Soan River (; ), also Sawan, or Sohan, is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It originates from the

Murree Hills Murree () is a mountain resort city in the northernmost region of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Lying in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range under the western Himalayas, it forms the outskirts of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolita ...

and joins the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

near Makhad. Oldest evidence of human activity in Pakistan has been found in the Soan River valley. The

Soan Valley Soan River (; ), also Sawan, or Sohan, is a river in Punjab, Pakistan. It originates from the Murree Hills and joins the Indus River near Makhad. Oldest evidence of human activity in Pakistan has been found in the Soan River valley. The Soan Va ...

area is believed to have originated during the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

Location and geography

The Soan River drains much of the water of the

Pothohar Plateau The Pothohar Plateau (, : ''Pо̄ṭhoā̀r Paṭhār''; , ''Satāh Murtafā Pо̄ṭhohār''), also spelled Pothwar, is a plateau in the Sindh Sagar Doab, Sind Sagar Doab of northern Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan, located between the Indus ...

. It starts in the foothills of

Patriata Patriata also known as New Murree is a hill station in northern Punjab, Pakistan. It is situated south-east of Murree hill. Patriata is located in Murree Tehsil which is a subdivision of Murree District. It is the highest point in the area a ...

Murree Murree () is a mountain resort city in the northernmost region of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Lying in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range under the western Himalayas, it forms the outskirts of the Islamabad–Rawal ...

and provides water to the Simly Dam, which is a water reservoir for

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

. Near Pharwala Fort, Ling Stream, following a relatively long course through Lehtrar and Kahuta, joins the Soan near Sihala on the southern side of village Gagri. The Soan river is more than long. The

Islamabad Expressway The Islamabad Expressway (), sometimes also referred to as Islamabad Highway, is a major north–south expressway in Islamabad, Capital Territory, Pakistan. The expressway provides quick access between the Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Punjab, co ...

crosses this stream near Sihala at the

Kak Pul The Kak Pul (Urdu: ), also written as Kaak Pul or Kaak Bridge, is a bridge in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is built on the Soan River on Islamabad Expressway, and serves as an entry point for vehicles entering Islamabad. Location and geography It is ...

bridge. The Ling Stream joins the Soan river just before the Kak Pul. Two other streams, the

Korang River The Korang River is a stream in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. It is fed by water from streams located in Murree Hills, and flows towards Islamabad. Korang Stream, along with some other small streams coming from Margalla Hills, has bee ...

and the Lai stream, join the Soan just before and after the Soan Bridge, respectively. After following a path along a big curve, the stream reaches the proposed

Kalabagh dam The Kalabagh Dam () is a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Indus River at Kalabagh in the Mianwali District of Punjab, Pakistan. The dam, first proposed in 1950s, has been intensely debated along ethnic and regional lines for several decades. ...

site close to Pir Piai where it falls into the

. The marine life of the river is currently endangered due to the discharge of chemicals of the Sihala Industrial State and effluent water of

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

city into it.

Soanians

The oldest evidence of human activity in Pakistan has been found in the Soan River valley. It was here that some of the earliest signs of pre-modern humans, known as

Soanian The Soanian culture is a prehistoric technological culture from the Siwalik Hills, Pakistan. Quote: “Soanian and Soanian‐like assemblages are known throughout the entire Siwalik or Sub‐ Himalayan region, from Pakistan to northeast India i ...

s, have been discovered during the excavations of prehistoric mounds. Some relics found in the Soan Valley area during the excavation process are believed to have originated over 500,000 years ago, during the Stone Age.

References

External links

Photo of fossils found in Soan valley
{{Coord, 33, 01, 19, N, 71, 43, 19, E, display=title, region:PK_type:river Rivers of Punjab, Pakistan Rigvedic rivers Tributaries of the Indus River Rivers of Pakistan

Location and geography

Soanians

See also

References

External links