Kohat (Pashto: کوهاټ; Urdu: کوہاٹ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century.[4] With a population of over 220,000 people,[3] the city is the fourth-largest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 35th-largest in Pakistan in terms of population. Kohat's immediate environs were the site of frequent armed skirmishes between British colonialist forces and local tribesmen in the mid to late 19th century. It is centred on a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. Pashto and the Kohati dialect of Hindko are the main languages spoken in Kohat.
The city of Kohat is also the namesake of and largest city in the Kohat Division, being over four times larger than the second-largest city in the division: Karak.
Little is known of Kohat's early history.[5] According to local lore, Kohat was founded by an ancient Buddhist king by the name of Raja Kohat.[4] Another Buddhist Raja named Adh is believed to have established his domain on the north side of the city.[4] A fort, now in ruins, serves as a marker of their domain. The remains of this fort known as Adh-e-Samut, is possibly named after Buddhist Raja Adh. The fort is still fitted with weaponry from the Buddhist period. The Buddhist kings built roads, which were in use until the end of the Mughal rule.[6]
The region had been primarily populated by Orakzai Pashtuns, who were then displaced from the west by the Bangash in the 14th-15th centuries, and Khattaks from the south.[4] The Kohat region was likely firmly dominated by Bangash tribesmen by the early late 15th century following a decisive battle at nearby Alizai,[4] after which Bangash tribes settled in the fertile valleys and assimilated remaining indigenous inhabitants into the larger Bangash tribe, while Orakzai tribes were confined to the nearby hills.[4]
The first historical record of the city comes from the Baburnama autobiography of Mughal emperor Babur.[4] After capturing Peshawar, Babur was reportedly told of vast riches in Kohat. He invaded and plundered Kohat in 1505,[4] only to discover the tales of its wealth were exaggerated.[4] After capturing Kohat, Babur's army marched towards Bangash country, where he defeated a band of tribesmen.[4]
During the Persian Empire's invasion of the Mughal Empire in the 1730s and 1740s, Kohat escaped destruction as Emperor Nader Shah's forces followed invasion routes north in the Peshawar Valley.[4] Following the departure of Persian forces, Kohat was absorbed into the Durrani Empire by 1747.[4]