[1] It is at the base of the Lowarai Pass, the main road to Chitral.

[citation needed] Mullā Ilyās, a 17th-century holy man, is said to have been the founder.

[citation needed] Yusufzay Pashtuns make up the primary ethnic group in the region and in the city.

[2] Like most of the southern slopes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dir has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa).

Owing to the city's exposed location, rainfall from frontal cyclones from the west is heavier than in any other part of Pakistan, and their passage, as well as very penetrative monsoonal periods, are usually accompanied by heavy thunderstorms.