The Richness of Islamabad
A tremendous variety of trees, shrubs and flowers can be seen lining streets and roads of Islamabad. Yellow jasmine is the official flower of the capital. You will also find rows and rows of eucalyptus, jacaranda, laburnum, maple, rose wood, sumble (a local name for a variety of silk flower tree with bright red blossoms), bauhinia purpurea with local name kachnar, bougainvillea and several other varieties which look wonderful in full bloom spreading splendid green, purple, yellow, magenta, white, orange and red colors in spring and summers and spreading all the shades of red, orange, yellow and brown in autumn and winters. You will find wide varieties of roses, petunia, pansy, chrysanthemum, marigold and many other flowers along the roads, main buildings and houses.
It was in 1958 that a commission was formed to work out a plan to build a new capital for Pakistan near Rawalpindi .Karachi was at that time the first capital of the country. It was Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan the President of the time who decided that the capital be shifted to a new place later on named ‘Islamabad'.
Islamabad is a pretty place with a good climate. It was made a part of Rawalpindi district. After a few years Islamabad became a district. As it is near Rawalpindi the two cities are called twin cities.
In Islamabad there are many places worth visiting both modern and historical. By 1960 federal government offices started shifting from Karachi to Rawalpindi in the first phase and then gradually to Islamabad.
In 1961 I was transferred as medical social officer to Central Government Hospital now called Benazir Bhutto Hospital. In 1963 I shifted to Islamabad. At that time I was working in the Ministry of Information which was still situated in Rawalpindi.
When I arrived in Islamabad with my family in 1963 all of us liked the green surroundings and the fact that at the time the population of the city was quite limited. In those days a public bus service was very popular. These double decker red buses newly purchased used to ply between Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Kids and youngsters liked sitting and watching the surroundings from the upper storey of the buses and enjoyed a lot.
While in Islamabad we started to visit old and new sites turn by turn. New buildings and houses were being built for the incoming people from Karachi who were enthusiastically welcomed.In the beginning a market called ‘Aabpara' was built from where we could purchase our groceries etc. Aabpara, Kohasar and Covered markets were few of the oldest markets built in the city and still maintain their charm. In one of the oldest sectors F-6 of the city was a small market called ‘Bazaar Number 4'. I still love and visit Kohsar Market in sector F-6. The Market is popular both among the locals and foreigners as it is close to Margalla Hills and has open café, a good old bookshop, a bakery and an old shop selling furniture made of rattan or cane. The number of markets grew with the expansion of the city in the later years. A wide variety of souvenirs are available in almost all the main markets in different sectors particularly F-6 and F-7 and the Kohsar market. After leaving Rawalpindi we lived in the sector F-6 of Islamabad for a long time.
In various sectors of the city you will find several big and small restaurants in lovely settings excelling in both local cuisine and that of many other countries.
Islamabad has its own peculiar culture. There are many beautiful sites to visit. As you travel on its highway which connects it with Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Murree etc. when you reach the Zero Point under a bridge, you can turn right and see a very vast green area called Garden Area for your recreation and pleasure. There is a lot of greenery there where many different plants, trees and beautiful types of flowers can be seen. It's a great pleasure to see the Annual Flower Show and competition. The Folk Heritage Museum and a beautiful restaurant based on theme of cultural heritage of Pakistan are also situated in the area full of trees with winding roads. As you go further on the main road you can visit Islamabad Club where there are many facilities like swimming, golf, squash etc. there is also a cinema. Good food is also available in the restaurant. There are two five star hotels nearby. From the Murree Road connects Islamabad to a famous hill station in Pakistan -Murree. The same road connects both Islamabad and Rawalpindi with Murree. Nearby there is a beautiful village called ‘Chak Shahzad' where several big and small houses are built on farms. There are also plant and flower nurseries in the village.
As you go on the Murree road at a small distance there is lake in very attractive setting and the jungle right next to the lake is an ideal treat for bird watchers.
When you go towards east of Islamabad there is an ancient site where there is a big mausoleum called ‘Bari Imam' (meaning religious & spiritual leader of the whole world) of a saint who had come there long time back. It is said that he performed many miracles and people started to go to his shrine to pay respects and pray. Before the arrival of the saint the village was called ‘Chor Pur' meaning village of thieves. By the grace of God the local population was converted to a good and prosperous life by following the living saint of the time. He devoted himself to not only religious and spiritual activities but was successful in converting people to do good deeds and build their characters anew. The village since then is known as ‘Noor Pur Shahan' meaning the village of enlightened elders. It may be mentioned that as you enter the village good meals are available on nominal payment. There is also a small market where many beautiful things like rosaries, bangles and necklaces made of colorful glass and a lot of charming souvenirs are available. The annual birth celebrations of the saint called ‘Urs' in the local language is attended by hundreds of devotees and pilgrims. An annual fair is also part of the Urs held there.
