Teri is a town and
Union Council in
Kohat District of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
Pakistan.
It is located at 33°18'0"N 71°6'0"E with an altitude of 634 metres (2,083 feet).
Teri, the
Khattak town of
Kohat Division,
Banda Daudshah Tehsil. Teri is 34 miles from
Kohat. Situated four (4) miles west of
Kohat-
Bannu road, Teri is the oldest
Khattak town. It is one of the important
Khattak towns along with
Lachi and
Gumbat. Teri is situated beside the Toi (river of that name.
There is open well-cultivated valley between Teri and the hills to the
north. The town is close to the Toi and is well situated on a rising
ground overlooking the surrounding country. Teri is a large valley
situated between Mirandaey (Mirandi) and Thuwaanraey (Sawani) Ghaar
mountain range. These are the two highest mountain ranges of
Khattak-nama.
The different spellings of Teri in the old books of
English surveyors are as follows starting from the oldest one: 1. Teri 2. Terri 3. Tiraey 4. Teeree
Till 1956, Teri was a princely state ruled by
Nawab of Teri. Teri
State had an area of 1616 square miles comprising
a) present
Karak District:
Banda Daudshah Tehsil,
Karak Tehsil,
Takht-e-Nasrati Tehsil and b) half of present
Kohat District:
Lachi Tehsil and
Gumbat area.
Teri
State was divided into following Tappas (satrapies): 1. Teri, 2. Senaey Khwarram (part of present
Banda Daudshah Tehsil, part of
Lachi Tehsil and
Gumbat area) 3. Barak (present
Takht-e-Nasrati Tehsil and
Karak Tehsil)
Teri State's Barak area was divided into two parts topographically: 1. Tsavatra- Chauntra or the elevated territory (most of
Banda Daudshah Tehsil and most of
Karak Tehsil) 2.
Taal or the sandy plains (
Takht-e-Nasrati Tehsil and part of
Karak Tehsil,
Latambar area) Tsavatra is from
Hindi word Chauntra. Chauntra means elevated land. This is a common terminology in
Punjab. Taal is again from the
Hindi word Thall-Tal, meaning sand. Thall Desert of Sindh Sagar Doab is an example. Another example is of the famous Thar Desert of
Sindh,
Pakistan. Here the last consonant ‘l’ changes to ‘r’.
History of Khattaks and Establishment of Teri State
The first mentioning of
Khattak
tribe in history is that they migrated from Shawal Mountain Range (now
inhabited by Waziris). Their chief, Malik Akor Khan first established
himself at Karbogha, a village of
Tall Tehsil,
Hangu District, north-west of Teri. Malik Akor Khan then moved in a north-east direction and settled at the bank of
Kabul River, Landaey Daryab (short river). Town of
Akora Khattak was founded by Malik Akor Khan. It was the first capital of Khattaks.
Mughal Emperor, Akbar while on a visit to
Peshawar
made Malik Akor Khan a government servant and charged him with the
responsibility of collecting tolls from the caravans on the crossing of
the
Indus at
Attock. Malik Akor Khan was grandfather of the famous warrior-poet,
Khushal Khan Khattak.
Malik Akor Khan Originator of Akor Khel dynasty Ruled from 1550 Died in 1600
The chief of Khattaks used to sit at Akora and his deputy used to be
at Teri. In 1759, Teri got independent of Akora and started to have its
own independent chief.
Teri 1550-1956 400 Years of Chiefship.
Chiefs of Khattaks 1550 to 1956
Malik Akor Khan Originator of Akor Khel Dynasty Ruled from 1550 Died in 1600
Yahya Khan Ruled from 1600 Died in 1620
Shahbaz Khan I Ruled from 1620 Died in 1641
Khushal Khan I Poet National Poet of Afghanistan Ruled from 1641 Born in 1613 Died in 1689 (25 February)
Ashraf Khan Poet Ruled from 1659 Died in 1682
Muhammad Afzal Khan The Historian, author of Tarikh-i-Murassa
(History of India, Pashtuns, Khattaks) Poet Ruled from 1682 Died in 1741
Sadullah Khan alias Khan Shaheed Last Akor Khel Chief to rule both
Akora and Teri. Teri was named Asad-abad because of this Chief. Ruled
from 1741 Died in 1748
Nawab Khan Bahadur (K.B.) Sir Khwaja Muhammad Khan Knight Commander
Star of India (K.C.S.I.) Knighthood and conferment of title of Sir and
Nawab in 1873. Born in 1824 Ruled from 1844 Died in 1889
Khan Bahadur (K.B.) Muhammad Zafar Khan aka Darmalak Khan Died in 1895
Nawab Khan Bahadur (K.B.) Abdul Ghafoor Khan Also known as Sakhee (generous) Nawab Sahib.
To develop Teri and to bring it in the sight of the provincial and federal governments, he invited Lt. Gen.
Fazl-e-Haq the then governor of NWFP now KPK, for a partridge shoot at
Teri to gain his approval for metaled road from Banda Daud Shah to
Gurguri, telephone exchange with multiple domestic connections, district
hospital in Banda Daud Shah, inter college in Banda Daud Shah,
provision of clean drinking water tube wells, electrification at a mass
scale to several villages around Teri in tehsil Banda Daud Shah such as
Gurguri, Shagai and Barbara villages etc.,
