Islamabad - Muree Hills

February 2010

Once, a terrorist!

Muree is the most famous popular mountainous resort in northern Pakistan, lies 50km northeast of Islamabad capital city at 7500ft height in the Himalayan foothill. Before Pakistan/India partition, Muree was one of two important hill stations in the Punjab, other being "Simla", in present day Himachal Pradesh state of India. Murree was more accessible from the Punjab plains than "Simla" and served as summer capital of the province till 1875 when it was replaced by Simla.  

The view from Bollywood movie that my late parent used to adore

Murree is a mountainous area, forming part of outer Himalayas, bounded by River Jehlum in the east, NWFP districts of Abbottabad and Heripur to the North and West, Islamabad Capital Territory to the Southwest and Kotli Sattian Tehsil (town) of Rawalpindi district to the South. Murree town was built in line with the European cities with Church in the centre and main road, The Mall, running along with commercial places and administrative offices around the same. The Mall was and still is still the centre of attraction. Non Europeans were not allowed access to the Mall till independence in 1947. It was part of the caste land under British ruling. 

The northern half of the Murree Tehsil is held entirely by the Dhund, who claim to be Abbasi Arabs, claiming descent from the Prophet Mohammad's uncle Abbas ibn Abdul Mutalib. The Satti tribe, which claims Rajput ancestry is found confined to the hilly Kotli Sattian Tehsil. In between these two tribes, are wedged the Kethwal, who claim descent from the Greek general Alexander the Great. The Dhanyal hold the western half of the Murree Tehsil, known as the Karor illaqa, as well as villages in the Islamabad Capital Territory. Like the Awan, the Dhanyal claim descent from the Prophet Mohammed's son in-law Ali. The small of the Murree Hill tribes are the Jasgam, who hold several villages in the hilly portion of the Kahuta Tehsil. Like the Dhund, they claim to be Abbasi Arabs.

Picnic with a scenic view of Muree plateau

It was gun to shoot the balloon... hehe!

Murree hill station was constructed by the British colonial government soon after it captured this part of then India in 1850. Murre lies between Kashmir Point and Pindi Point. As the names suggest Kashmir point gives a panoramic view of snow laden Himalaya and Pir Panjal ranges in Kashmir while the Pindi point overlooks national capital Islamabad and adjacent Rawalpindi. At Pindi Point one can enjoy ride on a Chairlift three kilometers down to Bansragalli and enjoy a panoramic view of Hazara mountains as well as Rawalpindi Islamabad. 

With the locals at the place where we stop for picnic

The city of Murree lies in seven kilometer area between these two points. The most popular area in the hill station is the Mall road spanning over about two kilometer in beautiful settings. Murree Tehsil has a total area of 434 sq kilometer and according to 1998 census has a population of 176426 people of which 155,051 live in the rural areas while others live in Murree city as well as different cantonments spreading over different hill tops.

Posing as a model for Telenor, 1 of Pakistan Telco

In recent years Bhurban and New Murree (Patriata), have also developed as a tourist centre. The whole Murree Galliat region is known throughout South Asia for its scenic beauty and fascinating greenery. Mountains overhung with pines and oaks, bubbling with gurgling springs, crisscrossed by rivulets, dotted with sprawling lawns and orchards overloaded with fruits present spectacle of Paradise on earth.

Coffee break at PC Bhurban Hotel

By the swimming pool of PC Hotel in Bhurban

Bhurban, boosting with 5 star Pearl Continental Hotel owned by Pakistan's best hotel chain and a nine hole Golf course has cropped recently as another tourist attraction in Murree area. Lying at an altitude of 6000 ft, Bhurban is situated at a distance of 13 kilometers from Murree on one of main roads leading to Azad Kashmir. Punjab government is planning to develop New Murree city at Patriata 15 kilometers southeast of Murree. Punjab Tourism department constructed resorts at the virgin forests on the Patriata ridge in 1987 besides a 3 kilometer sky ride from Gulara Gali to the top of Patriata ridge.  Patriata is connected with Islamabad and Murree through a number of all weather roads. 

Breathtaking view at PC's restaurant balcony

Last photo of the awesome view from PC Hotel

Hope you guys enjoy the panoramic view and the background of Muree.

