8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

1/9

Escapade in the MargallaHills

(Shaikh Muhammad Ali)

(From L-R: Wasim, Anees, Awais & I)

"I dont believe inuncertainties. I am here & I amcertain" Shaikh Muhammed

Ali

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 1

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

2/9

Overview:

I am always intrigued / tempted to visit mountains, maybe because I am aCapricorn; the mountain goat who believes in rising to the top by taking slow andsteady yet cautious steps to reach to the summit.

Visiting mountains is one of the reason for me to leave the hustling, bustling, full oflife city of Karachi and come up and live in Islamabad (which is usually called theDead City by the Karachiites); if not the only reason.

Two of us colleagues @ HEC i.e. Hassan Nasir Zaidi (Project Coordinator DigitalLibrary) and myself (Project Director HRD) have been planning to hit themountains lately but something or the other came up and we had to shelf theproject. Come the Friday of 18th June 2010 and we decided in almost two hours thatwe must go on a wild bachelor rampage (without our wives and children) to awalking stint in the Margalla hills. Normally, I always travel with my family but wewent without our families on this trip since the climb was steep and they could not

have handled this particular expedition.

Later Awais Ahmed (DG-A&C), Wasim Hashmi (Project Director FFHP) and AneesSadozai (DG Services) also joined the band wagon and we decided to meet afterFajr prayers at 5:30 a.m. sharp in the parking lot of the Islamabad zoo whichhappened to be a central location for all five of us on Saturday the 19th June 2010.After meeting and parking there, we all joined Hassan in his Jeep Cherokee andheaded for the parking lot of Loh-e-Dandi close to Noorpur Shahan village.

(From L-R: Wasim, Anees, Awais & Hassan)

After reaching there, we got our snacks, bag packs, secured our water supply,Shisha and peripherals for making tea in the mountains; and walked towards theAabshar (read Waterfall) which Hassan had visited about four (4) years ago.

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 2

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

3/9

We walked for about 45 minutes and took our first break although the sun was outbut it was still behind the mountains around nine a.m.

(The Famous Five having the first water break)

We continued walking while appreciating the beauty of the valley and nature.

(A beautiful view of the village below)

The people in the valley were still sleeping while we were quietly traversing the

uphill task. We would sometimes catch a few early birds who were getting ready fortheir morning chores on this sleepy Saturday.

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 3

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

4/9

(Another serene view of the valley with the sun rising)

The first time I visited the Margalla hills was in 1978 when I was 14 years of age andcame to Islamabad with my father and sister but never really got a chance to visitthe mountains. I wonder if even Daman-e-Koh ever existed during those times sinceI did not hear the name then.

A little introduction:

The Margalla Hillsthe foothills of the Himalayasare a series of small-elevationhills located north ofIslamabad, Pakistan. Margalla Range has an area of 12,605hectares. The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters at the westernend and 1,604 meters on its east.1

(http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/11/64/e7/margalla-hills.jpg)

Etymology:

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hills

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foothillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamabadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/11/64/e7/margalla-hills.jpghttp://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/11/64/e7/margalla-hills.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foothillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamabadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/11/64/e7/margalla-hills.jpg

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

5/9

Two different legends describe the origin of the word 'Margalla'. According to thefirst legend, these hills have always been known as an abode of snakes. Marmeans'snake' in Persian, Pashto and galla means 'herd', therefore Margalla means a placewith a lot of snakes.

According to the second legend, the word 'Margalla' was derived from Mar Galla,meaning 'to strangulate. Marmeans 'hit' and Galla means 'neck'. It is believed that

there were lots of bandits and robbers who used these hills as a sanctuary andwould strangle travelers in order to rob them. 2

Paleontology and Archeology:

The hills' rock formations are 40 million years old, and fossils of marine life abound,indicating that the Margalla Hills were at one time under the sea.

According to the research carried out by scientists and archaeologists of the project"Post-Earthquake Explorations of Human Remains in Margalla Hills, the formation

of the Margalla Hills dates to the Miocene epoch. The dominant limestone of theMargalla is mixed with sandstone and occasional minor beds ofshale. Thearchaeologists of the project have also found two human footprints over one millionyears old here, preserved in sandstone. 3

Hiking and trekking:

The Margallas are excellent for hiking and cater to both the regular serious hikersand the less serious occasional enthusiasts.

For foreigners, it is advisable to go for hiking in a group, because a few incidents of

mugging have been reported in the last few years. The safest and most frequentedhike path is from the ZOO Park to Daman-e-Koh. The best season for hiking is fromFebruary to April, when there is less rain and the weather is extremely pleasant.

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hills3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hills

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashto_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossilshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miocenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daman-e-Kohhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashto_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossilshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miocenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daman-e-Koh

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

6/9

(Having a good laugh with Awais)

Asian Study Group (a community service organization) conducts hikes from Octoberto April. Details about hiking trails and further information can be found in the latestedition of the book called Hiking in and around Islamabad, available at select bookshops in F-7 Markaz and Kohsar Market, published by Asian Study Group for theIslamabad community.4

Back to the main story:

We later reached a place where Hassan informed us that there used to be a pond ofwater and people especially college students would have a barbeque beside it andwould jump into the water and have fun and frolic around it.

(I am sitting in front of the small cave)

Right next to the pond of water is a small cave where people would create fires andwould take refuge when it would rain.

Since it had not been raining lately thus the water in the pond had evaporated anduntil and unless monsoon arrives it seems that this valley will have a dry summer.After spending a little time here and feasting on some chips and water, we movedfurther up on the mountain. The sun was slowly and gradually catching up with usand we wanted to climb as soon as possible to our destination.

4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hills

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asian_Study_Group&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hillshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Asian_Study_Group&action=edit&redlink=1

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

7/9

(Wasim in a pensive mood)

We finally found the specific spot that we were looking for but since it has not beenraining for some years now as it used to, the Waterfall had dried up and the charmof the place had died.

(Hassan fetching the water, Anees lighting up the woods while I am lying down)Nevertheless, we found a suitable place and Hassan and Anees started preparing forthe tea while Awais, Wasim and I found places to rest.

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 7

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

8/9

(I have found myself a perfect place to lie down)

After enjoying a few smokes on the Shisha and a wonderful cup of tea prepared withcardamom and saffron by Hassan (our official cook, LOL); we decided to call it a day

and descended down the hill.

(Backpacks up and ready to go. From L-R: Anees, Hassan, Awais & Wasim)

We are indeed going to cherish this short escapade away from the madding crowdup in the Margalla Mountains for a long time to come and especially enjoyed thebond that has flourished between us the famous five of HEC.

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 8

8/9/2019 Escapade in the Margalla Hills

9/9

(From L-R: Wasim, Shaikh, Awais, Hassan & Anees)

It took us about an hour or so to descend and finally reach the parking lot of Loh-e-Dandi where the CDA is also building a guest house which would hopefully be readyby next summer or so.

Shaikh Muhammed Ali

The Wandering Dervish

E-mail: mashaikh@hec.gov.pkCell: +00-92-321-5072996

Sunday, 4th July 2010, 09:15 p.m.

Escapade in the Margalla Hills Page 9

mailto:mashaikh@hec.gov.pkmailto:mashaikh@hec.gov.pk