Dera Ismail Khan ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان
A Saraiki-speaking city on the west bank of the Indus — founded as a Baloch camp in the fifteenth century, swept away by the great flood of 1823 and rebuilt, and famous across Pakistan for its Dhakki dates and sohan halwa.
Prayer times in Dera Ismail Khan today
Fajr 5:11 AM · Sunrise 6:34 AM · Dhuhr 12:00 PM · Asr 3:48 PM · Maghrib 5:26 PM · Isha 6:49 PM — 30-day prayer schedule · Gold rate in D. I. Khan
About Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan — often shortened to D. I. Khan — is a city in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the headquarters of Dera Ismail Khan District and Division. It stands on the west bank of the Indus River, near where the Gomal River joins it, about 300 kilometres south of Peshawar and 230 kilometres north-west of Multan. It is the largest city of the Derajat — the historic country of the Deras along the Indus — and the cultural heart of the Saraiki-speaking south-west of the province.
History
The name is the founding story: in Saraiki, dera means a camp or settlement, and the town was raised in the late fifteenth century by Ismail Khan, a Baloch chief and son of Malik Sohrab Dodai — literally, the camp of Ismail Khan. His descendants ruled for generations as the town grew into a trading post on the routes between Multan, the Gomal Pass and Afghanistan. In 1823 the Indus did what it has always threatened to do: a great flood swept the original town away completely. The present city was laid out in 1825 under Nawab Sher Muhammad Khan Sadozai, on higher ground about six kilometres from the river's permanent channel, its bazaars planned to meet at a single crossing — Chowgalla. The land is far older than the city: a few kilometres north lies Rehman Dheri, a pre-Harappan mound dating to about 3300 BCE, among the earliest farming towns known in South Asia.
People, language & what it is known for
D. I. Khan is a Saraiki city. Saraiki is the language of its homes and bazaars, Pashto is widely spoken in the district's west, and Urdu is understood everywhere; its people are known as Derawal. The city's name travels on its produce — Dhakki dates from the palm groves of the riverine tract are prized across Pakistan and exported to the Middle East, Europe and America, while its sohan halwa is the classic gift carried out of the old bazaars around Topanwala. Local crafts include lacquered woodwork, glass work and woven mats. Gomal University, founded in 1974, draws students from across southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the city is the region's hub for trade, health and education. It is also MM Portal's home city — which is why it carries the fullest city profile on this site.
Dera Ismail Khan — facts at a glance
- Province
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- District
- Dera Ismail Khan (headquarters)
- Division
- Dera Ismail Khan Division
- River
- West bank of the Indus, near the Gomal junction
- Coordinates
- 31.83° N, 70.90° E
- Elevation
- 165 m (541 ft)
- City population
- 217,457 (2017 census)
- Tehsil population
- 763,195 (2023 census)
- Languages
- Saraiki · Pashto · Urdu
- People called
- Derawal
- Postal code
- 29111
- Dialling code
- 0966
- Airport
- Dera Ismail Khan Airport (DSK)
- Climate
- Hot desert — fierce summers, mild winters
- Famous for
- Dhakki dates · sohan halwa · lacquered woodwork
- University
- Gomal University (est. 1974)
Places & landmarks
The Indus riverbank
The river that made the city — and unmade it in 1823. Evenings along the bank near the cantonment are a local ritual, especially when the river runs high after the rains.
Chowgalla & the old bazaars
Topanwala, Kalan, Muslim and Bhatiya bazaars converge at Chowgalla, the planned heart of the 1825 city and still its commercial centre — the place to buy sohan halwa.
Rehman Dheri
A pre-Harappan archaeological mound a few kilometres north of the city, dated to about 3300 BCE — evidence that farmers were building towns here five thousand years ago.
Kafir Kot ruins
Ancient temple ruins in the district near Bilot Sharif, surviving from the era of the Hindu Shahi kingdoms that ruled this frontier before the Ghaznavids.
Lal Mahra tombs
Historic tombs west of the city, part of the Derajat's layered Baloch, Afghan and Sikh-era heritage.
Gomal University
The region's university since 1974, on the road towards Tank — its campus serves students from the whole Derajat and the districts beyond.
Quick answers
Where is Dera Ismail Khan?
In southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on the west bank of the Indus River near its junction with the Gomal River — about 300 km south of Peshawar and 230 km north-west of Multan.
What is Dera Ismail Khan famous for?
Dhakki dates (exported worldwide), sohan halwa, lacquered woodwork and Gomal University. Its people, the Derawal, are Saraiki-speaking.
What is Fajr time in Dera Ismail Khan today?
Fajr is at 5:11 AM on 3 November 2026, calculated by the Karachi method. Maghrib is at 5:26 PM.
What does 'Dera' mean?
In Saraiki, dera means a camp or settlement — the city is 'the camp of Ismail Khan', the Baloch chief who founded it in the fifteenth century.
Explore more on MM Portal
Profile written for MM Portal. Population figures: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics censuses (city, 2017; tehsil, 2023), as carried in the city's reference record, read 24 Oct 2026. Prayer times are calculated on this page.