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Murree (
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
,
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' mountain resort A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in an elevated and typically at least relatively isolated area. The term resort implies integral hotel or inn accommodations, restaurants, and either or both sports facilities or sc ...
city, located in the Galyat region of the
Pir Panjal Range The Pir Panjal Range ( Kashmiri: ) is a group of mountains in the Lesser Himalayan region, running from east-southeast (ESE) to west-northwest (WNW) across the Indian territories of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and then Pakistan's ...
, within the Muree District of
Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
. It forms the outskirts of the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area, and is about northeast of
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
. It has average altitude of . The British built this town during their rule to escape the scorching heat in the plains of Punjab during the summer. Construction of the town was started in 1851 on the hill of Murree as a
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
for British troops. The permanent town of Murree was constructed in 1853 and the church was consecrated shortly thereafter. One main road was established, commonly referred to even in modern times, as the mall. Murree was the summer headquarters of the colonial
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
Government until 1876 when it was moved to
Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, ...
. Murree became a popular tourist station for British citizens of the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
. Several prominent Britons were born here including Bruce Bairnsfather, Francis Younghusband,
Reginald Dyer Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, CB (9 October 1864 – 23 July 1927) was an officer of the Bengal Army and later the newly constituted British Indian Army. His military career began serving briefly in the regular British Army before trans ...
and
Joanna Kelley Joanna Elizabeth Kelley OBE (née Beaden; 1910 – 2003) was a British prison governor and civil servant. She led prisons in Britain, including Holloway Prison, where she changed the way prisoners were treated during and after their sentence. She ...
. During the colonial era, access to commercial establishments was restricted for non-Europeans. Such establishments included
Lawrence College, Murree Lawrence College Ghora Gali is a school situated in Murree Tehsil, Punjab, Pakistan. The college is located in the foothills of the Himalayas and Pir Panjal at a height of about 1950 metres (6395 feet) above sea level, covering an area of . It ...
. Since the
Independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the pe ...
in 1947, Murree has retained its position as a popular
hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
, noted for its pleasant summer weather. Many tourists visit the town from the
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
-
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...
area. The town also serves as a transit point for tourists visiting
Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger K ...
and
Abbottabad Abbottabad (; Urdu, Punjabi language(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of Abbottabad District in the Hazara region of eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in Pakistan and fourt ...
. The town is noted for its
Tudorbethan Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
and
neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
architecture. The
Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...
owns a summer retreat in Murree, where foreign dignitaries including heads of state often visit.


History

Murree, or ''Marhee'' as it was then called, was first identified as a potential hill station by Major James Abbott in 1847. The town's early development was in 1851 by President of the Punjab Administrative Board,
Sir Henry Lawrence Brigadier-General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence KCB (28 June 18064 July 1857) was a British military officer, surveyor, administrator and statesman in British India. He is best known for leading a group of administrators in the Punjab affectiona ...
. It was originally established as a
sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
for British troops garrisoned on the Afghan frontier. Officially, the municipality was created in 1850. The permanent town of Murree was constructed at Sunnybank in 1853. The church was sanctified in May 1857, and the main road, Jinnah Road, originally known as Mall Road and still commonly referred to as "The Mall"), was built. The most significant commercial establishments, the Post Office, general merchants with European goods, tailors and a millinery, were established opposite the church. Until 1947, access to Mall Road was restricted for "natives" (non-Europeans). In the summer of 1857, a rebellion against the British broke out. The local tribes of Murree and Hazara, including the
Dhund Abbasis The Dhund Abbasi is a Punjabi tribe in Pakistan. Its members are mainly found in parts of Punjab province, and the region of Azad Kashmir. The tribe speaks the Pahari dialect of Pahari-Potwari, as well as Pashto and Hindko. The tribe consider ...
and others, attacked the depleted British Army garrison in Murree; however, the tribes were ultimately overcome by the British and capitulated. From 1873 to 1875, Murree was the summer headquarters of the Punjab local government; after 1876 the headquarters were moved to
Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, ...
. The railway connection with
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
, the capital of the Punjab Province, via Rawalpindi, made Murree a popular resort for Punjab officials, and the villas and other houses erected for the accommodation of English families gave it a European aspect. The houses crowned the summit and sides of an irregular ridge, the neighbouring hills were covered during the summer with encampments of British troops, while the station itself was filled with European visitors from the plains and travellers to Kashmir. It was connected with Rawalpindi by a service tangas. It was described in the '' Gazetteer of Rawalpindi District'', 1893–94 as follows:
The sanatorium of Murree lies in north latitude 33° 54′ 30″ and east longitude 73° 26′ 30″, at an elevation of above sea level, and contained a standing population of 1,768 inhabitants, which was, however, enormously increased during the ay–Novemberseason by the influx of visitors and their attendant servants and shopkeepers. It is the most accessible hill station in the Punjab, being distant from Rawalpindi only a five hours' journey by tonga dak. Magnificent views are to be obtained in the spring and autumn of the snow crowned mountains of Kashmir; and gorgeous sunset and cloud effects seen daily during the rains uly–August Part of the station, especially the Kashmir end, are also well wooded and pretty.
In 1901, the permanent population of the town was 1,844; if summer visitors had been included this could have been as high as 10,000. In early January 2022, over 20 people died trying to reach the town during a snowstorm.


