Naushera (Punjabi and Urdu: نَوشہره), is a city and Tehsil (administrative subdivisions) in Khushab District, located in the Punjab Province of Pakistan.

It is the central hub of the Soon Valley, situated 55 kilometers (34 mi) from Khushab city, 62 kilometers from Talagang and 68 kilometers (42 mi) from Kallar Kahar and 100km from Sargodha Division. The town is surrounded by hills, lakes, forests, and natural pools offering a landscape of ancient civilisation, abundant natural resources, and fertile farmland. The surrounding hills rise to an average height of 2,500 feet, with several peaks exceeding 3,000 feet above sea level.

Members of the Awan tribe are the major inhabitants of Naushera. H.A. Rose writes, "But in the best available account of the tribe, the Awans are indeed said to be of Arabian origin and descendants of Qutb Shah." Sir Lepel H. Griffin writes in his book The Panjab Chiefs (1865 Edition) that:

All branches of the tribe (Awans) are unanimous in stating that they originally came from neighbourhood of ghazni to India, and all trace their genealogy to Hasrat Ali the son-in-law of the Prophet. Kutab Shah, who came from Ghazni with Sultan Mahmud, was the common ancestor of the Awans…….It was only in the Rawalpindi, Jhelam and Shahpur districts that they became of any political importance……. In Shahpur District the Awans held the hilly country to the north west, Jalar, Naoshera (Naushera) and Sukesar, where the head of the tribe still resides.

— Sir Lepel H. Griffin, The Panjab Chiefs (1865 Edition) pp. 570-571.

The head of the tribe or village in the Soon valley was known as Raees-Azam. The last Raees-Azam of Naushera was Qazi Mazhar Qayyum. With the growth of industrialization in the country and lack of development programs in the area and migration of people of Naushera towards big cities of the country and even foreign countries, the tribal solidarity is becoming weak. The process of industrialisation has been rapidly destroying the age-old customs and traditions of this ancient tribe and patriarchal society. The other sub branches and small tribes of Naushera are Latifal, Jurwal, Radhnal, Sheraal.

The majority of the population speaks Punjabi here. Being a tribe of Arab origin, the local people follows Islamic culture and traditions. Unlike other parts of Punjab, where most people follow the Indian form of the marriage ceremony, the marriages in Naushera are still arranged according to Islamic traditions and the wedding ceremony usually takes place at the mosques. Nikah is attended by close family members, relatives, and friends of groom and bride. Usually, the men and women are made to sit separately, in different rooms, or have a purdah (curtain) separating them. Luddi, a traditional Punjabi dance, is a famous folk dance on celebratory occasions. Also dhol and shehnai are famous musical instruments for celebrations.

In 1849 British took over the administration of Punjab and created Durand Line in 1893 making the area part of British India; earlier the area was part of Afghanistan. With the advent of the British Raj a new profession was opened for the local people. The Awans were classified to be "martial race". The British recruited army heavily from Naushera for service in the colonial army, and as such, the Awans also formed an important part of the British Indian Army, serving with distinction during World Wars I and II. Of all the Muslim groups recruited by the British, proportionally, the Awans produced the largest number of recruits during the First and Second World Wars.^{[citation needed]} Contemporary historians, namely Professor Ian Talbot and Professor Tan Tai Yong, have written works that cite the Awans (amongst other tribes) as being looked upon as a martial race by not only the British, but neighbouring tribes as well.^{[citation needed]}