Malakand.com

MALAKAND DISTRICT, having an area of about 952 square kilometres and a population of over 4.5 lakhs as per population census of 1998 is situated in the lower reaches of the Swat region. Its limits start when the last boundary of Shergarh village in Mardan District touches the outskirts of Sakhakot village as one travels from Peshawar to Swat on the main highway. At the meeting point between Shergarh and Sakhakot, police and custom check posts are functioning and the point is known as Sakhakot Board. Travelling through Sakhakot one enters Dargai village, which is followed by the mountainous terrain of about 15 kilometres known as Malakand Pass or Darrah Malakand much less difficult to cross than before because of a mattled road in it now. Crossing through the same hilly pass you will enter the country's largest Batkhela Bazar. You proceed onwards till Landakay village where the limits of District Malakand end and District Swat welcomes you.
In ancient history the name of Malakand has appeared as Mala Kund or Mullah Kandao. There exist different versions vis a vis its genesis as "Malakand". Some historians say that the word Malakand is a combination of two Persian words i.e mala and kund. In Pushto mala means aamail (garland) and kund means ubo (water). They give the impression that when anyone crosses the Malakand Pass the river Swat looks like a mala (aamail).
Another concept is that the name Malakand has been derived from the words Mullah Kandao. Those who believe on this concept take it as combination of two words---Mullah and Kandao. Mullah means a religious saint and Kandao means a lofty place.