Nawan Shehr

On the 3rd of June 1847 James Abbott, who would later become First Deputy Commissioner of Hazara, noted in his journal: "Marched to Nowa Shihr, 17 miles, a town of huts in a singularly beautiful and fertile valley, of considerable elevation. The wheat is still standing, although some of the ram crops are in ear. This would form a most desirable residence but for the fever with which it is visited during the rains and the swampiness of the soil at that season, I sought in vain for a quarter of an acre of ground near the town free from cultivation as a site for a shed to shelter me during the rains. I have ordered the erection of one, however, upon ground to be rented during occupation. The fever here seems to be less universal than in Pukli and Hurkishengurh".^[4] Abbott would later go onto found the town of Abbottabad as the capital of Hazara District^[5]

The town, referred to as Nawashahir, was mentioned by British geologist Charles Stewart Middlemiss when he was doing a survey of the area as part of his geological fieldwork in Hazara for the colonial era Geological Survey of India.^[6]

On January 2018 a state funeral was held for Retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan was held in Nawan Shehr, Khan had been the first native commander of the Pakistan Airforce succeeding sir Arthur McDonald in 1957.^[7] Khan given full military honours with Pakistan air force jets flying over.^[8]

Nawan Shehr, situated at an elevation of approximately 3,954 feet, lies near the southwestern edge of a geologically complex region extending from Mirpur through Kakol to Mandrochh Kalan. The area is notable for its intricate stratigraphy and tectonic features.

• The Infra-Trias formation near Nawashahir is spread out as a flat platform.
• It receives a gentle synclinal fold of Trias limestone above it, indicating a relatively stable depositional environment compared to the more contorted sections near Kakool.

A straight and steady fault near Nawan Shehr introduces the Nummulitic formation, a significant geological unit typically associated with Eocene-aged marine deposits. Nawan Shehr is part of a larger geological rim encircling an alluvial bay from Mirpur to Mandrochh Kalan. The terrain transitions from steep, faulted ridges near Kakool to more subdued, gently folded platforms near Nawan Shehr. The area's structural complexity includes isoclinal folds, synclines, and fault-induced juxtaposition of formations.^[6]

The town has one Basic Health Unit (BHU) that is easily accessibly to the public^[9] however due to public scepticism about health advice, the Ilyasi Mosque in Nawan Shehr (which has enough capacity to hold 35,000 people) was used by government as an educational setting for the public to learn about vaccinations.^[10]

Nawanshehr features some of its own tourist attractions, such as:

• Ilyasi Masjid (mosque)
• Bungalows (Locally known as Havelis) of Babu Sher Das.

In Nawanshehr there is a famous mosque that was built over a stream of water that flows from the mountain. The mosque stills stands to this day and still has water flowing underneath it. It is called Ilyasi Masjid. In front of it is a little pond-like area in which people can ride paddle-driven boats. The place is also famous for the 'Pakora' stalls.

• Naray a natural spring which is used as a public bath.
• Cricket Stadium^{[citation needed]}

• Mohammad Aslam Khan, senator from the Pakistan Peoples Party
• Asghar Khan