Escapade in the Margalla

Hills
(Shaikh Muhammad Ali)

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

"I don’t believe in

uncertainties. I am here & I am
certain " – Shaikh Muhammed
Ali
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Overview:
I am always intrigued / tempted to visit mountains, maybe because I am a
Capricorn; the mountain goat who believes in rising to the top by taking slow and
steady yet cautious steps to reach to the summit.

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

Two of us colleagues @ HEC i.e. Hassan Nasir Zaidi (Project Coordinator – Digital
Library) and myself (Project Director – HRD) have been planning to hit the
mountains lately but something or the other came up and we had to shelf the
project. Come the Friday of 18th June 2010 and we decided in almost two hours that
we must go on a wild bachelor rampage (without our wives and children) to a
walking stint in the Margalla hills. Normally, I always travel with my family but we
went 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 Anees
Sadozai (DG – Services) also joined the band wagon and we decided to meet after
Fajr prayers at 5:30 a.m. sharp in the parking lot of the Islamabad zoo which
happened 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 and
headed 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 the
‘Aabshar’ (read Waterfall) which Hassan had visited about four (4) years ago.

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We walked for about 45 minutes and took our first break although the sun was out
but 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 for
their morning chores on this sleepy Saturday.

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 (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 and
came to Islamabad with my father and sister but never really got a chance to visit
the mountains. I wonder if even Daman-e-Koh ever existed during those times since
I did not hear the name then.

A little introduction:
The Margalla Hills—the foothills of the Himalayas—are a series of small-elevation
hills located north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Margalla Range has an area of 12,605
hectares. The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters at the western
end 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

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

According to the second legend, the word 'Margalla' was derived from Mar Galla,
meaning 'to strangulate. Mar means 'hit' and Galla means 'neck'. It is believed that
there were lots of bandits and robbers who used these hills as a sanctuary and
would 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 the
Margalla is mixed with sandstone and occasional minor beds of shale. The
archaeologists of the project have also found two human footprints over one million
years old here, preserved in sandstone. 3

Hiking and trekking:

The Margallas are excellent for hiking and cater to both the regular serious hikers
and 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 frequented
hike path is from the ZOO Park to Daman-e-Koh. The best season for hiking is from
February to April, when there is less rain and the weather is extremely pleasant.

2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hills
3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margalla_Hills

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 (Having a good laugh with Awais)

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

Back to the main story:

We later reached a place where Hassan informed us that there used to be a pond of
water and people especially college students would have a barbeque beside it and
would 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 and
would take refuge when it would rain.

Since it had not been raining lately thus the water in the pond had evaporated and
until 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 moved
further up on the mountain. The sun was slowly and gradually catching up with us
and we wanted to climb as soon as possible to our destination.

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

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 (Wasim in a pensive mood)

We finally found the specific spot that we were looking for but since it has not been
raining for some years now as it used to, the Waterfall had dried up and the charm
of 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 for
the tea while Awais, Wasim and I found places to rest.

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 (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 with
cardamom 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 crowd
up in the Margalla Mountains for a long time to come and especially enjoyed the
bond that has flourished between us the ‘famous five’ of HEC.

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 (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 ready
by next summer or so.

Shaikh Muhammed Ali

‘The Wandering Dervish’
E-mail: mashaikh@hec.gov.pk
Cell: +00-92-321-5072996
Sunday, 4th July 2010, 09:15 p.m.

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