Margalla Hills National Park ( ur, ) is a

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

located in

Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The t ...

, near its northern boundary with Haripur District,

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

. The park includes 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 ...

, which form the foothills of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

, along with Shakarparian Park and Rawal Lake. Established in 1980, it is the third-largest national park in Pakistan with an area of . Tilla Charouni, with a height of 1604 m, is tallest peak in the park. The Park is a major tourist destination, with Daman-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa serving as popular hill stations, while the Monal Restaurant, Shakarparian Cultural Complex, and Lake View Park are popular picnic spots. The park is rich in

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

, especially rich in Sino-Himalayan fauna, most notably gray goral, barking deer and the

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, ...

. Combined, MHNP is home to around 600 plant species, 402 bird varieties, 38 mammals, and 27 species of reptiles.

PTDC Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation or PTDC ( ur, ) is an organization of the Government of Pakistan. PTDC is governed by the Board of Directors and provides transportation to various areas and owns and runs several motels across the coun ...

is currently constructing a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

project in the park.

Location

Instituted in 1980, the Margalla Hills National Park comprises the

(12605 hectares), the Rawal Lake, and Shakarparian Sports and Cultural complex. Located in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters at the western end and 1,604 meters on its east.

Paleontology

Millions of years ago, these mountain peaks didn’t exist. The Asian continent was mostly intact, but the Indian subcontinent was an island floating off the coast of Australia. Around 220 million years ago, around the time that Pangaea was breaking apart, subcontinent started to move northwards. It travelled some 6,000 kilometers before it finally collided with Asia around 40 to 50 million years ago. Then, part of the Indian landmass began to go beneath the Asian one, moving the Asian landmass up, which resulted in the rise of the Himalayas. It is thought that India’s coastline was denser and more firmly attached to the seabed, which is why Asia’s softer soil was pushed up rather than the other way around. The rock formations are 40 million years old, and fossils of marine life abound, it is a clear indication that before the content collision around 40 to 50 Million years ago, these hills were the seabed of the ancient ocean. Fossils of seashells, plants, petrified wood and early sea life Yorgia waggoneri are abound. These hills are the starting point of the

. The Himalayas, which stretch some 2,900 kilometers between Pakistan,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

, is the world’s tallest mountain range.

Flora and fauna

The vegetation of the southern slopes is short stuttered, comprising

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

and

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

trees with diverse shrub growth. In the north, stand pines and groves of oak. The fauna is mainly Indo Himalayan, with some overlapping of

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sib ...

species. The birds found here are residents as well as winter migrants from higher altitudes of the north, spring and summer visitor for breeding, and short day transit species arrive in spring. Margalla Hills have a number of torrents which gush down in the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

. Natural springs are also present. Margalla has a variety of mammals, which include: * Indian leopard * Jungle cat *

Leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...

Central Asian boar The Central Asian boar (''Sus scrofa davidi'') is a small long maned subspecies of wild boar indigenous to Southeastern Iran, Pakistan and Northwest India. Description The subspecies is smaller than the nominate ''S. s. scrofa''. It is light ...

* Golden jackal *

White-footed fox The white-footed fox (''Vulpes vulpes pusilla''), also known as the desert fox, is a small, Asiatic subspecies of red fox which occurs throughout most of northwestern Indian subcontinent, Pakistan's desert districts from Rawalpindi to Rajasthan a ...

* Rhesus macaque * Grey goral *

Muntjac Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years a ...

(barking deer) *

Chinkara The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii ...

* Indian pangolin * Indian crested porcupine * Yellow-throated marten *

Fruit-bat Megabats constitute the Family (biology), family Pteropodidae of the Order (biology), order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genus, genera ''Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—Pteropus ...

* Indian flying fox *

Indian grey mongoose The Indian grey mongoose (''Urva edwardsii'') is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The grey mongoose inhabits open forests, scrublands and cultivated fie ...

* Javan mongoose * Indian hedgehog * Masked palm civet * Asian palm civet *

Northern palm squirrel The northern palm squirrel (''Funambulus pennantii'') also called the five-striped palm squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. Some authorities recognize two subspecies, ''F. p. pennantii'' and ''F. p. argentescens''. It is ...

* Kashmir flying squirrel * Murree vole (endemic to

, Murree and

) It is also home to a large number of birds such as Himalayan vulture, laggar falcon,

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey bac ...

, common kestrel,

Eurasian sparrowhawk The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barr ...

Egyptian vulture The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture and the only member of the genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula and ...

, white-eared bulbul,

yellow-vented bulbul The yellow-vented bulbul (''Pycnonotus goiavier''), or eastern yellow-vented bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in southeastern Asia from Indochina to the Philippines. It is found in a wide vari ...

