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Mahodand Lake - Swat

Posted in : KPK, Swat, Lakes

(added few years ago!)

Just North of Kalam is a valley famous amongst nature lovers, escapists and exotic trout fish Hunters. Mahodand valley can be reached through a 4x4 vehicles as the road is bumpy and tricky however the surrounding landscares and scenery gives you a sight you only expected in dreams. The small villages scattered all over the mountains under the bellowing fog are something that lives in one’s memory forever.

This is the birth place of Swat River, shackled by the brutal mountains have turned its flowing water  into a loud roaring monster, trying to release itself from its fetter however there are few place it is calm and quiet.

After about a drive of about four to five hours from the vast valley of Kalam comes the beautiful balley of Mahodand which welcomes you with small lakes, tall trees and sprawling pastures.

Restaurants and hotels have been built by locals which have all the essential facilities such as food and accommodation while they also arrange for boating in the lake.

In short, Mahodand valley is a gift for those who love nature. The spectacular landscapes, the canopy of tall cedar trees, the vast pastures, the roaring waterfalls, the shimmering lakes, the sky touching mountains, and the exotic fragrance of wild flowers and herbs leave such strong imprints on the mind that the visitor is spellbound with ithe sheer beauty of it.

 
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(added few years ago!) / 4259 views

Makli - Largest necropolises in the world.

Posted in : Sindh, Thatta, Archaeological Sites

(added few years ago!)

It is one of the largest historical graveyard in the world spread over approximately 8 KMs. Located at the outskirts of Thatta, Makli is assumed to be the final resting place of around 125,000 Sufi Said. While Thatta itself is inscribed in the World Heritage List since 1981 under the name of ‘Historical Monuments of Thatta’.

Legend has it that the graveyard was populated around the shrine of fourteenth-centur Sufi, Hamad Jamali whereas the tombs and gravestones all over the graveyard are documents marking the social and political history of Sindh.

The Imperial mausoleums are divided into two major grous i.e. the Samma (1352-1520) and Tarkhan (1556-1592) periods while the tomb of Smma king, Jam Nizamuddin II who was in power from 1461-1509 is quite a fabulous structure entirely built of sandstones and decorated with floral and geometric medallions.

Isa Khan Tarkhan II has a similar masauleum which has a majestic two story building built with stones having cupolas and balconies. Whereas the Hindu and Islamic motifs have mausoleums that clearly show the Central Asian roots of the later dynasty.

Example can be extracted from the tomb of Jan Beg Tarkhan which is a octagonal brick structure whose dome is covered in blue and turquoise glazed tiles.

Makli Hill is a United Nations World Heritage Site that is visited by both pilgrims and tourists.

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(added few years ago!) / 8789 views

Gorakh Hill, Highest mountain in Sindh reachable by road.

Posted in : Sindh, Hill Stations

(added few years ago!)

Situated at an elevation of 5,688 ft in the Kirthat Mountain range, Gorakh Hill is a hill station located 93 KMs towards north west of Dadu.  Spread over 2,500 acres, it is one the highest plateaus of Sindh and serves as an adventure and picnic point to nature lover due to its unique surroundings and scenery.

The distance from Karachi is approximately 380 KMs which translates into 7-8 hours of journey to reach to the top of Gorakh Hill while road till Bhan Saeedabad is good however, it gets bumpy and broken for the next 50 KMs will Wahi Pandi.

Drive uphill begins slightly afterwards you cross Wahi Pandi and it takes about two hours to cover the distance to reach the top which is 50 KMs.

It is advised to take warm clothes because it gets very chilly at night.

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(added few years ago!) / 18663 views

Kirthar National Park.

Posted in : Sindh, National Parks

(added few years ago!)

Kirthar National Park

The unforgettable three days and two nights of my life in Kirthar National Park and Karchaat
Pakistan should be known as the greatest tourism country in the world rather the agricultural country as it is known today. We were hypnotized by the mesmerizing beauty of Sindh’s Kirthar National Park where Pajero and Land Cruiser worked hard to pass through almost every terrain – which I believe that these are lions of off-road which when kept in city is like a cage in the zoo to them. 
 
 

 

 

They are poised and bored, they need to break through and we don’t even enjoy looking at them in the cityscape and when you put down where roads’ end and adventure begins, Pajero and LC leave no holes barred in providing you the ultimate adventure of sight seeing in ultimate comfort of their seats as drove over dirt, sand, mud and rocks on the mountains to bring us at the tip of it for the best view of Sindh.
 
Even a Mini Pajero with 1100cc (from 3-door Pajero) impressed everyone as it followed effortlessly the trails of LC and 5-door Pajero. While the 3-door 70 series LC had 6 passengers in it’s cabin whereas 2 were on it’s roof and 2 hanging at the back but still, the 70 series LC led the way to the tip of the mountains while Pajero followed with 6 people in its cabin and the heaviest cargo in it’s back.
 
If anyone had ask me what the ultimate expression of freedom is, I’d had pointed towards Pajero, LC and other 4x4s as the ultimate freedom of expression and if I were the President of Pakistan, I would’ve passed an ordinance that everyone who owns one must keep them out side their homes to display that they are free people.
 
Kirthar National Park, the second largest in Pakistan after Hingol National park has pretty vast list of animals such as leopards, striped hyenas, wolves, ratels, urials, chinkara gazelles, rare Sind wild goats and Blackbuck antelopes however, the last leopard was shot in 1977.
 
Although we spotted very few animals but the jaw-dropping-awesomeness of the entire Kirthar and Karchaat was hypnotizing. After recent rains; pleasant weather, the color green, landscape of as far as we could see, was our companion through out the trip wherever we went – it was so beautiful that we thought that God has welcomed us here.
 
It is best that we leave the rest for the pictures to speak however; few things we should mention is that our Guides’ were awesome, friendly and welcoming, and Government’s Wild Life Department’s guest houses were very well kept and built, supported by the beautiful landscape around, they could compete with the best hotels in the world and these guest houses are cheap too with rent ranging from 1500 to 2000 PKR.
 
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(added few years ago!) / 3796 views

Derawar Fort

Posted in : Sindh, Cholistan, Forts / Palaces

(added few years ago!)

The Derawar For is a very large fortress which can be seen from many miles away from the Cholistan Desert which is located in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. There are a total of forty bastion and the walls have a circumference of 1500 meters and are thirty meters tall.

 
While the first fort was built by Rai Jajja Bhati of Jaisalmer and remained in the grip of the royal family of Jaisalmer till it was captured and completely rebuilt by the nawabs of Bahawalpur in 1733 than after nearly a decade in 1747, the fort slipped out of the hands of the Abbasis as Bahawal Khan was occupied at Shikarpur but than Nawab Mubarak Khan retook it in 1804.
 
Royal graveyard of the Abbasi family is also within the fort walls while a mosque was modeled upon the Red Fort of Delhi.

While the area is rich in archaeological artifacts which also are associated with Ganweriwala which belongs to the city of Indus Valley Civilization, both remained unexplored whereas the city of Indus Valley Civilization is not even excavated.

The nearby mosque was modeled after that in the Red Fort of Delhi. There is also a royal graveyard of the Abbasi family, which still owns the stronghold. The area is rich in archaeological artifacts associated with Ganweriwala, a vast but as-yet-unexcavated city of the Indus Valley Civilization.

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(added few years ago!) / 4698 views