Margalla Hills

Margalla Hills
Margalla Hills
Highest point
Peak	Tilla Charouni
Elevation	1,604 m (5,262 ft)
Coordinates	33°46′33.7506″N73°7′26.4822″E / 33.776041833°N 73.124022833°E / 33.776041833; 73.124022833
Naming
Native name	مارگلہ پہاڑیاں
Geography
Margalla Hills Islamabad, Pakistan
Country	Pakistan
Territory	Islamabad Capital Territory
Region	Punjab
Range coordinates	33°44′40″N73°2′30″E / 33.74444°N 73.04167°E / 33.74444; 73.04167
Biome	Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

View of the Margalla Hills from Shakarparian

Tilla Charouni, highest peak with 1,604 metres (5,262 ft)

Daman-e-Koh lookout park in the Margalla Hills, Islamabad

The Margalla Hills ^[a] is a hill range of subtropical moist broadleaf forest within the Margalla Hills National Park in the northwestern Punjab region in Pakistan, forming the northern edge of the Islamabad Capital Territory, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayan foothills on the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. The Margalla range has an area of 12,605 hectares. ^[1] It is a range with many valleys and rainforests as well as high mountains.

Climate

This region falls in the Humid subtropical climate zone. ^[2] The average annual rainfall in the Islamabad area is 1,457 millimetres (57.4 in). ^[3]

Paleontology and archeology

According to the research carried out by scientists and archaeologists of the project "Post-Earthquake Explorations of Human Remains in Margalla Hills", the formation of the Margalla Hills dates to the Miocene epoch. The dominant limestone of the Margalla is mixed with sandstone and occasional minor beds of shale. The archaeologists of the project have also found two human footprints over one million years old here, preserved in sands.

The Shah Allah Ditta Caves are also part of its ancient history. This cave is about 2500 years old and is believed that Alexander The Great as well as several other emperors used this route to either pass by or pass into this area. The cave also have Buddhist-era murals dating to at least 2400 before present. The cave has seven alcoves of different sizes for lamps which are still conserved today. Furthermore, one of the paintings found within the cave is of the Hindu god Shiva. ^[4]

Flora

Original Grand Trunk Road passing through Margalla Hills to Kala Chitta Range

There are around 250 to 300 species of plants on the Margalla Hills. As many as two-thirds of them are used by the people for their medicinal effects to treat or cure various diseases. ^[5]

There are several species of trees in these hills like bombax ceiba, ficus benghalensis, ficus lacor, ficus racemosa, ficus religiosa, cassia fistula, pinus roxburghii, Alstonia scholaris, bauhinia variegata, butea monosperma, syzygium cumini, erythrina suberosa, woodfordia fruticosa, and many others. ^{[6] [7]}

There is high diversity of the other plants as well including cannabis, adhatoda vasica and fabaceae ^[8] as well as bamboo. ^[9]

Fauna

Some of the bird species include Psilopogon asiaticus, Psilopogon haemacephalus, Psittacula cyanocephala, Psittacula krameri, pitta brachyura, Terpsiphone paradisi, Gracupica contra, Erythrogenys erythrogenys, niltava sundara, Eumyias thalassinus, Cyornis rubeculoides, aethopyga siparaja, Lophura leucomelanos, Eudynamys scolopaceus and others. ^[10]

There are around 30 or more mammal species here, some of the notable ones include the rhesus macaque, wild boar, Northern red muntjac, Indian leopard, Indian flying fox, jungle cat and grey goral ^[11] as well as the leopard cat. ^[12]

There are many butterfly species in and around these hills like the papilio protenor, papilio polyctor, vagrans egista, graphium sarpedon, hypolimnas bolina, pseudergolis wedah, symbrenthia lilaea, arhopala rama, catopsilia pomona, charaxes agrarius ^[13] as well as the Tajuria cippus. ^[14]

Bird watching

See also: Birds of Islamabad

The Margallas are an excellent place for bird watchers. The area is home to a large number of birds, including robins, sparrows, kites, crows, larks, paradise flycatchers, black partridge, shrikes, pheasants, spotted doves, Egyptian vultures, falcons, hawks, eagles, Himalayan griffon vulture, laggar falcon, peregrine falcon, kestrel, Indian sparrow hawk, white cheeked bulbul, yellow vented bulbul, cheer pheasant, khalij pheasant, golden oriole, collared dove, wheatears and buntings. ^[15]

The cheer pheasant, indigenous to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was being reared in Margalla Hills as a part of conservation campaign by the World Pheasant Association and Capital Development Authority. ^[16]

Environmental conservation

Nekka Phullai Hill of Margalla Range beside Faisal Mosque

The ecology of Margallas faces threats from quarrying by stone-crushing plants, ^[17] deforestation, ^[18] illegal encroachments, ^[19] and buildings, and poachers. ^[20] Crush plants situated around the hills near Taxila are busy eroding the hills for extracting building material. ^[21] Deforestation is resulting from fires and illegal felling of trees. ^[22]

