DERA ISMAIL KHAN

town, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The town, just west of the Indus River, was named for Isma'il Khan, son of the 15th-century Baluchi chief who founded the town. The old town, 4 miles (6 km) east, was washed away by the Indus River in 1823. The new town, laid out by Durrani chiefs, was constituted a municipality in 1867. Dera Ismail Khan is an important transportation junction that is connected to Darya Khan (12 miles east) by a bridge spanning the Indus. Lacquered woodwork, glasswork, mat and ivory work, and lungis (sarongs) are the chief hand-manufactured goods; industry includes textile, flour, oil, and rice mills and soap factories. Wheat, millet, gram, and sorghum are the major crops cultivated in the surrounding area, and camels and sheep are extensively bred. The region is the junction of the Pashtun and Baluchi tribes. Dera Ismail Khan's facilities include a hospital, two parks, four main bazaars, and several colleges affiliated with the University of Peshawar. Gomal University was opened in the town in 1974. Pop. (1981) town, 68,145.