive steatite deposits in Pakistan are found in the Sherwan area of the Hazara District, NWFP, Inter-regional Interaction and Urbanism in the Ancient Indus Valley: A ... By Randall William Law (II.)Pg 325, Pakistan Journal of Scientific Research, Volume 23 Pakistan Association for the Advancement of Science., 1971 – Research,Pakistan Journal of Science, Volume 43 Pakistan Association for the Advancement of Science., 1991 – Science Iron ore, lead, and magnesite ore are also found in these mountains.
External links Sherwan on Google Maps
See also Tanoli Amb State
References