When I wrote two posts on Abbottabad many months ago, I had no idea how popular these would become in the search engines with the death of Osama Bin Laden. These posts had nothing to do at all with the double story building in which OBL was hiding. Rather these were only to appreciate the beauty and tourist value of the city, perched in the Valley of Surban Mountains some sixty kilometres from Islamabad.
But today, when I opened my hit counter, I was dazed and amazed at the traffic that these two posts had attracted. My post “Abbottabad Golf Club and the Kites“ dated 5th May 2010 had almost 1,100 page reviews, while “Abbottabad – once the city of maple trees” had over 100 visitors. Both posts had never been so attractive till OBL’s death.
The death of OBL has brought to fore this otherwise scenic and peaceful city at international plane. Having myself stayed in Kakul for two years decades ago, I always appreciated its quiet beauty, specially when viewed from Thandiani, a very cold hilltop over looking Kakul or the famous Shimla Hill located almost in the heart of the Abbottabad. The cold icy water of Ilyasi Mosque, a marvel in itself close to the Kakul village make the twin Abbottabad-Kakul complex a haven for visitors. For many, Abbottabad is located on the famous N-35, the Karakoram Highway (commonly known as the KKH) and it serves as beautiful resting point before resuming journey toward the Khunjrab Top en'route to China.
The death of OBL has brought to fore this otherwise scenic and peaceful city at international plane. Having myself stayed in Kakul for two years decades ago, I always appreciated its quiet beauty, specially when viewed from Thandiani, a very cold hilltop over looking Kakul or the famous Shimla Hill located almost in the heart of the Abbottabad. The cold icy water of Ilyasi Mosque, a marvel in itself close to the Kakul village make the twin Abbottabad-Kakul complex a haven for visitors. For many, Abbottabad is located on the famous N-35, the Karakoram Highway (commonly known as the KKH) and it serves as beautiful resting point before resuming journey toward the Khunjrab Top en'route to China.
So while OBL bids farewell to this world, my posts on Abbottabad continue to attract more visitors, and still adding. But the real beauty of Abbottabad and Kakul has nothing to do with OBL, it lies within its beautiful scenery, natural landscape and cold weather even when sun scorches the plains in summers.
My sites on Abbottabad:
Photo source: Jalalspages (Flickr)
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