Region of Pakistan

KPK

Swat's alpine valleys, Peshawar's bazaars, and 2,500-year Buddhist history.

The story of KPK

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa spans the Hindu Kush, the Swat and Chitral valleys and the Peshawar plain. It was the heartland of Gandhara, where Buddhist monasteries such as Takht-i-Bahi were carved into hillsides in the first century CE.

Peshawar is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in South Asia, and Qissa Khwani — the street of storytellers — still trades tea and dried fruit where caravans once stopped.

North of it, Swat and Kaghan carry pine forest, trout rivers and lakes such as Saif-ul-Malook at 3,224 metres. Chitral holds Tirich Mir, 7,708 metres, and the three Kalash valleys.

Best time to visit

April to October for Swat, Kaghan and Chitral. Peshawar is pleasant November to March.

Getting there

Fly Islamabad → Chitral (1 hour) or drive Islamabad → Swat via the M-16 motorway (5 hours).

Landscape of KPK

Swat valley

Kalam, Ushu forest and Malam Jabba, the country's main ski resort.

Hindu Kush

Tirich Mir, 7,708 m, the highest peak outside the Karakoram–Himalaya.

Kaghan

A 155 km valley rising to Babusar Pass at 4,173 m.

Rivers and lakes of KPK

Swat river

Trout water from Kalam down to Mingora.

Saif-ul-Malook

Glacial lake above Naran at 3,224 m, frozen much of the year.

Kunhar river

Runs the length of Kaghan into the Jhelum.

Food of KPK

Chapli kebab

Flat minced-beef kebab with tomato and coriander seed, from Mardan.

Kabuli pulao

Rice with lamb, carrot and raisin, a Peshawar staple.

Green tea

Qehwa with cardamom, poured all day in the bazaars.

Heritage of KPK

Takht-i-Bahi

UNESCO listed Buddhist monastery, first century CE.

Peshawar Museum

One of the world's largest Gandharan sculpture collections.

Kalash valleys

Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir, with their own calendar and festivals.

Culture and crafts of KPK

Truck art

Hand-painted trucks and rickshaws, a craft trade worth millions of rupees a year.

Bazaars

Copper, cloth, spice and book markets in every old city.

Festivals

Basant, Urs gatherings, Shandur polo and the Kalash calendar.

Wildlife of KPK

Markhor

Chitral Gol National Park holds one of the strongest populations.

Himalayan ibex

High ridges above Chitral and upper Swat.

Snow leopard

Recorded in Chitral's high side valleys.

Main cities and places in KPK

Each one opens its own page: its story, rivers and lakes, food, heritage, culture, wildlife and what to see.

River running through a northern Pakistani valley

History of KPK

500 BCE – 500 CE
Gandhara & the Buddhist era
Alexander the Great crossed into what is now Pakistan in 326 BCE. The Mauryan and later Kushan empires made Taxila (Punjab) and Peshawar (KPK) the intellectual centres of Buddhist Gandhara — home to some of the earliest Buddha statues ever carved.
1526–1707
Mughal Empire
Under the Mughals, Lahore served as the imperial capital during Akbar's reign (1584–1598) and remained a premier city. The Badshahi Mosque (1673), Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens (1642), Rohtas Fort, Mahabat Khan Mosque, and Wazir Khan Mosque were all built in this period — most are UNESCO World Heritage sites today.
1799–1849
Sikh Empire
Ranjit Singh unified the Sikh misls and built an empire stretching from the Khyber Pass to Kashmir. He ruled from Lahore Fort until his death in 1839; the empire fell to the British in the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1849).
1849–1947
British Raj
The British built the Karachi–Lahore–Peshawar rail network, the Sukkur Barrage (1932) and the world's largest contiguous canal system in Punjab. The North-West Frontier Province and the tribal agencies became the front line of the Great Game with Russia, and the Khyber Pass was fortified against Afghanistan.