Elum Ghar, also known as Mount Ilam is a mountain located between the Swat and Buner districts of Pakistan. Elum Ghar is the highest peak in the region, and is snow-covered most of the year. It is located west of

Pir Baba Sayyid Ali Tirmizi ( ps, سيد علي ترمذي), more commonly known as Pir Baba (), was a Naqvi Sayyid, and a Sufi who settled in Buner (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) among the Yusufzai Pashtuns. He was probably born in 908 AH (1 ...

's shrine in the Buner District of the

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. The mountain was a significant pilgrimage site for Hindus until 1947, and is believed to be the site where a previous incarnation of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

gave up his life. The city of

Mingora Mingora ( ps, مینګورہ, ur, ) is a city in the Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Located on the Swat River, it is the 3rd largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 26th largest in Pakistan. Mingora is the largest city and ...

can be seen from atop the mountain. The mountain is popular among hikers due to its many streams and lakes that can be seen while going up the mountain. Going up is tough as there is no local transport.

History

Archaeologists have found ruins of the Indus Valley civilization around the mountain, and believe that there may still be more buried ancient ruins. The top of the mountain is locally known as "Jogiano sar". This site is also significant in Hinduism. The mountain has snakes and cobras near the top. There is a local proverb that says, ''Maar chey zwaan shi nu da elum ghar ta laar shi'', which means, ''When a snake reaches its youth, it goes to Mount Elum''. According to the Indologist Giuseppe Tucci's proposal the rock of

Aornos Aornos ( grc, Ἄορνος) was site of Alexander the Great's last siege, which took place on April 326 BC, at a mountain site located in modern Pakistan. Aornos offered the last threat to Alexander's supply line, which stretched, dangerousl ...

is at the summit of Elum Ghar (Mount Ilam).

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

's forces faced a tough battle on this site. However, there are other possible sites for the rock of Aornos identified, such as Pir Sar in

Shangla Shangla District ( ps, شانګله ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The district's headquarter is located at Alpuri, while the largest city and commercial center is Besham. The district ...

Festivals

Every year at the end of July or at the beginning of August, the festival of Jushn-e-Elum is held. It is celebrated by the youth from nearby villages, The celebration is an opportunity to get out of the heat of the valley and stay for a couple of days on the cooler mountain.

References

External links

TCKP Tourism - Elum Mountain

Videos

History of Elum Mountain, Swat Pakistan, By NAWAB KHAN

The Beauty of Buner Elum Mountain -The Travellers - YouTube

Elum village and elum mountain - YouTube
{{coord, 34.6197, N, 72.3310, E, source:wikidata, display=title Buner District Mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Two-thousanders of Pakistan