PLACE SWAT VALLEY

Swat is located in the north west of Pakistan in the Khyber Pakhton Khawa
province, close to the capital city of Islamabad at a distance of about 160 k.m. It has
approimately 1,!"#,600 residents and considered as popular tourist resort. Swat valley
was one of the richest area of Pakistan with its lar$e part of money comin$ from tourism.
%owever, the recent conflict in which this re$ion was trapped and the natural
catastrophes that have occurred in the area have made it a livin$ hell for its citi&en. 'he
landscape is popular around the world for its hi$h mountains with $reen meadows and
clear lakes and it brou$ht millions of tourists to this country.

(isit to a place, like Swat is a )ust dream. It is a little valley that is surrounded by
mountains. *very sin$le place within the city added to freshness and made the mind even
sparklin$. (isitin$ Swat $ives a chance of livin$ the life to its fullest. *very part of this
heavenly city made us praise +lmi$htily for %is beautiful creation. ,lowin$ snow
everywhere added to its stun. 'he city started even more natural by the snowfall. 'he
white cotton like snow made swat an epic place, for everyone else who was there to visit a
heaven like swat. 'he lush $reen trees made the area more praise-worthy.
'he culture of such a $lamorous place is admirable too. 'he people of swat, no
mater what their status is, all adhere to the moral code .Pashto/. 'he rules of the code
showin$ .hospitality and asylum/ to $uests. 'he institution of )ustice described by the
people. +n interestin$ fact about swat valley society is that the decisions made in valley
swat are left up to the head of individual tribe. 'he tribal head may be an individual
known as the 01or$e0 or may be a collection of elected officials known as the 0Senate.0
2hat type of leadership eists is dependent upon the tribe. 2hile it is mostly men that
hold leadership positions in the area, women are not disrespected in the least. In fact, they
are 3uite revered in the society.
4ne of the most popular areas of Swat (alley 'ravel is 5alam 1abba. 'his area of
(alley Swat is considered a 0hill station,0 and is located in the Karakoram mountain ran$e.
It is relatively close to the capital city of Islamabad and to the local airport, makin$ it a
very convenient location ideal for tourists. 'he area also houses Pakistan6s lar$est and
most presti$ious ski resort. 'his resort features $iant ski slopes, skatin$ rinks, full
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functional ski lifts, and many more amenities for the entertainment and en)oyment of
tourists.
4f course, no Swat (alley 'ravel tour would be completed without a visit to the
famous Swat 5useum. 'he museum contains seven well known $alleries complete with
,andhara sculptures, terracotta art pieces, )ewelry handcrafted from beads and precious
$ems, ancient forms of currency, handcrafted weapons, and much, much more. 'his
museum, located in the heart of (alley Swat, is also known for its impressive 7uddhism
collection, which showcases the entire life of 7uddha himself from start to finish.
+nother $reat place to check out durin$ Swat (alley 'ravel is 5iandam. 'his tiny
resort town is also located near the airport, makin$ it yet another wonderful choice for
tourists. 'ravelers to the resort have to take a one hour trip down a metaled road, usually
on small specialty vehicles which can be rented out or professionally driven for a small
fee. 'he trip to 5iandam is almost as much fun as the destination. 'ourists can take in
lovely, rustic local architecture, beautiful natural scenery, and can truly eperience the
beauty of this ama&in$ly desi$ned, almost perfect little valley.
Pukhto is the main lan$ua$e spoken in swat valley, beside this ,there are three
other lan$ua$es known as +basiyan kohistan, kohitan-e-swat and $u)ro.,u)ro is the main
lanu$a$e spoken in Swat. All of the residents of Swat are strictly devoted to Islam. A Swati
can tolerate the worst challenge to his life, but cannot bear a challenge to Islam. To speak
against Islam in the presence of a Swati, is a call-for-death. Though, they do not offer their
prayers regularly, but they are very punctual to keep fasts.
Due to the lack of religious knowledge, they are superstitious, and have assumed some
customs as parts of the religion. ut they are far better in belief than the other parts of
!akistan. It is hopped that they will be reformed within a short period, because the torches of
knowledge and the beacons of education are seen in the new generation. The education, will,
certainly refine their ways and beliefs and happiness and prosperity will prevail in the society..
4bviously, Swat (alley is an ama&in$ place to visit, no matter what a person6s
interests or desires. 'here are art museums, beautiful architecture, and lots of other
ama&in$ thin$s to take in about this 3uirky little area. 4ther places to visit include 8tror,
8sho, Kalam, 7ahrain, 5adyan, 5iandam, 5alam 1abba, and also the Swat 5useum.
'here6s so much to see that potential tourists are encoura$ed to start plannin$ their trips
several weeks or months in advance. It will take at least this lon$ to work out a sufficient
schedule so that nothin$ about this ama&in$ place is missed out on.
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