Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism

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Lake Saif-ul-Muluk, situated approximately 9 miles north of Naran in the Kaghan Valley, KPK, stands as a captivating natural wonder and a prominent tourist destination. Beyond its visual appeal, the lake is steeped in a local folklore, familiar to the region's residents but lesser-known to the wider audience.

This tale, featured in the renowned collection "1001 Arabian Nights" available in Bengali, Balochi, Farsi, Punjabi, and English, narrates the story of Prince Saif-ul-Muluk, an Egyptian noble. Prince Saif, enamored by a dream featuring a lake and a fairy named Badri Jamala, confided in his father about his desire to meet this enchanting figure.

Despite his father's counsel that their union was improbable due to their differing natures, Prince Saif embarked on a journey to find the fairy. After years of wandering, he sought guidance from a saint in Naran. Instructed to pray atop a mountain hill for 40 days, Prince Saif gained control over two Jinns.

They bestowed upon him a 'Sulemani Cap,' rendering him invisible to humans and enabling interaction with the supernatural. Empowered, the prince approached the lake where Badri Jamala resided. The narrative unfolds with the introduction of Deo-Safed, the furious guardian of the fairy, who pursued the couple.

The pursuit concluded tragically at a location now known as "Deosai." Legend further suggests that the Ansu lake in Kaghan Valley was formed from the tears of Deo-Safed, grieving the loss of his fairy.

 

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Geography

The terrain consists of mountain ranges, undulating submontane areas, and plains surrounded by hills. In the north the mountain ranges generally run north-south; south of the Kābul River, which bisects the province from east to west, the ranges generally run east-west.

The Hindu Kush region in the north, long noted for its scenic beauty, is divided by the Kunar River into two distinct ranges: the northern Hindu Kush and the Hindu Raj. Tirich Mir rises to 25,230 feet (7,690 metres) and is the highest peak of the northern Hindu Kush. To the south of the Hindu Raj lie the rugged basins of the Panjkora, Swat, and Kandia rivers.

The Lesser Himalayas and the Sub-Himalayas are situated in the eastern part of the province and form definite ranges broken by hilly country and small plains. The region is seismically active, with frequent mild to moderate tremors. In 2005 a severe earthquake centered in nearby Azad Kashmir killed thousands.

The fertile Vale of Peshawar extends northward along the Kābul River. Though it covers less than one-tenth of the province’s area, this region contains about half of its total population.

The city of Peshawar lies in the western portion of the vale. West of Peshawar, the historic Khyber Pass is strategically important as the most easily negotiable route between Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent. South of the Kābul River lies the east-west-trending Spīn Ghar (Safīd Kūh) Range. The Kurram, Tochi, and Gumal rivers drain the province’s southern region, and the Indus River forms part of the province’s eastern border.

The climate varies with elevation. The mountain ranges experience cold winters and cool summers, and temperatures rise markedly toward the south. Precipitation over the province is variable but averages roughly 16 inches (400 mm) annually, with much of this occurring during the period from January to April.

The mountain slopes in the north support stands of evergreen oak and pine. There are also extensive mountain grasslands. The hills to the south are sparsely covered with bushes, acacia, and grasses.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is inhabited mainly by the Pashtun, who are noted for their independence. The Pashtun comprise many tribes and clans, each taking great pride in its genealogy. Pashto is the main language in the province, except for some areas where Punjabi predominates, and virtually all of the population is Muslim. Only a small part of the overall population is urban. The province’s major cities include Peshawar, Mardan, Mingaora, Kohat, and Abbottabad.

 

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Upper Dir...

 

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,.,.
Swat valley in KPK province .

 

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Mesmerising Mahodand Lake "Lake of Fishes" located in Upper Usho Valley 35 km from Kalam, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The lake is accessible by a four-wheel drive vehicle, and is often utilized for fishing and boating.

️ Kiwai is a union council of Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.It is located on the way to Kaghan Valley. Payee Lake is accessible via Kewai passing through Shogran by a jeep track.

️While travelling to Naran, when you reach Kewai, where the road seprates for Hogran, is a beautiful place with stream-cum-waterfall and a restaurant. An amazing place!

 

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The white world of stunning Malam Jabba

Malam Jabba (also Maalam Jabba ) is a Hill Station in the #Hindu Kush mountain range nearly 40 km from Saidu Sharif in Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province . It is 314 km from Islamabad and 51 km from Saidu Sharif Airport.

Malam Jabba is home to one of the two ski resorts in Pakistan; the other is at Naltar, Gilgit Baltistan.
On the main Madyan-Kalam road, the road turns to the right at Manglor town (12 km from Saidu Sahrif), for the Malam Jabba Dara which has a series of small villages and settlements like Salanda, Jehanabad, Talegraam, Badar, Ser, Malam, Kishora, Spine Oba, and finally Jabba. Malam is a small village which comes prior to Kishora village on the main Malam-Jabba road.

Malam is nearly 17 km from Manglor while Kishora is at 18 km distance. Jabba (12 km from Kishawra) is the upper most part of the whole Dara (gorge).

The Malam Jabba Ski Resort, owned by the #Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, had a ski slope of about 800m with the highest point of the slope 2804 m (9200 ft) above sea level.

Today's clicks of Chamois Kalash festival Annually observed event symbolizes & forecasts prosperity of the village & its people in coming year (Started 2day) Celebrated in all 3 valleys of Birir, Bumburet & Rumbur Tourists participated from all around clicks
@AmirKha01737201

 

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449,000 tourists visited Swat in 2023​

Our Correspondent
January 1, 2024

SWAT: Swat valley witnessed arrival of 449,000 tourists, including 4,000 foreigners from 108 countries, during 2023, deputy commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at the Swat Press Club, Dr Ali, who is also Director General of Upper Swat Development Authority, said beautiful Swat valley was famous worldwide for its natural beauty. “Despite the devastation caused by the super floods in 2002, a significant increase in tourists to the scenic valley was recorded compared to 2022,” he said.

“In 2023, 449,000 tourists visited Swat, including Malam Jabba, Gabin Jabba, Kalam, Bahrain, Mahodand, Madyan, Marghuzar and other tourist sites. At the same time, more than 4,000 foreign tourists from 108 countries, particularly from China, Australia, Afghanistan, Germany and the US, visited various spots in Swat,” he added.

Dr Qasim Ali said the Upper Swat Development Authority was taking concrete steps with the support of the police and district administration to promote tourism in the valley.

“New tourist destinations are being introduced, whereby providing infrastructure and other facilities, the tourism sector will become stronger to provide livelihood to more people,” he said.

On the occasion, Ahmed Khan, chairman of Upper Swat Development Authority Board, also expressed happiness on the arrival of a large number of tourists in Swat during the outgoing year.

Published in Dawn, january 1st, 2024

449,000 tourists visited Swat in 2023

Despite the devastation caused by the super floods in 2002, a significant increase in tourists was recorded compared to 2022, says DC.

www.dawn.com

 

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Chitral

 

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Dir

 

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This year too less snow in Naran .
Jan 16, 2024.

 

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North Waziristan Razmak sub-division received the first snowfall of winter today. Razmak, which was named as Little London by the British
Jan 8, 2024

 

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Royal Fort, Chitral..

 

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Hazara Motorway ... M-15

 

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Sticky.

 

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Malam Jaba, Swat.