town, central part of North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, just south of the Kurram River. The nearby Akra mounds have revealed finds dating to about 300 BC. In ancient and medieval times, the Kurram-Bannu route into the Indian subcontinent was used by invaders and colonizers from the northwest. Founded in 1848 by Lieutenant (later Sir) Herbert Edwardes as a military base, the town was named Dalīpnagar (1848) and then Edwardesābād (1869). In 1903 its name was changed to Bannu.

Bannu lies at the centre of a circular alluvial plain, hemmed in by low hills and drained by the Kurram River and its tributary, the Tochi (Gambila). The nearby Kurram-Garhi Project (completed 1962) provides irrigation, power, and flood control. Wheat, corn (maize), and barley are the chief crops of the region. Bannu is a military station and commercial centre at the junction of roads running from the Indus River to Peshāwar and Wazīristān and is connected with the Indus by rail. Local industries include a large woolen mill. Bannu is the seat of a college affiliated with the University of Peshāwar. Inhabitants are mainly Pashtun tribal people. Pop. (1998 prelim.) including cantonment, 46,896.