Climate

Murree features a monsoon influenced
subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(''Cwb'') under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
. It is situated in the outer Himalayas, retaining high altitude. This type of area has cold, snowy winters, relatively cool summers with drastically escalated rain, in relation with lower altitudes, and frequent fog. Precipitation is received year round, with two maxima, first one during winter and second one at summer, July–August. Total mean precipitation annually is . Murree receives around of snow per year according to a 13-year data. Heavy snowfall starts in January and February.


Administration

Murree is the municipal capital of
Murree Tehsil Murree Tehsil ( ur, تحصیل مری) is one of the two Tehsils (i.e. sub-divisions) of Murree District Murree District (Urdu, ) is a district in the northernmost part of Punjab province of Pakistan, with it being headquartered in Murree c ...
, an administrative division of the Rawalpindi District. As well as being
tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its adminis ...
headquarters, Murree is also a Union Council, bounded to the north by
Darya Gali Darya Gali is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the north of the tehsil and is bounded to the north by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, to the south by Ghora Gali and Murree Murree ( ...
and Rawat, to the west by Ghora Gali and Tret, to the south by
Numbal Numbal is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District Murree District (Urdu, ) is a district in the northernmost part of Punjab province of Pakistan, with it being headquartered in Murree city. It is a relatively new ...
and
Mussiari Musyari ( Punjabi, ur, is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the south central area of the tehsil to the south of Murree. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a ...
, and to the east by
Ghel Ghel is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District Murree District (Urdu, ) is a district in the northernmost part of Punjab province of Pakistan, with it being headquartered in Murree city. It is a relatively new dis ...
and
Angoori Angoori rasmalai is an Indian dessert and a type of Ras malai. It is similar to the Odisha dish, Khira sagara. The dessert is made from cottage cheese which is then soaked in chashni Chashni or Chaashni (Pahlavi or Middle Persian: Chaashni ...
. Localities and Union Councils of the Murree area: *
Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi and ur, ) is a district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropolitan area. Rawalpindi city is the district capita ...
*
Kohati KakRahi Kohāṭī is a Hindko dialect of Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, north-western Pakistan. It is spoken in the city of Kohat as well as in a string of villages running east along the road to Kushalgarh on the Indus. The dominant language of ...
* Bhurban *
Dewal Sharif Dewal also known as Dewal Sharif is a Union council of Murree Tehsil (a sub division), of Murree District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 11,052. Dewal and Dewal Shareef Dewa ...
*
Darya Gali Darya Gali is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the north of the tehsil and is bounded to the north by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, to the south by Ghora Gali and Murree Murree ( ...
*
Gulehra Gali Gulehra Gali, also known as New Murree, is a village in Murree Tehsil, Murree District, Punjab, Pakistan. Gulehra Gali is the base station for Patriata Patriata also known as New Murree is a hill station in northern Punjab, Pakistan. It is situ ...
*
Uc Ghel UC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two ** ''University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme * Universal Century, one of the ti ...
* Bochal Kakrahi * Ghora Gali * Bansara Gali * Jhika Gali *
Mohra Sharif Mohra Sharif (Holy Village; Mohra for ''small village'' and Sharif for ''holy'' or ''noble'') and is small village located in the Murree Hills Murree ( Punjabi, Urdu: مری) is a mountain resort city, located in the Galyat region of the Pir ...
*
Potha Sharif Potha Sharif (پوٹھہ شریف) is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the north-east of the tehsil at 33°57'0N 73°30'0E, and is bounded to the north by Phagwari, to the ...
* Aliot, Murree *
Sehr Bagla Sehr Bagla (سہر بگلہ) is a Village and Union Council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the north-east of the Tehsil and is bounded to the north by Potha Sharif, to the south by Ghel, to the west b ...
* Patriata *
Karore Karore is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken by about 550 individuals between the Andru and Johanna Rivers in West New Britain, West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea on the island of New Britain. References

P ...
*
Phagwari Phagwari (پھگواڑ ی) is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 33°58'60N 73°30'0E in the north-west of the tehsil, it is bounded to the north by Dewal, to the west by Raw ...
* Las Kothar *
Numbal Numbal is a village and union council of Murree Tehsil in the Murree District Murree District (Urdu, ) is a district in the northernmost part of Punjab province of Pakistan, with it being headquartered in Murree city. It is a relatively new ...
* Mussiyari