Islamabad Trip with my sister, 2010

I have no motivation to write today but I had a dateline to meet, i.e. to finish all travelogue entry so that from 3rd week of this month, I would be able to post live all current events rather looking back at the history of the lost event. I'm going back to school on 24th October, hence, no matter how I lazy I am, I had to continue clearing old diary.

Arrival in Islamabad International Airport, Domestic terminal

Well, after my family demobilisation from Pakistan in end 2009, my sister and brother came for a visit as I was still occupying an apartment in Platinum Residency till I too received an approval to work in the HQ. It was in February 2010 when the 2 of them came to Karachi. Few days after their arrival, I had to fly to Islamabad for office matter. My sister followed me but my brother stayed behind in Karachi.

Bahria  Town Country Club

My sister with Nahran, at IJM's batching plant

We landed in Islamabad  with PIA morning flight and while I attended meetings my sister explored the country club in Bahria Town with my colleague. Thanks to him, my sister had a company. The company has a shared accomodation for the staff in Bahria Town, known as the safest township with less criminal rate. We stayed there during our stay as the house is pretty much comfortable and fully equipped.

Bahria Town, set themselves in Islamabad is a rival to DHA (Defence Housing Authority), which well established by the Arabian Sea frontage in Karachi. Both township, 1 in the North and another in the South offerred gated communities in the suburbs of major cities in Pakistan. The most interesting part about Bahria is the group founder, Mr Malik Riyaz Hussain who started the company by being a small time contractor.

Mr Malik has raised himself up to where he is now in the 1980's. During the previous Pakistan President reign, Mr ASif Ali Zardari, Bahria has commenced it's trademark building, Bahria Icon Tower right next to Abdullah Shah Gazi in Karachi city. KBCA granted an approval for the excavation in 2008 and the building will become an iconic skyscrapper, the tallest building in Pakistan once it is completed by end 2015.

What my sister and I like most from our trip was the food that we enjoyed during a business dinner in the city the night we arrived. The soft meaty juicy lamb prepared in Kashmiri style was something worthwhile to enjoy. 

On our last night in Islamabad, we had Japanese food at a colleague's Jap Restaurant located in Diplomatic Enclave. Due to restricted security area, the restaurant was not really doing well as those who wishes to enter is required to bring their International Passport, the area are strictly meant for the diplomats.

In Kampai Restaurant with the chef himself

To be continued with a trip to Muree Hills. 

Islamabad - Faisal Mosque

I have visited Faisal Mosque few times when I first landed in Islamabad and following few official trip thereafter. Unfortunately the photos in my safe keeping was long gone, hence, I have no choice but to share them from few friends who happened to reside in Islamabad. Thanks to them, I managed to complete a travelogue entry in Islamabad, visited in 2009, 2010 & 2011. 

Faisal Mosque - Night view during Ramadhan 2012

The Faisal Mosque is the largest mosque in Pakistan, located in the national capital city of Islamabad. Completed in 1986, it was designed by Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay to be shaped like a desert Bedouin's tent. It is situated at the north end of Faisal Avenue, putting it at the northernmost end of the city and at the foot of Margalla Hills, the westernmost foothills of the Himalayas. It is located on an elevated area of land against a picturesque backdrop of the Margalla Hills. This enviable location represents the mosque's great importance and allows it to be seen from miles around day and night.

Faisal Mosque, day view in 2010

The Faisal Mosque is conceived as the National Mosque of Pakistan and named after the late King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, who supported and financed the project. The largest mosque in South Asia, the Faisal Mosque was the largest mosque in the world from 1986 until 1993, when it was overtaken in size by the newly completed Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. Subsequent expansions of the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia, during the 1990s relegated Faisal Mosque to 4th place in terms of size.

In 1969, an international competition was held in which architects from 17 countries submitted 43 proposals. The competition was succeeded by the Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay, who later won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture of the project. Construction of the mosque began in 1976 by National Construction of Pakistan, led by Azim Khan and was funded by the government of Saudi Arabia, at a cost of over 130 million Saudi riyals (approximately USD120 million). King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz was instrumental in the funding, and both the mosque and the road leading to it were named after him after his assassination in 1975. The mosque was completed in 1986, and used to house the International Islamic University.

