The Chitral valley; at an elevation of 1127.76 meters (3,700 feet) is a favorite with mountaineers, anglers, hunters, hikers, naturalists and anthropologists. The 7787.64 meters (25,550 feet) Trichmir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush Mountains dominates this 321.87 km (200 miles) long exotic valley. Afghanistan is located to the north, south and west of the district. . . . Read More

Darra Adam Khel is an unkempt village of two story wood and adobe buildings in the sand stone hills near the Kohat Frontier region in Orakzai Agency. It is the gun factory of the Tribal Areas, located around 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Peshawar on the road to Kohat. The drive takes around forty minutes. . . . Read More

DI Khan is 340 km south of Peshawar and with the partly constructed Indus Highway, the journey time is around five hours from Peshawar. Surrounding this district is Fort Sandeman in Balochistan to the South, Suleiman Mountains of Waziristan to the West, Punjab to the East, and Lakki Marwat to the North. Dera Ismail Khan is a fairly large, sprawling oasis and it is the last major town in the south of the North West Frontier Province. . . . Read More

Uchh is an ancient historic village of Dir District, situated about ten kilometers from Chakdara towards Timergara. A unique feature of the town is the existence of Noor Mahal here. This is actually a sort of mini museum. Located in the famous mosque of the town. About two hundred years back Maulana Muhammad Nasim Siddiqui (RA) brought many relics and about five hundred rare manuscripts of books with him from Delhi on camels. The relics are the sacred hair of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and items belonging to Hazrat Ali (RA), Hazrat Imam Hussain. . . . Read More

The tribal area comprising the territories lying between the administered districts of NWFP and the `Durand Line' is spread over an area of 10510 square miles. In this mountainous tract live 25,07,000 sturdy, well-built and self-reliant Pathans who prefer to be called Pukhtoons. . . . Read More

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), enjoying a chequered history and a strategically distinct position, are located in a narrow belt which runs along the Pak-Afghan border. This border, known as the Durand Line was named after Sir Mortimer Durand who surveyed and established this division in 1890. . . . Read More

Bala Hisar is one of the most historic places of Peshawar. The words are of Persian origin meaning, "elevated or high fort". According to Dr. Hussain Khan, the name was given by the Afghan King Taimur Shah Durrani (1773-1793). The Sikhs named it ‘Samir Garh’ in 1834 but the name did not become popular. The fort stands on a high mound in the northwestern corner of Peshawar City. . . . Read More

Gardez is the capital of the province of Paktia and serves as the summer residence of the provincial governor, who resides in Khost during the winter. This practice of alternating headquarters is one of the last vestiges in Afghanistan of the once common seasonal migration of administrative authorities, directly moulded on nomadic traditions. . . . Read More

Ghorband, a major valley of Kohestan/Kohistan and a sub-province (woloswali) of Parvan province in the southern foothills of the Hindu Kush massif, located approximately 50 miles north of Kabul. The term Ghorband probably derives from Ghor/Ghaur, the name of the mountainous region northwest of Ghorband, and the Persian word band (barrier, dam), i.e., the mountainous barrier to Ghur. This picturesque valley contains some dazzling vistas near the subsidiary valleys and villages of Bag-e Awgan, Dara-e Ashawa, Deh Rangar, Dara-e Ju-ye, Dara-ye Sayyedan, and Siahgerd. . . . Read More

The district of Hazara extends north-eastwards into the outer Himalayan Range, tapering to a narrow point at the head of the Kagan valley. The mountain chains which enclose Kagan sweep southward into the broader portion of the district, throwing off well-wooded spurs which break up the country into numerous isolated glens. Approaching Rawalpindi district the hills open out, and rich plain lands take the place of the terraced hillsides and forests of the more northern uplands. The Babusar Pass at the head of the Kagan valley marks the most direct approach to Chilas and Gilgit from the plains of India. . . . Read More

The Edwardes High school was the first attempt in Peshawar as regarding Missionary work, which was established in 1855 by Robert Clarke under the patronage of Sir Herbert Edwardes. The Muslims of the sub continent realized the urgent need for modern education after the 1857 war of independence. . . . Read More

