Serena Hotel Swat

Swat

Swat, the land of unique and unparalleled beauty and historic richness, lies in the north of North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is bordered on the north by Chitral and Gilgit, on the North-West by Dir, on the South by Bunner, on the East by Hazara and on the West by Malakand. Apart from its historical and archaeological interests, Swat can in many ways be linked to Switzerland - a land of rivulets, forests, snow-capped mountains, luscious green fertile valleys and its temperate climate.

Swat is also noted for its exquisite embroidery of unerring geometric patterns of various colors, folk jewellery and hand embroidered Swat caps. Swat honey is one of the best varieties of honey in the world and is drawn from natural flora of the Hindukush ranges which are very rich in mineral wealth. It is also the home of ancient Buddhism and a major center of Gandhara civilization.

Local Area

Swat has been inhabited for over two thousand years. The first inhabitants were settled in well planned towns. In 327 BC, Alexander the great fought his way to Udigram and Barikot. In Greek accounts these Towns have been identified as Ora and Bazira. Around the 2nd century BC the area was occupied by the Buddhists. In the beginning of 11th century AD, Mahmood of Ghazni invaded Swat and defeated the local ruler, Raja Gira. In 1926 the British acknowledged Swat as a separate State and Miangul Abdul Wadud as the Wali( ruler ). In 1969 Swat was fully absorbed into Pakistan as Swat District.

Swat is one of the most beautiful valleys lying in the monsoon belt and is more fertile than the valleys further north. In lower Swat the valley is wide and the fields on either side of the River are full of wheat. In upper Swat the narrow River tumbles through pine forests hemmed in by snow-capped mountains.