Many conservative Muslims criticised the design at first for its unconventional design and lack of a traditional dome structure, but most criticism ended when the completed mosque's scale, form, and setting against the Margalla Hills became evident. The mosque's unusual design is a departure from the long history of South Asian Islamic architecture, fusing contemporary lines with the more traditional look of an Arab Bedouin's tent, with its large triangular prayer hall and four minarets. However, unlike traditional mosque design, it lacks a dome. The minarets borrow their design from Turkish tradition and are thin and pencil like.

The shape of the Faisal Mosque is an eight-sided concrete shell inspired by a desert Beduoin's tent and the cubic Kaaba in Mecca, flanked by four unusual minarets inspired by Turkish architecture. The architect later explained his thinking to design school students; “I tried to capture the spirit, proportion and geometry of Kaaba in a purely abstract manner. Imagine the apex of each of the four minaret as a scaled explosion of four highest corners of Kaaba, thus an unseen Kaaba form is bounded by the minarets at the four corners in a proportion of height to base. Shah Faisal Mosque akin to Kaaba”.

He added "Now, if you join the apex of each minaret to the base of the minaret diagonally opposite to it correspondingly, a four-sided pyramid shall be bound by these lines at the base side within that invisible cube. That lower level pyramid is treated as a solid body while four minarets with their apex complete the imaginary cube of Kaaba”.

The Faisal Mosque has covered area of 5,000 m2. It can accommodate 10,000 worshipers in its main prayer hall, 24,000 in its porticoes, 40,000 in its courtyard and another 200,000 in its adjoining grounds. Although its covered main prayer hall is smaller than that of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca (the world's third largest mosque), Faisal Mosque has the third largest capacity of accommodating worshipers in its adjoining grounds after the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque) in Medina. Each of the Mosque's four thin minarets are 80 m high (infact the tallest minarets in South Asia) and measure 10 x 10 m in circumference.

Islamabad - Rawal Lake/Pir Sohawa

Date of Visit: July 2010

It was a summer time when I visited the Rawal Lake for second time in July 2010, I was there earlier in winter time with my sister on our way to Muree Hill. The water at the time of visit was not flooded to the full lake coverage, if not, the place where the boat was seated in below photo shall be covered with water. 

It was a pleasant evening walk with Nahran and his friend, Azhar after works before we drove up to Margala Hills for dinner. The lake partly a beautiful garden had species of blooming flowers, sadly that I have lost all the flowers photo in my collection, else, I could have shared in here the beautiful gardens in this entry.

Rawal Lake is an artificial reservoir that provides the water needs for both the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Korang River along with some other small streams coming from Margalla Hills have been set to form this artificial lake which covers an area of 8.8 km². Korang River is the outlet stream of Rawal Dam. Rawal Lake is located within an isolated section of the Margalla Hills National Park.

The area around the lake has been planted with flowering trees and laid out with gardens, picnic spots, and secluded paths. The terraced garden and the lake are used for picnics, fishing and boating. The highest point in the garden offers a panoramic view of the lake, Margalla and Murree hills, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Boating, sailing, water skating and diving facilities are organized by private clubs. To the west of the lake is the Islamabad Club, which offers different sporting facilities.

Whether you’re interested in boating, sailing, kayaking, fishing, bird watching, picnicking, relaxing alone or with family and friends at a place with a picturesque view, Rawal Lake has it all. You may take a hike and see a panoramic view of the lake from Margalla and Murree hills. Indeed, this lovely lake is breathtaking. Flowering trees, beautiful blooms, and lush green grass adds exquisite scrutiny to the lake.

From Rawal Lake we drove along the Islamabad Zoo to reach the Pir Sohawa Road to Margala Hills.

Islamabad City view from Monal Restaurant in Margala Hills

Pir Sohawa is a rapidly developing tourist resort located 17 kilometers from Islamabad seated on top of Margalla Hills. It has a 3000 plus ft elevation and located in Monal village which is geographically part of Haripur District. Pir Sohawa is a popular destination among the residents of Islamabad, as well as the foreign tourists. Margala Hills is being famous for jungle tracking by most residents and tourist. 

We had dinner at Monal restaurant. The restaurant was named after a pheasant of rare and exquisite beauty located at the hilltop offers great food and its spacious terraces provides a spectacular view of the city of Islamabad.