town, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The town lies just north of the Dīr River, an affluent of the Panjkora, and is connected by road with Malākand, 70 mi (110 km) south. Mullā Ilyās, a 17th-century holy man, is said to have been the founder. Cottage industry includes the making of clothing and footwear. There is also a wood-processing plant.

The surrounding region, a former princely state of the Akhūnd Khēl royal house, is drained by the Panjkora and its affluents. The upper portion of the Panjkora Valley as far as its confluence with the Dīr River is called Panjkora Kohistān. The Dīr Valley is also known as Kashkar. The population is mainly confined to the Panjkora and its fertile lateral valleys, which produce abundant fruit. Forests on the mountain slopes yield timber, the main source of income. Yūsufzay Pashtun are the predominant ethnic group. Pop. (1998) 24,776.