Military

For administrative purposes, the military areas of Murree are divided into two separate
cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...
s, Murree Gali Cantonment and Murree Hills Cantonment.Murree Hills Cantonment
GlobalSecurity.org website, Retrieved 16 October 2021
Murree houses the headquarters of the 12th Infantry Division of the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...
, several educational and training institutions, and a combined military hospital established to serve Murree and adjoining garrisons. The
Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...
also maintains a base at Lower Topa, near Patriata, with its own military boarding school for boys,
PAF Public School Lower Topa Pakistan Air Force college Lower Topa is an all-boys military boarding school situated at PAF Base, Lower Topa, which is located near Patriata in the Murree region of the Murree District of Pakistan. Placed on a mountain hilltop, the instituti ...
. During the British Raj, in the hot season Murree was the headquarters of the Lieutenant General of the Northern Command. The Commissioner of the Rawalpindi Division and the Deputy-Commissioner of Rawalpindi also resided here during part of the season, for which period an Assistant Commissioner was placed in charge of the subdivision consisting of Murree Tehsil. The site was selected in 1850 almost immediately after the annexation of the Province, and building operations commenced at once. In 1851 temporary accommodation was provided for a detachment of troops; and in 1853 permanent barracks were erected. The regular garrison generally consisted of two mountain batteries and one battalion of infantry.


Notable residents


Current

*
Ansar Abbasi Ansar Abbasi ( ur, ) (born June 12, 1965), is a Pakistani right-wing commentator and columnist associated with ''The News International''. As one of Pakistan's most prominent journalists, Abbasi generally holds socially conservative and natio ...
, journalist and socially conservative commentator *
Kashif Abbasi Kashif Abbasi (Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani journalist, television talk show host and anchorperson based in Islamabad. He hosts the current political talk show ''Off the Record'' on the news channel ARY News.
, journalist, television talk show host and anchorperson *
Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi () is former justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a former justice of Lahore High Court. Life Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi was born in Murree on 7 June 1943.
, former justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a former justice of Lahore High Court * Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, politician & sitting Member of the National Assembly *
Sadia Abbasi Sadia Khaqan Abbasi (Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani barrister and politician. She is currently a member of the country's Senate having been elected on a reserve seat for women in March 2021. She was previously elected as a senator in 2018 and ...
, politician * Shahid Khakan Abbasi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan *
Zafar Mahmood Abbasi Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi ( ur, ) is a retired four-star admiral of the Pakistan Navy who served as the 16th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of Pakistan Navy from 7 October 2017 until 7 October 2020. Career Abbasi joined the Pakistan Nav ...
, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) of the Pakistan Navy *
Marriyum Aurangzeb Marriyum Aurangzeb ( ur, ) is a Pakistani politician from Pakistan Muslim League (N) who is a member of the National Assembly. She is current federal minister of Information & Broadcasting in Shehbaz Sharif ministry. Aurangzeb served as the ...
, politician *
Javed Malik Javed Malik is a diplomat, noted media personality and the President of the Diplomat Business Club based in London and Dubai. Malik served as Pakistan's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain between 2015 and 2018, and the Prime Minister's Spec ...
, former Ambassador at Large of Pakistan & Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on foreign investments * Parikshit Sahni, Indian actor * Mohammad Wasim, cricketer


Deceased

*
Reginald Dyer Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, CB (9 October 1864 – 23 July 1927) was an officer of the Bengal Army and later the newly constituted British Indian Army. His military career began serving briefly in the regular British Army before trans ...
(1864–1927), British Army officer * Gerald Lathbury (1906–1978), British Army officer *
Muhammad Riaz Khan Abbasi Muhammad Riaz Khan ( Urdu:) was a Pakistan Army general who was the 6th Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), serving from 1977 to 1979. Prior to that, he served at the General Headquarters as Adjutant-General of the Pakista ...
(d. 1979), Director-General of the
Inter-Services Intelligence The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI; ur, , bayn khadamatiy mukhabarati) is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant ...
(ISI) *
Khaqan Abbasi Khaqan Abbasi was a Pakistani politician who served as Federal Minister for Production in Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo's cabinet until 1988. He was the father of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Sadia Abbasi. ...
(d. 1988), politician * Harold Hall (1913–2004), cricketer and British civil servant *
Muztar Abbasi Allama Muztar Abbasi (1931 – 26 February 2004) was a Pakistani Muslim scholar who belonged to the Dhund Abbasi tribe of Murree Hills in the Rawalpindi District. He was a supporter of the Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most wi ...
(1931–2004), scholar *
Raja Ashfaq Sarwar Raja Ashfaq Sarwar ( Urdu: ; 27 October 1954 — 11 April 2020) was a Pakistani politician, Member of Punjab Assembly, former Adviser to Chief Minister of Punjab, and Minister for Labour and Human Resource. He was Secretary General of the ce ...
(1954–2020), politician


Sister Cities

*
Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, ...
,
Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several pea ...


Notes


Citations


References

* * * Attribution: *


Further reading

* * * * {{Authority control Cantonments of Pakistan Galyat of Pakistan Populated places in Murree District Populated places in Murree Tehsil Hill stations in Pakistan Resorts in Pakistan Tourism in Murree Tourist attractions in Punjab, Pakistan Populated places established in 1851 1851 establishments in British India Murree District