Margalla Hills Society

The Margalla Hills Society ^{[23] [24]} was established in 1989. ^{[25] [26]}

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan

Main article: WWF-Pakistan

The WWF-Pakistan's 'Green School Programme', in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority (CDA), carries out 'Eco-Adventure Activities' on the Margalla hills to raise awareness in the school children regarding the conservation of natural environment and about the importance of being environmentally responsible. ^[27]

Events

• On 28 July 2010, Airblue Flight 202, an Airbus A321 operating a domestic flight from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi to Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad, crashed into the Margalla Hills, killing all 152 people on board. ^[28]
• On 6 January 2012, snowfall over Margalla Hills. ^[29]
• On 11 February 2016, snowfall over Margalla Hills. ^[30]

Places in Margalla Hills

• Daman-e-Koh
• Pir Sohawa
• Shahdara, Islamabad

See also

• Margalla Hills National Park
• Birds of Islamabad
• Airblue Flight 202
• Faisal Mosque
• Indomalayan realm
• Meghalaya subtropical forests
• Mizoram–Manipur–Kachin rain forests
• Western Himalayan broadleaf forests
• Aravalli West Thorn Scrub Forests

Notes

1. Punjabi, Urdu: مارگلہ پہاڑیاں

References

1. "Another fire breaks out on Margalla Hills". Dawn . 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350632175_Vegetation_classification_of_the_Margalla_foothills_Islamabad_under_the_influence_of_edaphic_factors_and_anthropogenic_activities_using_modern_ecological_tools
3. https://web.archive.org/web/20100613053217/http://www.pakmet.com.pk/cdpc/Climate/Islamabad_Climate_Data.txt
4. "1m-years-old footprints found at Margalla Hills". Dawn . 2007-07-28. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
5. "64 per cent plants on Margalla Hills used for treatment of diseases - thenews.com.pk". The News International . 2012-12-17. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350632175_Vegetation_classification_of_the_Margalla_foothills_Islamabad_under_the_influence_of_edaphic_factors_and_anthropogenic_activities_using_modern_ecological_tools
7. https://www.scribd.com/document/524093296/D7BL1MHP-Ecological-Baseline-Margalla-Hills-National-Park
8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350632175_Vegetation_classification_of_the_Margalla_foothills_Islamabad_under_the_influence_of_edaphic_factors_and_anthropogenic_activities_using_modern_ecological_tools
9. researcherslinks.com/current-issues/prospects-of-bamboo-cultivation-in-n-w-f-p/41/5/9511
10. avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=PKis01
11. https://museucienciesjournals.cat/en/amz/issue/19-2021-amz/vertebrate-diversity-at-margalla-hills-national-park-pakistan
12. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Seasonal-indices-in-prey-species-of-the-leopard-cat-in-Margalla-Hills-National-Park_fig3_353067266
13. http://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=33.7957077&nelng=73.3837337&swlat=33.4455975&swlng=72.78873370000001&taxon_id=47157&view=species
14. https://rewildinginduslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/PBSQB-Spring-2025.pdf
15. "Margalla Hills National Park". Wildlife of Pakistan. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
16. "Cheer pheasant reintroduced successfully into the wild". The Express Tribune . 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
17. Anwar, Shahzad (2014-12-28). "Environmental hazard: Stone-crushing plants nibbling away Margallas". The Express Tribune . Retrieved 2022-02-23.
18. Anjum, Shakeel (11 September 2018). "Encroachers causing deforestation on Margalla Hills". The News International . Retrieved 2022-02-23.
19. Iqbal, Nasir (2021-11-10). "IHC orders survey of damage caused to Margalla Hills National Park". Dawn . Retrieved 2022-02-23.
20. "Experts call for halt to poaching of pangolin". The Express Tribune . 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
21. "Stone crushers pose threat to Margallas: World Earth Day observed". Dawn . 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
22. "CDA fails to control Margalla Hills fire". Daily Times. 2013-12-03. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
23. "Roedad Khan - Margalla Hills Society". Roedad.com. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
24. Khan, Aurangzaib (2015-02-25). "Herald Exclusive: The whole Roedad". Dawn . Retrieved 2022-02-23.
25. Salam, Afia (2013-10-07). "A tunnel without vision". Dawn . Retrieved 2022-02-23.
26. "PM's intervention sought to halt work on Margalla Road". Dawn . 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
27. "Eco-adventure activity launched on Margalla Hills - thenews.com.pk". The News International . 2012-12-26. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
28. Crilly, Rob (28 July 2010). "Passenger plane crashes outside Islamabad". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
29. "Margalla Hills receive snowfall after 6 years". 2013-12-02. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
30. "Margalla Hills turn snowy after a decade". Dawn . 2016-02-11. Retrieved 2022-09-22.