Malakand
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The Malakand is a region in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It covers one third of the total area of the province. The region is further divided into Chitral, Dir, Swat, Buner, Shangla Districts and Malakand Agency.
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[edit] Kalam
The area has a rich history, covering thousands of years. Alexander the Great traveled through the region in 327 BC. The Gandhara Buddhist Civilization later Flourished in the valley of Swat and Dir. There are many stupas and Buddhist settlements in the region. The famous Chinese travelers Huein Tsang and Fa Hien came here for learning and a great Buddhist missionary padma Sambhava, belonging to Swat traveled to Tibed to spread Buddhism.
An ancient route form Central Asia to India lies across this region. Hund was the crossing place on the Indus. This is the route which saw the armies of Alexander the Great, Mehmood of Ghazni and Babar marching into India. The route was later abandoned, when Akbar the Great built a boat bridge at Attock in 1581 AD. The British had to fight fierce battles at Malakand twice in 1895 and 1897. The siege of Chitral in 1895 also attracts historians and tourists.
The region has four distinct ethnic groups. The Pukhtoons live in Dir, Swat, Malakand, Buner and Shangla. Kalash people live in the three valleys of Chitral and Kohistanis occupy Dir Kohistan and Swat Kohistan.
[edit] Kalam Valley
Malakand:-While traveling form Mardan towards Swat, one comes across the town of Dargai, form where a road leads to the top of a pass in the mountains, which is known as the Malakand pass. A town by the same name is situated at the summit about 53 KM away form Mardan. The British had to fight a fierce battle against the Pathans, on their way to Chitral.
[edit] Malakand Pass
Nimogram Buddhist stupas :-There are three main stupas, surrounded by a number of small votive stupas in Nimogram. Dressed stones have been used in the construction and bear similarity to Andan Dheri monastery.
[edit] Shingardara Stupa
Udegram:-This historic town is also known as "Ora" where Alexander the Great fought in 327 BC. Later on Mehmood of Ghazni also built a mosque here. The ruins of Hindu Shahi period can be seen scattered in the area. The shrine of Hazrat pir Khushal Baba is also situated here.
Mingora:-Mingora has been an important trading center for the last 2000 years. The hills having the world famous "Emerald Mines" are located to the north of the town.
[edit] Butkara Buddhist Stupa
Saidu Sharif:- Saidu Sharif and Mingora are two cities. Saidu Sharif has several government buildings, the Museum, the Tomb of Akund of Swat and the archaeological remains of the Buthare Buddhist Stupa.
Uchh and the Noor Mahal Uchh is an ancient historic village of Dir District, situated about ten Kilometers from Chakdara towards Timargaraha. A unique feature of the town is the existence of Noor Mahal here. About two hundred year back Maulana Muhammad Nasim Siddiqui brought many relics and about 500 rare manuscripts of books with him from Delhi on camals. The relics are the sacred hair of the Islamic prophet Hazart Muhammad and items belonging to Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Imam Hussain, the blood stained clothes of Hazrat Mirza Mazahar Jan -e-Janan are also kept here. The Ghilaf {cover} of the Khana Kaaba is also amongst the collections
Andan Dheri The Buddhist stupa of Andan Dheri is located near Uchh. The main and small stupas are all made of stone masonry.
[edit] Dir
Dir is a big trading center. The valley of Dir Kohistan is the western extension of Swat and is about 100km long. It has many villages including Shringal, Kumrat and Kalkot.
[edit] Loweri Pass
This pass is 3200m high, situated in the famous Hindu Raj Range and forms the boundary between Dir and Chitral. The road to Chitral passes through this pass which is closed between November and May due to heavy snowfall.
[edit] Kalash Valleys
The Kalash people live in the their valleys of Birir, Bumburet and Rambur. The Kalash are an ancient tribe and have a religion and a culture of their own. They have many festivals around the year, the major ones being Chilamjusht, Phool and Chawas.
[edit] Chitral
The town of Chitral is situated about 322 KM from Peshawar. The whole area is mountainous, having green valleys and the towering Trichmir peak (7700 meters) of the Hindukush.
[edit] Kalam
Kalam is the main town of Swat Kohistan. It is about 40 Km north of Bahrain. Kalam is inhabited by Kohistanis having their own language and customs. Lake Mahodand is about 23 km beyond Matilian valley.
[edit] Ambela Pass
The Ambela Pass, situated in Buner, can be approached from Mordam via Shahbaz Garhi and Rustam. It is about 50 Km away from Mardan. The British fought a very tough battle here against Yusuzai Afghan lashkars in 1863.
[edit] Language
The main language is Pashto. Kohistani,Urdu, and English are also spoken.
