Region

Islamabad

The purpose-built capital — Margallas, Faisal Mosque, and a green city grid.

Islamabad was founded in 1960 as Pakistan's capital. It sits against the Margalla Hills National Park (12,605 hectares) and holds the Faisal Mosque, whose main hall accommodates 100,000 worshippers — one of the largest in the world.

Best time to visit
March to May and September to November. Summers reach 40 °C, winters can freeze.
Getting there
Islamabad International Airport connects to 40+ cities. Rawalpindi railway station is the main rail hub.

Top spots in Islamabad

  • Faisal Mosque
    Turkish-designed 1986 mosque, 5,000 m² prayer hall.
  • Margalla Hills
    Trails 3, 5 and 6, Daman-e-Koh viewpoint.
  • Pakistan Monument
    Four-petal granite structure representing the four provinces.
  • Saidpur Village
    Restored Mughal-era village, food and pottery.

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Culture, city by city

Drill into the culture, dress, food, games and history of each city in Islamabad.

History timeline for Islamabad

The eras of Pakistan's history that most shaped Islamabad, from past to present.

  1. 1947–1971
    Independence & early years

    Partition displaced 14 million people — the largest migration in human history. Karachi served as Pakistan's first capital until Islamabad was inaugurated (1967). The 1965 Indo-Pak war was fought largely across the Punjab plains. In 1971, East Pakistan became Bangladesh.

  2. 1971 – today
    Modern Pakistan

    The Karakoram Highway (opened 1978) connected Gilgit-Baltistan to China via the Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 m — the highest paved border crossing on Earth. Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in 1998 at Chagai (Balochistan). Today Pakistan is the world's fifth most populous country with 240 million people.

Questions about Islamabad

Answers written for travellers, editors and buyers. Every answer is in the page HTML so answer engines can quote it directly.

When is the best time to visit Islamabad in Pakistan?+

March to May and September to November. Summers reach 40 °C, winters can freeze.

How do I get to Islamabad?+

Islamabad International Airport connects to 40+ cities. Rawalpindi railway station is the main rail hub.

Do foreigners need a permit to visit Islamabad?+

No permits required. Standard visa is enough.

How much does it cost to license a photo of Islamabad on Pixistan?+

Personal-use licenses start at PKR 500, editorial at PKR 2,500 and commercial at PKR 8,000. Every Islamabad photograph on Pixistan lists its exact PKR price on its detail page.

Who takes the Islamabad photographs sold on Pixistan?+

Every Islamabad photograph on Pixistan is shot on location by a Pakistani photographer. Pixistan does not accept AI-generated or agency stock imagery.

License these photos

Full-resolution files in PKR.

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