Mary Loosemore’s Photo Travelogue – To Ayun over Lowari Pass

I had introduced Mary Loosemore in one of my earlier posts. Mary, a British traveler and hiker, who along with a group of travelers came to Pakistan in 2006 to explore the Hindu Kush mountain range and people living along this mighty mountain range that stretches from Afghanistan into Pakistan and almost meets the other two majestic mountain ranges of the Himalayas and Karakorum.

Mary Loosemore trying a traditional 'burqa' - covering for women in a Peshawar shop

She had had an extensive coverage of her traveling expedition step by step making it a photo travelogue without saying much. One can follow the photos and build up her experiences by connecting photos, as I have been able to do so and I hope my readers will find it interesting and informative. This may even incite others to pack their traveling kits and visit areas that are obscured by mountains and treacherous tracks.

The first thing the group did was to ride the Khyber Steam Safari from Peshawar to Landi Kotal and then moved forward to have a panoramic view of the Torkham border between Pakistan and Afghanistan from the Michni post of the Frontier Constabulary of Pakistan. Since I have recently written a post on Khyber Steam Safari, with a view photos of Mary’s, I will skip this for a while and cover her experiences along the Hindu Kush from the Kalash Valley to Chitral, Shandur, Gilgit and back.

The Kalash children in their traditional ornamental black robes

The first of leg of her travel was to explore the amazing world of the Kafir Kalash – a people, who do not belong to the area, but their ancestral linkages are also very vague and uncertain and no one really knows about their roots, except speculations. To reach out to the Kalash people or even to the Hindu Kush is an experience of lifetime. Only those who travel the hair raising hairpin bends of one of the most difficult and dangerous mountain areas can tell how they reached there with every turn looking to be a slip away down below in the ravines. But it is the experienced drivers of the area who take the tourists and travelers to their destination safely.

The travel to Kalash Valley commences either from Peshawar or from Islamabad through Nowshehra, Mardan, Malakand Pass, Dir, over the Lowari Pass and Ayun. Ayun is the place where one can branch of for the Kalash Valley or continue journey towards Chitral.

However, reaching Ayun is not that easy as it sounds in writings. After Dir, one has to negotiate the hair raising hairpin like mountain track bends not only once but continuously before easing out to Darosh. I will now how you how as shot by Mary Loosemore.

Churchill's Piquet - Malakand Pass

The Malakand Pass is the place where the British fought many wars with the locals to gain dominance of the area during their almost 100 years rule of the Indian sub-continent. While passing through the Malakand Pass, one can spot many hilltop military posts built during the British occupation time. One of the posts is known as the Churchill’s Piquet, a post where the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was posted as a young officer.

Mary Loosemore's group reached Dir the same day they started their journey from Peshawar. The stayed overnight at Dir and commenced their journey early morning for Ayun. From Dir to Ayun, they crossed over the Lowari Pass, which is at the height of 10,500 feet.

A winter view of  the 'track road' leading to Lowari Tunnel [Photo: Rana Tahir - Google Earth]

The road from Dir, which turns into dirt track passes many fords continues to Gujar when real thrill, fun and the treacherous part of the journey starts when entering the Lowari Pass. The photo above shows a glimpse of the road in early winters when the road can be cleared, towards the Lowari Pass and the Lowari Top.

Stranded atop Lowari: A ill advised adventure in winters [Photo: Mathew / Leave me here ]

But from late November to late May every year the Lowari Top is inaccessible because of heavy snowfall and one is advised NOT to attempt any such adventure - because if you do, you may face the fate of Mathew who came to Pakistan in 2009 and was stranded due to extreme snowfall (photo above) as narrated HERE.

Entrance to under construction Lowari Tunnel - South Portal  [Photo: Rana Tahir - Google Earth]

If the tunnel was ready, the travel to Chitral would save one from many hiccups, but the dream lingers on as the tunnel which is still under construction is far from being completed even after decades of its work started. During the President Musharraf's regime, the work was intensified ad even the tunnel was once opened in its raw form to the public, but was then closed.

Once operational, the 8.6 km long tunnel will cut the Chitral travel time by half and will also make it possible to travel on this road even in winters. For locals, an all seasoned road remains opened through Afghanistan’s Kunar province or else the last option is to come via Gilgit on Karakorum Highway (KKH)  which increases the travel time three times.

So we continue without the tunnel as Mary and the group entered the Lowari Pass and climbed up to its top and then descended towards Ayun.

The check post before entering the Lowari Pass

A glimpse of the hairpin bends of Lowari Pass as seen from the top

The hairpin bends of Lowari Pass

 The bends as seen on Google Earth - the second frame from bottom shows the bends as seen in photo above

Over the Lowari Top   

 The Lowari Pass - 10,500 feet

 The Loo stop while drivers clean their vehicles

Mary by the open air loo

Road side 'cafe' for a quick cup of tea before moving on

From the next two small towns are that of Mirkhani and Naghr. Nagar, as like all other places en route Ayan and onward is scenic and awe inspiring. 

At Nagar, a suspension bridge provides a swinging crossing over the River Kabul.

Nagar FC Fort

When the going gets tough, the tough get going- - seen from the road to Nagar fort

Here is Frontier Constabulary fort, which besides providing a commanding view of the area around, is also a favourite spot for the travelers, specially the foreigners, to enjoy the hospitality of the soldiers.

