Muzaffarabad (; , IPA: [mʊzəffərɑːbɑːd]) is a city in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the largest city and the capital of Azad Kashmir, which is a Pakistani-administered administrative territory.
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. , the Pakistani government's official death toll was 87,350, while other estimates have put the death toll at over 100,000.
Administrative subdivisions
The district of Muzaffarabad is administratively divided into 2 tehsils, which are subdivided into 25 union councils.
Muzaffarabad
Pattika (Naseerabad)
Climate
Transport
The nearest railway station is located in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistani Punjab.