The Wah Cantonment (; ) (often abbreviated to Wah Cantt) is a military base in Wah, in the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province of Pakistan. It is a part of the

Taxila Tehsil The Taxila Tehsil, with its administrative centre in Taxila, is one of the eight sub-districts of the Rawalpindi District in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. It is neighboured by the Attock District to the west, Rawalpindi Tehsil to the south, t ...

of the

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropo ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It is the 24th most populous city in Pakistan by population and 1st most literate city of Pakistan The municipality is located northwest of the metropolitan region of Islamabad-Rawalpindi and southwest of the Haripur District in

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

, Pakistan.

History

Wah Cantt is located near the ancient city of

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...

, a small town enriched with one of the most important archaeological sites in the world and the “First University of the World”.History of Wah Cantt
Wahcantt.com website, Retrieved 25 September 2021 It is believed that the name 'Wah' originated in the

Mughal era The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

. The name was coined by

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

, the Mughal emperor, while en route to

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

after a visit to

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

, while residing in Wah village, which was formerly known as 'Jalal Sar'. Emperor Jahangir's army was searching for a place to rest where there was water because they were tired. When he saw a spot with a fresh water source, he yelled, “Wah.” Subsequently, individuals began to refer to the area as 'Wah'. Main Jamiyya Mosque Wah Cantt 01

In 1849, the region was brought under

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

rule and the British government decided to expand the Wah Cantonment which had turned into a British military camp. The Mughal invasion of this area had a significant impact on the architecture of the village and surrounding areas. You can still see it today in the Wah Gardens. Other notable locations include the Wah Ordnance Club and the POF hotel. The Pakistani Arms Manufacturing Company is a consortium of twenty manufacturing facilities that produce guns, armoured vehicles, and other weapons for the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

.Wah Cantt location and history
Wahcantt.com website, Retrieved 25 September 2021

Demographics

Population

Military

Wah Cantt is a place where soldiers live and work. The entire area is completely closed to vehicular traffic, except the barriers that are under the supervision of the Pakistan Military Guards. All cars that enter the city have to have a pass or permit. The temporary pass can be obtained by presenting their identification card at the entry point to the city. It is then possible to retrieve it upon departure from the city. The city's administration is handled by the Cantonment Board.

Education

Wah Cantt has a high literacy level and a literacy rate likely exceeding 99.99%. In this small town, there are many colleges, medical schools, and many other technical schools and colleges. Numerous students hailing from Wah Cantt are currently pursuing higher education at prestigious universities in Pakistan and abroad. Many places in the area have a history connected to it, such as

, an old town nearby that was a place where people learned for many years. Many professional universities have been established over the past five years, as well as many private and government schools and colleges. This list encompasses both the University of Wah and the

COMSATS University Islamabad The COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), formerly known as COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), is a public university in Pakistan. It is a multi-campus university with its principal seat located in Islamabad. Comsats was envision ...

, Wah Campus. The Swedish College of Engineering and Technology is among well-known engineering college which is affiliated with the University of Engineering Technology Taxila.

References

External links

* * {{Army Cantonments of Pakistan Union councils of Taxila Tehsil Populated places in Taxila Tehsil Cantonments of Pakistan Union councils of Rawalpindi District