It is related that another local saint who was very devoted to religion was teaching Holy Quran to his disciples under a beautiful tree in the nearby mosque. One day he received a messenger from a little distance where the then king of the country was waiting to see and pay respects to the saint in the mosque. The saint declined to see the king as he was busy in teaching the Holy Quran. Finally the king had to go back. Further east in the mountains there is a cave where the saint used to pray and meditate. It is a popular site both for pilgrims and tourists.
As you go further east there is a small village called "Ratta Hoter'. When you enter it a very cool and pleasant breeze welcomes you even in summers. There are mountains at the back of the village. There are also a mausoleum and a mosque in the village. CDs playing ‘Qawwali'- sacred sufi music most of the time add to the attraction of the atmosphere. As you go further west up the hill from mausoleum at a short distance there is a lovely spring whose water is known for its healing power for skin diseases. It is said that the spring was the result of a miracle of the saint now buried in the mausoleum.
While going to the west there is another old village called ‘Saidpur' built on hills. The village has been transformed into a model village still retaining its old charm.
There is an historic Hindu temple which is preserved there. Nearby is an old house where a local villager had once made a train made of clay which is preserved and displayed in his ancestral house. This is visited by many people and tourists. There is a stream in the center of the village and also a mosque. Across the stream there is a small market which is famous for various traditional articles including flower pots, mugs, glasses and toys made of clay. The shop owner very humbly offers the visitors to make any item from clay using his potter's wheel, which I must say is great fun.The market is also known for a local delicacy called ‘Pakora' and other things. You will also find an arts gallery and café. It is an amalgamation of both old and new.
As we go to the north of the village we can climb up to Margalla Hills which are a part of the Himalaya mountain range. Through different green and beautiful tracks with natural habitat all around you can easily reach the top of the hills. On the top there is long road from east to west where it is a pleasure to walk to see all kinds of greenery, colorful birds and monkeys jumping all around. As you travel further east there are several attractive tracks that lead you to a zoo and further up the hills there are several picnic spots mainly ‘Daman-koh' meaning heart of the mountains. This spot leads you further up the hills to another tourist attraction called ‘Pir Sohawa'. You can get an excellent view of the entire Islamabad city from both the places. Pir Sohawa is named after a saint whose tomb is also located on the hill top. There is even a road atop the hills that leads to Abbottabad a hill station.
There are many parks and mosques in various sectors of Islamabad. There is one grand mosque in the north called Faisal Masjid which is a masterpiece of Turkish architecture. One of the most famous painters of Pakistan Gul Gee has contributed a lot to beautify the mosque with his work.
Close to Margalla Hills is a village called ‘Golra Sharif' named after a saint whose grand mausoleum and a large mosque where hundreds of people go for prayers especially on Fridays. There are several graves of various holy men. Live ‘Qawwali'- a form of sufi music and dhammal-sufi dance is going on there round the clock. Books on religion and spiritualism, rosaries, garlands and a variety of souvenirs are available at the market there. There is a guest house for pilgrims also there.
Towards the western end of Margalla hills traveling on the Golra road there is a small road that leads to some ancient caves called ‘Shah Allah Ditta' named after the sufi saint of the area. There is an old mosque, stream and an old baoli (step wells) there too. En route to the caves you will find rows of old shady banyan tress. Sacred old sites of Buddhists are located in Margalla Hills.
At a short distance there is Golra railway station. It is known for its lovely location. Rows of cool and shady banyan trees welcome you to the place. When you sit on the benches there is very pleasant and cool breeze even in summers. The railway station was built in 1800s by the British. The building on the premises has been preserved as Railway Heritage Museum which has old lamps, crockery, guns, first aid kits, spare parts of train, furniture, a piano, etc. and particularly an old Maharaja's train beautifully preserved with all its splendor. Train safari is another part of the whole attraction. I love & cherish the time at the small historical railway station sitting on a bench under banyan trees in cool breeze watching and listening to whistling old trains come and go.