, paradise flycatcher,

black partridge The black partridge (''Melanoperdix niger''), also known as the black wood partridge, is a small (up to 27 cm long) partridge with a thick bill, grey legs and dark brown iris. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Melanoperdix''. ...

, cheer pheasant, kalij pheasant, golden oriole,

spotted dove The spotted dove (''Spilopelia chinensis'') is a small and somewhat long-tailed pigeon that is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia. The species has been introduced to many part ...

, Eurasian collared dove, Eurasian skylark,

steppe grey shrike The steppe grey shrike (''Lanius excubitor pallidirostris'') is a large songbird species in the shrike family ( Laniidae) native to Central Asia and parts of northern China, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Formerly considered a subspecies of the ...

, desert wheatear, white-capped bunting,

crested bunting The crested bunting (''Emberiza lathami'') is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae. Distribution and habitat It is found from the Himalayas eastwards to highland areas of Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dr ...

common reed bunting The common reed bunting (''Emberiza schoeniclus'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name ''Emberiza'' is from Old German ''Embritz'', ...

, and rock bunting. Reptiles such as the Russell's viper,

Indian cobra The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species that are ...

, Himalayan pit viper, and

saw-scaled viper ''Echis'' (common names: saw-scaled vipers, carpet vipersSpawls S, Branch B. 1995. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa''. Dubai: Ralph Curtis Books. Oriental Press. 192 pp. .) is a genus of vipers found in the dry regions of Africa, the Middle East ...

are found here.

Flora

Margalla Hills in Islamabad have been declared as a National Park since 1980 to conserve the existing flora and fauna. The selection of trees and shrubs species for plantation in Margalla Hills is limited to natural trees and plants species which include: * Chir Pine (''Pinus roxburghii'') *

Olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...

(''Olea ferruginea'') * Phulai (''Senegalia modesta'') * Celtis (''Celtis asustralis'') * Snatha (''Dodonaea viscosa'') Major flowering trees include: * Dhak (''Butea frondosa'') * Punica (''Punicum grantum'') *

Pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...

(''Pyrus pashia'') * Kachnar (''Bauhinia variegate'') * Amaltas (''Casia fistula'') * Jacarandra (''Jacaranda mimosifolia'') *

Woodfordia ''Zosterops'' (meaning "eye-girdle") is a genus of passerine birds containing the typical white-eyes in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. The genus has the largest number of species in the white-eye family. They occur in the Afrotropical, Ind ...

(''Woodfordia fruticosa'') *

Jasmine Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely culti ...

(''Jasminum humile'') * Holmskioldia (Holmskiodia sanguine)

Conservation campaigns

Himalayan Wildlife Foundation
is running a project on a

sustainable management Sustainable management takes the concepts from sustainability and synthesizes them with the concepts of management. Sustainability has three branches: the environment, the needs of present and future generations, and the economy. Using these branc ...

strategy for the Margalla Hills National Park. Margalla Hills Society, established in 1989, is a registered non-governmental organization with its head office in Islamabad. It is managed by an elected executive council. Its main objective is to preserve the natural environment of Margalla Hills National Park and prevent shrinkage of the green areas; to promote public interest in conservation, development and management of forests, wildlife and other natural resources of Margalla Hills National Park and to disseminate information about the Margalla Hills National park including its history, geography, flora, fauna culture and its benefits to the citizens of Islamabad.

Tourism, trekking and sports

The National Park is the most accessible in Pakistan due to its close proximity to the national capital,

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 ...

. It is a significant hub for bird lovers throughout the year. There are several hiking trails (Trail 1, Trail 2, Trail 3, Trail 4, Trail 5, Trail 6, Trail 7 (Shah Allah Dittah)), with the most frequented being Trail 3 and Trail 5.

Rock climbing

There are many spots for rock climbing in Margalla Hills. Few crags have been developed but there is still a lot of potential available to explore virgin lines. For beginner level climbers, the following crags are suggested: Although

sport climbing Sport climbing (or Bolted climbing) is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors (or bolts), permanently fixed into the rock for climber protection, in which a rope that is attached to the climber is clipped into the anchors t ...

is becoming increasingly popular among the youth of

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...

and

, only few local climbers can climb at an advanced level. Therefore, most of the crags remain uncrowded.

Restaurants

The most attractive spot in Margalla Hills National Park is the famous Monal Restaurant, which offers scenic view of Islamabad along with the lovely food and ambiance. People coming to Islamabad from different cities consider the restaurant as a must-visit place.

References

External links

Wildlife of Pakistan
{{authority control National parks of Pakistan Geography of Islamabad Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests Nature reserves in Pakistan Tourist attractions in Islamabad Protected areas established in 1980 1980 establishments in Pakistan