Madaklasht () is a valley located in Lower Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Geography

Madaklasht is located in the extreme north of Shishikoh Valley, which is part of the Lower

Chitral district Chitral District (; ) was a district in the Malakand Division of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 14 August 1947 to 2018. It was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, covering an area of 14,850 km2, before spl ...

. It is 40 km from Chitral city. The average elevation is around 8,500 feet above the sea level.

History

The people of Madaklasht came to Chitral during the late eighteenth century. It is said around 7 people from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

's and

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

Badakhshan Badakhshan is a historical region comprising the Wakhan Corridor in northeast Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic ...

region came to Chitral to produce firearms for the Mehtar of Chitral. The people were known by Khowar speakers as ''Badakhshani'' & 'Tajiki' and they were

ironmongers Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...

Religion

The majority of the population in Madaklasht follows the Ismaili sect of Islam.

Language

A dialect of Dari Farsi is the main language and mother tongue in Madaklasht. This is very similar to the Darri Farsi being spoken in the area of Badakhshan bordering with Tajikistan. People of the valley can also speak Khowar, Urdu, Pashto & other languages.

Tourism

Madaklasht is one of the four villages which is included in Integrated Tourism Zone (ITZ) by the provincial government of Khyberpakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The beautiful geographical features of the valley include the Andiveer glacier, Kurdoodh waterfall, water springs of Darbar Shahi, pine tree jungle, adventurous trekking routes to Golen in northwest, Laspur to the north and & Kumrat valley to the east are sources of attraction for tourist in the summer season. Snow sports like skiing, skating and snowboarding provide another reason for the national & international tourists to come & enjoy during winter season. There is annual snow festival in Madaklasht which is part of the

Hindukush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the western section of ...

celebrations in the region.

Facilities for the Tourists

Hotels: There are no hotels but local guest houses which offer room & food on affordable prices. Besides, there are small shops & local market where you can buy daily use items & food. Electricity: Madaklasht is an off-grid valley where the only source of electricity is the local micro hydro power plant constructed by AKRSP-PEDO. Power outage & low voltage is common. Water Facility: Clean & drinkable tap water is available everywhere & throughout the year. Internet: 4G internet is available only for Telenor users. All other networks of Pakistan are not available. Roads: Road from Drosh to Madaklasht is around 40 km and it is non-metallic & narrow. Four-wheel drive (FWD) vehicles are recommended for travelling. Health Facilities: There are a government dispensary and Aga Khan Health Center where basic health facilities are provided by nurses, health technicians and LHVs. Police Station: There is no police station as the crime rate is zero in the valley for decades.

References

{{reflist Populated places in Lower Chitral District