Muzaffarabad (/ˌmʊzəˌfærəˈbæd/; Urdu: مُظفّر آباد) is the capital and largest city of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the 60th largest in Pakistan.
The city is located in Muzaffarabad District, near the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the west, the Kupwara and Baramulla districts of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the east, and the Neelum District in the north.
History
Muzaffarabad was founded in 1646 by Sultan Muzaffar Khan, chief of the Bomba tribe who ruled Kashmir. Khan also constructed the Red Fort that same year for the purpose of warding off incursions from the Mughal Empire.
2005 earthquake
The city was near the epicenter of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.6 Mw. The earthquake destroyed about 50% of the buildings in the city (including most government buildings) and is estimated to have killed up to 80,000 people in the Pakistani-controlled areas. As of 8 October 2005, the Pakistani government’s official death toll was 87,350, while other estimates have put the death toll at over 100,000.
Administrative subdivisions
Muzaffarabad District, highlighted red, shown within Azad Jammu and Kashmir
The district of Muzaffarabad is administratively divided into 2 tehsils, which are subdivided into 25 union councils.
- Muzaffarabad
- Pattika (Naseerabad)
Climate
| hideClimate data for Muzaffarabad (1961–2009) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27.0 (80.6) |
29.4 (84.9) |
37.0 (98.6) |
40.5 (104.9) |
46.5 (115.7) |
46.2 (115.2) |
45.0 (113.0) |
40.2 (104.4) |
39.0 (102.2) |
38.3 (100.9) |
33.0 (91.4) |
27.0 (80.6) |
46.5 (115.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 16.0 (60.8) |
18.0 (64.4) |
22.6 (72.7) |
28.3 (82.9) |
33.5 (92.3) |
37.4 (99.3) |
34.9 (94.8) |
34.0 (93.2) |
33.4 (92.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
18.1 (64.6) |
22.3 (72.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) |
5.4 (41.7) |
9.7 (49.5) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.1 (39.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
6.5 (43.7) |
7.0 (44.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
16.0 (60.8) |
12.4 (54.3) |
6.5 (43.7) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
−3 (27) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 101.3 (3.99) |
137.4 (5.41) |
157.3 (6.19) |
109.0 (4.29) |
78.5 (3.09) |
113.6 (4.47) |
328.7 (12.94) |
229.9 (9.05) |
112.6 (4.43) |
45.9 (1.81) |
37.2 (1.46) |
69.0 (2.72) |
1,242.8 (48.93) |
| Average relative humidity (%) (at 12:00 PST) | 50.3 | 46.3 | 40.9 | 38.0 | 33.2 | 34.0 | 52.2 | 57.6 | 48.1 | 42.4 | 48.4 | 54.0 | 37.2 |
| Source: Pakistan Meteorological Department | |||||||||||||
Transport
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This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2020)
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The nearest railway station is located in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistani Punjab.
Notable people
- Anam Najam, medical doctor and psychiatrist
Gallery
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Heightened view of the city on both riverbanks after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, c. 2014
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Photo of Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium, c. 2012
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Photo of the city’s skyline, c. 2017