MANSEHRA

town, northeastern North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The town is situated at the southern end of the Pakhli Plain on the Bhut Stream, a tributary to the Siran River, at an elevation of 3,682 feet (1,122 m) above sea level. It is a market town surrounded by pine-covered hills and has a flour mill, a woolen-yarn mill, and an agricultural research centre. The nearby Asokan rock edicts date to the 3rd century BC. The town is 12 miles (19 km) north of Abbottabad city. The surrounding region extends northwest from the Siran River valley to encompass the scenic Kagan (Kaghan) Valley, formed by the Kunhar River. Kagan Valley, a growing tourist area, is 96 miles (154 km) long by road, hemmed in by mountains with peaks rising to 17,000 feet (5,200 m), and is partly forested by deodar (East Indian cedar) and pine trees. Corn (maize), potatoes, jowar (sorghum), wheat, barley, rice, fruits, tobacco, and livestock are raised in the region. Jaba (Jabba), near Mansehra, has a government sheep farm. Pop. (1981) town, 27,843.