 View of Rover Kabul from Nagar Fort

Luncheon at Nagar Fort 

School children at Nagar

After saying good bye to the FC soldiers, the road continues to the Ayun junction. From here onward to north is Chitral - the land of Tirich Mir, and from here left is the fairyland of Kalash people,

 Annie inspects the drying area - walnuts and hay

 Ayun Castle motel- hot showers and beautiful gardens 

 Men's graveyard, Ayun

 Marble Mines, Ayun

 Stanley 'explains' the local crime stats at Ayun Police Station

 Ayun Police Station personnel - the black militia dress is the common dress of all polic / FC personnel in the area

 The back alleys of Ayun

 Over 100 years old carved wooden entrance

The group members passing by a water run mill

The 24 hours running corn mill, run by water

Corn is one of the major crop of the area. Since the stream waters are in abundance, corn mills are run from the stream water round the clock for free to provide corn flour in its purest form to the locals.

Tirich Mir - as seen from Ayun Castle motel

And it is at Ayun that one catches the first glimpse of Tirich Mir - the highets feature of the Hindu Kush mountain range, that stands at 7,690 meters.

The mighty Tirich Mir of the Hindu Kush Range

OK, here we are at Ayun - I mean Mary Loosemore and her group. The group stayed overnight at Ayun and next day, they went to the fairyland of the Kalash Valley to meet the people of an unknown origin but still retaining a culture and a lifestyle of their very own, not found beyond the Kalash Valley. I will dilate on their next leg of their journey into the Kalash Valley in one of my next posts.

All photos above, except where specifically mentioned, are owned by Mary Loosemore, as shared on Flickr.

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The hair-raising deadly journey to Chitral

Ask anyone where Chitral is, and one may get a blank look since this land of Tirich Mir and the Kafirs, people of the lost world, is obscured behind the Lowari Top, which due to its inaccessibility generally keeps the tourist and holiday makers at bay. But those who dare to venture and reach out to Chitral Valley, find themselves in a different world - overlooked by the mighty Tirich Mir, standing at a height of 7,692 metres as part of the Hindu Kush mountain range, and located in the far reaches of Pakistan. 

Chitral is also famous for the Shandur Festival, which is held each year and where polo is played at the highest polo ground of the world at a height of 3,719 metres. The beauty of Chitral lies as much in its rustic, mountainous terrain, as in its warm hearted and friendly inhabitants. Since it is a land high up in the mountains, at such places legends fascinate the on lookers. One such legend describes Chitral as an abode of genies and fairies in times when no one lived here and locals still look up to the Tirich Mir, which they believe still has the castle of fairies.

But to reach Chitral by road is a feat in itself - a test of one's extreme driving skills, determination, guts and resolve to reach the destination. The road becomes muddy and slippery when snow melts. The famous 45 road bends are the most dangerous part of the journey to the land of fairy tales like people of Kafir Kalash and the awesome Tirich Mir that over looks the Chitral Valley. 

The following video tells all:

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Chitramas - the Kalash Winter Festival

Although Christmas has some resemblance with the word Chitramas, but the latter is celebrated in a very remote area of the world in the Chitral Valley of Pakistan. Chitramas or Chaumos is the winter festival of the Kafir Kalash people living in three valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur in the Chitral. The festival is presently being celebrated by these people of unknown origin, which will terminate on 22 December. Chitramas festival is considered the most important festivals of Kalash people from their spiritual point of view.

The Chitramas festivities are held to mark the end of the previous year’s harvest and fieldwork. Thereafter, the month of Chawmos Mastruk of the New Year dawns. The festival thus is a sort of saying goodbye to the previous year and welcoming the new year. The festivities include dancing, lively music and sacrificing goats. The Kalash slaughter their goats, mostly one goat per adult man or woman, on the concluding day of the festival. The festival also gains importance for the reason that the Kalash believe that god Balimain visits its subjects during the festival. Besides the many festivities, food sacrifices are offered at the clans' Jeshtak shrines, dedicated to the ancestors.

However, some men and women volunteer to seclude themselves from the others and remain confined in a cattle house for the duration of the week long festival. This tradition of seclusion is called Autik, which simply means “to get secluded.” These people eat the meat of the slaughtered goats, drink and pass time in merrymaking. While these people are celebrating in seclusion, care is taken that no outsiders sees them, lest they get polluted.

The Kalash children go up to the mountain, where they divide into boys and girls, and respectively make a big bonfire. After singing songs for some time the fire will be extinguished and then the two groups will compete with each other for the size of the smoke that rises up in the air. Then they all go down the mountain and return to the village singing " songs of Sarazari" carrying branches cut down from the mountain top. The elders will be waiting chanting songs in the village.

The festivities don’t get mar by the heavy snowfall at this time of the year in the Chitral valley. However, in case the sun shines, it adds colours and joy to the Kalash people. If you happen to be visiting Pakistan next year, do plan to visit Chitral and join the Kalash people in their festival of Chitramas – which at least by its name won’t let you feel missing the Christmas celebrations.

Related Reading: The Kalash Valley – where fairies dance and sing (Pakistanpaedia)
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