When the new province of NWFP was formed in 1901 after its separation from Punjab, there were three types of schools in the province. Those maintained by endowments and gifts, those established and run privately, but aided by the Government, and those maintained by the Government through local boards. By the year 1909, the idea of a college in the province was taking its rough shape in the minds of Abdul Qayum and Roos Keppel, which was further strengthened by their visit to Aligarh the same year, where the muslim students gave Sir Sahibzada their humble donation for the purpose of a student hostel, hall or any better project. . . . Read More

These aerial spirits are everywhere in Kafiristan. They have to be propitiated in order that the millet crops may be good. A fire is lit in the centre of the growing crop, juniper-cedar, ghee, and bread are placed upon it, and a certain ritual intoned. No animal is sacrificed. At the time that the ceremony to the fairies is being prepared, certain thick bread cakes have to be offered to Yush, the devil. So also when Dizane is being invoked to protect or improve the wheat, Yush has to be simultaneously propitiated. . . . Read More

Kaghan Valley is a Himalayan wonderland. Even today when few place s have escaped man's meddlesome fingers, Kaghan's collection of Himalayan peaks, lakes, dales, streams, waterfalls and glaciers are still an unbelievable pristine state of an un-spoilt paradise. The 161 km long landscape of Kaghan valley with its towering Himalayan peaks, peaceful lakes, majestic glaciers, singing springs, and splashing waterfalls are a scenic wonderland. The elevation of the valley rises from 2,133.60 meters (7,000 ft) to its highest point at the Babusar Pass at 4,145.28 meters. . . . Read More

The Karakoram Highway, or KKH, is the greatest wonder of modern Pakistan and one of the most spectacular roads in the world. Connecting Pakistan to China, it twists through three great mountain ranges - the Himalayas, Karakorams and Pamirs - following one of the ancient silk routes along the valleys of the lndus, Gilgit and Hunza rivers to the Chinese border at the Khunjerab Pass. It then crosses the high Central Asian plateau before winding down through the Pamirs to Kashgar, at the western edge of the Taklamakan Desert. . . . Read More

Khyber Agency has an area of 991 square miles. The majority of the tribes in this agency are Afridis, of which there are eight major sections. However, there are important pockets of Mallagoris (Mohmand) Shilmanis, and Shinwaries. Shinwaries live on both sides of the Pakistan Afghan border but are predominantly in Afghanistan. The Afridis are famed as the tribe that control the Khyber Pass and also as the inhabitants of what is still one of the most inaccessible areas, Afridi Tirah. This strategic situation has enabled the Afridis to force every conqueror in history passing through the Khyber to come to terms with them. They have a formidable battle record for strategy and tenacity in the mountains. They once annihilated an entire Moghul army of Aurangzeb's. . . . Read More

Kohat is an army town and divisional head quarters south of Peshawar. It is from here that you can obtain the permit to travel to the nearby tribal Kurram Agency into Parachinar. On the way to Kohat, is the stony Kohat Pass or the "Handy Side" locally known as Kotal Pass. . . . Read More

Kurram Agency has an area of 1,305 square miles with its headquarters at parachinar. It was occupied in 1892 by the British at the invitation of the turi shia tribe who feared aggression by the neighbouring sunni tribes. Half the agency was called the administered area, mainly along the Kurram river valley , and the other half the frontier regions. . . . Read More

Lakki Marwat was created as an administrative district on the 1st of July 1992. Prior to that it was a part of the Bannu District. The district derives its name from the headquarter town. It lies at the tail of the Marwat area therefore the town is referred to as "Lakai". The literal meaning of the word is Tail. The Lakki (Lakai) town is inhabited by Marwats, hence the proper name Lakki Marwat is derived. According to elders of the area, the original founder of this town was Hindu by the name of Lakki Ram or Lukko Ram. Other sources claim the town was initially known as Ihsan Pur and was founded by a Malik named Fateh Khan Tiwana. . . . Read More

Before 1901, the boundary of the Marwat territory was touching the Khattak territory up to village Alamshiri on the north, Shumoni and Ahmadzai Wazir on the Northwest, to the West with Bannu near village Mama Khel, Rehmanzai Wazir near Sradarga, with District Tank Mullazai village, to the South near Kotka Sher Khan and Kotka Jamal and the East with Niazis near Dara Tang.After 1901, Almost twelve miles area of Lakki Marwat was amalgamated with Dera Ismail Khan and some villages were annexed to Tank District. Now the average width of the area from north to south is thirty-seven miles and the average length from east to west is fifty miles [2]. . . . Read More