Daman-e-Koh ( ur, ) is a viewing point and hill top garden north of

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

and located in the middle of the

Margalla Hills The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayan foothills. Th ...

. Its name is a conjunction of two Persian words, which together means foot hills. It is about 2400 ft from sea level and almost 500 ft from the city of Islamabad. It is a popular destination for the residents as well as the visitors to the capital. Daman-e-Koh is a midpoint on the road to Pir Sohawa which is located at the top of

at an elevation of about 3600 ft. The popularity of the site regularly leads to traffic jams due to the absence of public transport options on the narrow, winding road. There is a plan to construct a chairlift from Daman-e-Koh to Pir Sohawa. Monkeys are a common sight attracted by the food given by tourists. Cheetahs are frequently reported to descend from higher hills of Murree during snowfall.

Airblue Flight 202 Airblue Flight 202 was a scheduled Pakistani domestic passenger flight from Karachi to the nation's capital of Islamabad. On 28 July 2010, the Airbus A321-231 jet airliner serving the flight crashed into Margalla Hills, north of Islamabad's Ben ...

crashed near here on July 28, 2010.

Panoramic view of Islamabad

The Southern spot is the main attraction as it provides a panoramic view of

. The visitors experience a unique view of

Faisal Mosque The Faisal Mosque ( ur, , faisal masjid) is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in capital Islamabad. It is the fifth-largest mosque in the world and the largest within South Asia, located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Pakistan ...

, the Seventh Avenue (Islamabad) and Rawal Lake. Telescopes are installed for observers. There is also a large sign installed showing an original map of

Redevelopment

In 2007, Capital Development Authority further developed the viewpoint by upgrading the restaurant, widening the car-parking and providing other necessary facilities including electric-powered cars.

References in literature

Daman-e-Koh is described in the book '' The Kite Runner'' by

Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini (;Pashto/Dari ; born March 4, 1965) is an Afghan-American novelist, UNHCR goodwill ambassador, and former physician. His debut novel ''The Kite Runner'' (2003) was a critical and commercial success; the book and his subsequen ...

Gallery

File:Map of Islamabad.JPG, Islamabad Map File:Islamabad.jpg, View of Seventh Avenue from Daman-e-Koh at night File:Blue Peacock in the Daman-e-koh park.jpg, Peacock at Daman-e-Koh File:Aerial View of Islamabad from Daman-e-Koh Park.jpg, View of Islamabad from Daman-e-Koh File:Margalla Hills, Islamabad, pakistan.JPG, View of Faisal Mosque from Daman-e-Koh

References

{{commons category, Daman-e-Koh, Islamabad

External links