The Swat Valley

Swat is the most historically interesting valley in Pakistan. It is also one of the most beautiful - certainly much greener and more fertile than the valleys further north because it lies within the monsoon belt. In Lower Swat, the valley is wide, the fields on either side of the river are full of wheat and Lucerne, and the villages are prosperous and surrounded by fruit trees. In Upper Swat, the river tumbles through pine forests hemmed in by snow-capped mountains. For the historical and amateur archaeologist, Swat offers several hundred archaeological sites spanning 5,000 years of history. For the sportsman and trekker, it offers good fishing and hiking.
The people of Swat are Muslim Pathans, Kohistanis and Gujars. Some have very distinct features and claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great.
The Swat women wear colorful embroidered shirts and shalwars (baggy trousers). The men wear shalwar-gamiz and embroidered caps or silk turban. Swat has been inhabited for over two thousand years. The first inhabitants were settled in well-planned towns.

In 327 BC, Alexander the Great fought his way to Udegram and Barikot and stormed their battlemens. In Greek accounts these towns have been identified as Ora and Bazira. Around the 2nd century BC, the area was occupied by Buddhists, who were attracted by the peace and serenity of the land. There are many remains that testify to their skills as sculptors and architects. In the beginning of the 11th century AD Mahmud of Ghazni advanced through Dir and invaded Swat, defeating Gira, the local ruler, near Udegram. Later the land was taken over by the Dilazak, who in turn were ousted by the Yusufzais.

Mingora

Mingora is the district headquarter and commercial centre of Swat. the Swat Museum, located between Mingora and Saidu, has a rich collection of Gandhara art which is worth viewing.

Swat Museum

Swat Museum is on the east side of the street, halfway between Mingora and Saidu. Japanese aid has given a facelift to its seven galleries which now contain an excellent collection of Gandhara sculptures taken from some of the Buddhist sites in Swat, rearranged and labeled to illustrate the Buddha's life story. Terracotta figurines and utensils, beads, precious stones, coins, weapons and various metal objects illustrate daily life in Gandhara. The ethnographic section displays the finest examples of local embroidery, carved wood and tribal jewellery.

Butkara (Butkada) Stupa

One of the most important Buddhist shrines in Swat, is near the museum. Take the dirt track on the left (north) side of the museum for one kilometer (about half a mile). The stupa is 400 meters (above a quarter of mile) across the fields to the left (north).
The stupa, which dates from the second century BC, was possibly built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to house some of the ashes of the Buddha. In subsequent centuries, it was enlarged five times by encasing the existing structure in a new shell. Italian excavators working in 1955 exposed the successive layers of the stupa, each layer illustrating a stage in the evolution of building techniques.

Kabal

Kabal is a golfer's paradise: an eighteen-hotel course is open all year round and anyone can play there by paying the green fees.

Upper Swat Valley

The Swat Valley becomes more beautiful the higher you go. In mid-winter it is sometimes blocked by snow above Bahrain, but in summer you can drive up beyond Kalam and from there trek north to either the Chitral Valley or the Gilgit Valley. From Khwazakhela, the road across the Shangla Pass to the Karakoram Highway is usually open only from April to December.

Miandam

Miandam is a small summer resort ten kilometres (six miles) up a steep side valley and 56 kilometres (35 miles) from Saidu Sharif, making it an hour's drive. The metalled road passes small villages stacked up the hillside, the roofs of one row of houses forming the street for the row of houses above. Tiny terraced fields march up the hillside right to the top.
Miandam is a good place for walkers. Paths follow the stream, past houses with beehives set into the walls and good-luck charms whitewashed around the doors. In the graveyards are carved wooden grave posts with floral designs, like those used by Buddhists 1,000 years ago.

Madyan

Madyan is a tourist resort on the Swat River. At 1,321 meters (4,335 feet) above sea level, it is neither as cool nor as beautiful as Miandam, but it is a larger town and has many hotels in all price ranges and some good tourist shopping. Antique and modern shawls, traditional embroidery, tribal jewellery, carved wood and antique or reproduced coins are sold along the main street. This is the last Swati village, offering interesting two-and three-day walks up to the mountain villages... ask in the bazaar in Muambar Khan's shop for a guide. North of Madyan is Swat Kohistan where walking is not recommended without an armed guard.
The central mosque at Madyan has carved wooden pillars with elegant scroll capitals, and its mud-plastered west wall is covered with relief designs in floral motifs. Both bespeak the Swati's love of decoration.

Bahrain

Bahrain is ten kilometres north of Madyan and only slightly higher, at about 1,400 meters (4,500 feet). It is another popular riverside tourist resort, with bazaars worth exploring for their handicrafts. Some of the houses have carved wooden doors, pillars and balconies. These show a remarkable variety of decorative motifs, including floral scrolls and bands of ornamental diaper patterns almost identical to those seen on Buddhist shrines and quite different from the usual Muslim designs.

Kalam

Kalam, 29 kilometres (18 miles) from Bahrain and about 2,000 meters (6,800 feet) above sea level, the valley opens out, providing rooms for a small but fertile plateau above the river. In Kalam the Ushu and Utrot rivers join to form the Swat river. Here, the metalled road ends and shingle road leads to the Ushu and Utrot valleys. From Matiltan one gets a breath-taking view of the snow-capped Mount Falaksir 5918 meters (19,415 ft.), and another un-named peak 6096 meters (20,000 ft.) high. PTDC offers motel accommodation in Miandam, Kalam and Besham. for booking please contact: PTDC Motels, Ground Floor, Block 4-B, Markaz F-7, Bhitai Road, Islamabad. Tel: (92) (51) 111 555 999.

Ushu, Utrot and Gabral Valleys

The valleys of Ushu, Utrot and Gabral beyond Kalam, constitute some of the most beautiful parts of Swat. There is good trout fishing around Utrot. Foreign tourists are advised to contact the local police authorities at Kalam before preceding to the valleys of Ushu, Utrot and Gabral.
Swat is ideal for camping, trekking and mountaineering. Permits are necessary, and can be obtained from the Tourism Division, Government of Pakistan, Markaz F-7, Islamabad.
The waters of the Swat River around Kalam and in the valleys of Ushu and Gabral abound in brown trout. Fishing licenses must be obtained from the office of the Assistant Commissioner, Fisheries at Madyan and Kalam.

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Source: Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation. www.tourism.gov.pk