Kohat's immediate environs were the site of frequent armed skirmishes between British colonialist forces and local tribesmen in the mid to late 19th century.

[7] The region had been primarily populated by Orakzai Pashtuns, who were then displaced from the west by the Bangash in the 14th-15th centuries, and Khattaks from the south.

[4] In 1818, Kohat came under the control of Samad Khan following the collapse of Durrani suzerainty,[4] though the city then came under the influence of Pir Muhammad in 1827.

In 1848 during the Second Anglo-Sikh War, Colonel George Lawrence, the British Resident at Lahore, sought refuge in Kohat, but was instead taken prisoner and handed to Sikh forces in Peshawar under Chattar Singh before being released.

[4] British authorities in Peshawar commenced construction of the Kohat Pass road in 1849,[4] and completed it by 1850 despite violent opposition from local tribes.

[4] In the Tirah campaign of 1897–98 Kohat was the starting point of Sir William Lockhart's expedition against the Afridis and Mohmands.

20 more were killed in a suicide bombing in September 2010,[12] while the Kohat Tunnel was attacked by the Pakistani Taliban in January 2011, resulting in the deaths of 5 people.

It is situated on the left bank of the Toi river at a point where after running nearly due east for 50 miles (80 km), it turns to the south.

The total area of the park is 2800 acres (11 km²), consisting of Tanda reservoir and its catchments in Kohat.

Its wonderfully rich and varied landscape supports a range of mammals and birds, both migratory and indigenous, as well as a few reptiles.

About 20-30 visitors including students and general public visit the pheasantry for education and recreation purposes per day.

The Kohat Rail Service, suspended in 2013 due to unforeseen circumstances, caused immense hardship for the local population.

Undeterred, President Saleem Altaf Advocate spearheaded a peaceful movement through Karwaan-E-Amal Kohat.

Kohat Airbase (IATA: OHT, ICAO: OPKT) is a Pakistan Air Force base that began as a runway built by the British.

PIA once used the airport using de Havilland Twin Otter, though Kohat is no longer served by commercial services.

The 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) Kohat Tunnel was completed in 2004,[38] and connects the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Peshawar.

Constructed with Japanese assistance, the tunnel drastically reduced travel times across the Kohat Pass.

Kohat plays a central role in the eighth season of U.S. political thriller Homeland particularly in the episodes Threnody(s), In Full Flight and Designated Driver.