Rawalpindi Division in the context of "West Punjab"

Taxila (Punjabi: ٹيکسلا, romanized: Ṭeksilā), historically known as Takshashila, is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Pothohar Plateau of Punjab, Pakistan. Founded around c. 1000 BC, it is one of the oldest cities in South Asia. Taxila is located within the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District in northern Punjab, and it lies approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the Haripur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Established during the Vedic period, Old Taxila was for a time the capital city of ancient Gandhāra. Situated on the eastern shore of the Indus River—the pivotal junction of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia—it was possibly founded around 1000 BCE. Takshashila and Pushkalavati remained prominent cities in Gandhāra during the Mahajanapadas. The city is believed to have become part of the Achaemenid Empire during 550 – 326 BCE. In 326 BCE, it was claimed by Alexander the Great, after overthrowing the Achaemenids. Alexander gained control of the city without a battle since it immediately surrendered to his Macedonian Empire. This was followed successively by the Mauryans (~317 – ~200 BCE), the Indo-Greeks (~200 BCE – ~55 BCE), the Indo-Scythians (~80 BCE – ~30 CE), and the Kushan Empire (~30 CE – ~375 CE), who destroyed the existing city, in the first century CE, to build their own on a site to the north of the ruins. Owing to its strategic location, Taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with many polities vying for its control. When the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be important, the city sank into insignificance and was finally destroyed in the 5th century by the invading Hunas. In mid-19th century British India, ancient Taxila's ruins were rediscovered by British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham and extensively excavated by Sir John Marshall. In 1980, UNESCO designated Taxila as a World Heritage Site. The area was part of the ancient Gandhara region. Taxila (ancient city) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 and is located in the town of Taxila.

Rawalpindi, colloquially known as Pindi, is the third-largest city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, serving as the principal commercial and industrial hub of northern Punjab. It is the fourth-most populous city in Pakistan and ranks as the world's third-largest Punjabi-speaking metropolis (after Lahore and Faisalabad). Located along the Soan River in north-western Punjab, Rawalpindi lies adjacent to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, and the two are jointly known as the "twin cities".

Located on the Pothohar Plateau of northern Punjab — a region known for its ancient heritage, for instance the city of Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site — Rawalpindi was founded in 1493 and remained a small town of little importance, with local Punjabi Muslim tribes indirectly ruling it for larger empires, up until 1765 when it was captured by the Bhangi Misl. During the Sikh era, Rawalpindi transitioned from a small regional town into one of the major Punjabi cities, becoming a hub of trade and military. The city also became a cosmopolitan hub, housing various ethnic minorities as immigrants and refugees alongside the native Punjabi majority.

Jhelum District is a district within the Rawalpindi Division of Punjab, Pakistan, located on both the Pothohar Plateau and the Indus Plain of northern Punjab. It is one of the oldest districts of Punjab, being established on 23 March 1849. It borders the districts of Chakwal, and Rawalpindi to the west; Khushab to the south; Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, and Sargodha to the east, along the Jhelum River; and Mirpur to the north.

Jhelum is known for providing many soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as the 'city of soldiers' or 'land of martyrs and warriors'. Salt is quarried at the Khewra Salt Mine in the Salt Range. There are two coal mines in the district from which the North-Western railway used to obtain part of its supply. These are the only coal mines in Punjab province which are in working condition. The chief center of the salt trade is Pind Dadan Khan. The district is crossed by the main line of the North-Western railway and also traversed along the south by a branch line.

Northern Pakistan (Urdu: شمالی پاکستان ALA-LC: śimālī Pākistān) is a tourism region in the northern and north-western parts of Pakistan, comprising the administrative units of Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly known as Northern Areas), Azad Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad Capital Territory and the Rawalpindi Division in Punjab. The first two territories are Pakistani-administered sectors of the wider Kashmir region. Northern Pakistan is a mountainous region straddling the Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindu Kush mountain ranges, containing many of the highest peaks in the world and some of the longest glaciers outside polar regions. Northern Pakistan accounts for a high level of Pakistan's tourism industry.

Talagang District (Urdu/Punjabi: ضلع تلہ گنگ) is an administrative district of Rawalpindi Division, Punjab province of Pakistan. Formerly it was Talagang Tehsil within the Chakwal District; its status was raised to District in October 2022 by the government.

It is part of the Potohar plateau and lies on the north of Salt Range and east of the Kala Chitta range. Talagang is 45 km from Chakwal. The motorway M2 is located 30 km from Talagang. It is bordered by Khushab to its South, Attock to its North, Chakwal to its East, and Mianwali to its West.

Murree, (Punjabi/Urdu: ضِلع مری) is a district of the Rawalpindi Division in the northernmost part of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It was created out of Rawalpindi District in 2022 and consists of two tehsils, Kotli Sattian and Murree.

The Mianwali District (Urdu: ضِلع مِيانوالى) is a district located in the Sargodha Division of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Mianwali District remained part of Rawalpindi Division until 1963, when Mianwali District became part of Sargodha Division. According to 2023 Pakistani census, population of Mianwali District is 1.79 million.

It has borders with the Talagang, Attock, Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bhakkar, and Khushab districts.