Margalla Hills

The Margalla Hills is a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park in the northwestern Punjab region in Pakistan. It forms the northern edge of the Islamabad Capital Territory, just south of Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

These hills are part of the Himalayan foothills and lie within an important area for plants and animals, known as the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.

The Margalla Hills cover an area of 12,605 hectares. The area is special because it has more plants and animals than the drier areas to the south and the colder areas to the north. This is because the hills get a lot of rain and have a warm climate. The hills include a type of forest called a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion, which helps support many different kinds of life.

Climate

The Margalla Hills has a humid subtropical climate. The area around Islamabad gets about 1,457 millimetres (57.4 inches) of rain each year. Much of this rain comes when moist air from the Bay of Bengal meets the lower Himalayas.

Paleontology and archeology

Scientists and archaeologists studied the Margalla Hills and found that these hills formed a long time ago during the Miocene epoch. The rocks here are mostly limestone mixed with sandstone and some shale. They also found very old human footprints, more than one million years old, in the sand.

The Shah Allah Ditta Caves are an important part of the area's history. These caves are about 2,500 years old. Famous leaders like Alexander The Great are thought to have passed through them. Inside the caves, there are old paintings, including one of the Hindu god Shiva, and special places for lamps that are still kept today.

Flora

The Margalla Hills have about 250 to 300 different kinds of plants. Many of these plants help people treat and cure illnesses.

The hills have many native trees. On the lower slopes, you can find trees like bombax ceiba, ficus benghalensis, and ficus religiosa. The upper slopes mostly have pinus roxburghii trees. There are also many other plants, including bushes, flowers, and bamboo like Dendrocalamus strictus.

• Ficus religiosa in the Margalla hills

• ficus benghalensis in Margalla hills.

• Old Banyan tree in the hills

• Fruiting ficus racemosa tree near the hills.

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  Forested stream.

• Humid lowland forests along a trail.

• Open highland forests.

Fauna

The Margalla Hills are home to many different birds. Over 430 kinds of birds live there. Some of these birds include the blue-throated barbet, rose-ringed parakeet, Indian pitta, crimson sunbird, kalij pheasant, and Himalayan bulbul.

There are also about 30 or more kinds of mammals in the hills. Some animals you might see include the rhesus macaque, Indian boar, Indian leopard, Indian wolf, and grey goral. The hills also have many beautiful butterflies, such as the papilio protenor and papilio polyctor.

Bird watching

See also: Birds of Islamabad

The Margalla Hills are a great place for bird watchers. You can see many kinds of birds there, like 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.

The cheer pheasant lives naturally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was being cared for in the Margalla Hills to help protect it, thanks to work by the World Pheasant Association and the Capital Development Authority.

Environmental conservation

The Margalla Hills are facing some problems that could harm their natural beauty. Activities like taking stones for building, cutting down trees without permission, and building structures in the wrong places are causing damage. There are also concerns about animals being hunted.

The Margalla Hills Society was started in 1989 to help protect the area. The WWF-Pakistan works with schools through its 'Green School Programme' to teach children about taking care of nature and being responsible for the environment. This includes fun outdoor activities on the Margalla hills to learn about conservation.

Margalla Hills Society

The Margalla Hills Society was established in 1989.

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.

Events

On 28 July 2010, an airplane called Airblue Flight 202 traveling from Karachi to Islamabad crashed into the Margalla Hills. Sadly, everyone on the plane did not survive.

There was also snowfall over the Margalla Hills on 6 January 2012 and again on 11 February 2016.

Places in Margalla Hills

The Margalla Hills have many beautiful places to visit. Some popular spots are Daman-e-Koh, Pir Sohawa, and Shahdara, Islamabad. These are great places for people who enjoy nature and outdoor fun.