Saidu Sharif

Saidu Sharif (Urdu: سیدو شریف) is the capital city of Swat District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°45'0N 72°21'0E with an altitude of 939 metres (3083 feet)Saidu sharif is traditional seat of government, remains the administrative headquarters of Malakand division (swat, dir and chitral). Saidu Sharif has several government buildings, the Swat Museum, the Tomb of Akund (RA) of Swat and the archaeological remains of the Butkara Buddhist Stupa, Government Girls College, Govt Jehanzeb college(recently got a university status),Saidu Sharif hospital's, police station, CIA office, DIG, DC, Commissioner House.

Main Building of Saidu sharif Hospital

Languages and People [edit]

Languages of Kyber Pakhtunkha.jpg

Pashto is main language spoken in a specific swati dialect. Gujri and Punjabi Language (in Hindko dialect) are spoken by few. Urdu being National language is also spoken and understood.

Swat Museum [edit]

Swat Museum is on the east side of the street, halfway between Mingora and Saidu. Japanese aid has given a facelift to its seven galleries which now contain an excellent collection of Gandhara sculptures taken from some of the Buddhist sites in Swat, rearranged and labelled to illustrate the Buddha's life story. Terracotta figurines and utensils, beads, precious stones, coins, weapons and various metal objects illustrate daily life in Gandhara. The ethnographic section displays the finest examples of local embroidery, carved wood and tribal jewelry. It is actually under renovation with Pakistan-Italian Debt Swap Agreement funds.

Jambil Valley [edit]

At Panrh (or pahn) on the east side of the jambil khwarh are a stupa and a monastery from the 1st to 5th centuries ad. There is allegedly a path and a bridge about 1.5 km beyond butkara number 3, or go three km out haji baba road from mingora bazaar. Further out at loebanrh, on the west side, are an Aryan graveyard from the 2nd to 1st Millennia BC and a 3rd to 4th century AD stupa.

Butkara (Butkada) Stupa [edit]

One of the most important Buddhist shrines in Swat, is near the museum. The stupa, which dates from the 2nd century BC, was possibly built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to house some of the ashes of the Buddha. In subsequent centuries, it was enlarged five times by encasing the existing structure in a new shell. Italian excavators working in 1955 exposed the successive layers of the stupa, each layer illustrating a stage in the evolution of building techniques.