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Margalla Hills

Coordinates: 33°44′40″N 73°2′30″E / 33.74444°N 73.04167°E / 33.74444; 73.04167
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(Redirected from Tilla Charouni)
Margalla hills
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The Margalla hills are above the main city of Islamabad
Ecology
RealmIndomalayan
BiomeTropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest
Borders
Bird species431
Mammal species38
Geography
CountryPakistan
StateIslamabad Capital Territory
Elevation1,604 m (5,262 ft) of Tilla Charouni
Coordinates33°44′40″N 73°2′30″E / 33.74444°N 73.04167°E / 33.74444; 73.04167
GeologyEarly Eocene Limestone formations.
Climate type
Humid subtropical climate
Conservation
Protected71[1]%

The Margalla Hills[a] is a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park in the northwestern Punjab region in Pakistan, forming the northern edge of the Islamabad Capital Territory, just south of Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayan foothills on the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot and form a subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion. The Margalla range has an area of 12,605 hectares.[2][3] The biodiversity in these hills is significantly higher than the drier areas to the south and the colder areas up north, primarily due to it's high rainfall and subtropical heat. [citation needed]

Climate

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This region falls in the Humid subtropical climate zone.[4] The average annual rainfall in the Islamabad area is 1,457 millimetres (57.4 in).[5] Much of the high rainfall is delivered here from the moisture laden air of the bay of Bengal hitting the lower Himalayas.[6]

Paleontology and archeology

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According to the research carried out by scientists and archaeologists of the project "Post-Earthquake Explorations of Human Remains in Margalla Hills", the formation of the Margalla Hills dates to the Miocene epoch. The dominant limestone of the Margalla is mixed with sandstone and occasional minor beds of shale. The archaeologists of the project have also found two human footprints over one million years old here, preserved in sands.

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Panoramic view of Margalla hills

The Shah Allah Ditta Caves are also part of its ancient history. This cave is about 2500 years old and is believed that Alexander The Great as well as several other emperors used this route to either pass by or pass into this area. The cave also have Buddhist-era murals dating to at least 2400 before present. The cave has seven alcoves of different sizes for lamps which are still conserved today. Furthermore, one of the paintings found within the cave is of the Hindu god Shiva.[7]

Flora

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Dense vegetation of the forest

There are around 250 to 300 species of plants on the Margalla Hills. As many as two-thirds of them are used by the people for their medicinal effects to treat or cure various diseases.[8]

There are several species of native trees in hills, some of the trees in the lower slopes include species like the bombax ceiba, ficus benghalensis, ficus lacor, ficus racemosa, ficus palmata, ficus religiosa, ficus auriculata, cassia fistula, Alstonia scholaris, bauhinia variegata, prunus cerasoides, butea monosperma, syzygium cumini, erythrina suberosa, sterculia diversifolia, melia azedarach, morus alba, toona ciliata, flacourtia indica, lannea coromandelica, mallotus philippensis, phyllanthus emblica, pyrus pashia and many others, the upper slopes are dominated by pinus roxburghii and dodonaea viscosa.[4][9][10]

There is high diversity of the other plants as well including cannabis ssp., adhatoda vasica, Rhododendron arboreum, Hypericum oblongifolium, ajuga ssp., Tulipa clusiana, Woodfordia fruticosa, fabaceae ssp., Nelumbo nucifera, Gloriosa superba, Sauromatum venosum, Malva sylvestris, Hedera nepalensis[11][12] as well as the bamboo species Dendrocalamus strictus.[13]

Fauna

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There have been 431 bird species recorded in and around Margalla hills,[14] some of them include the blue-throated barbet, coppersmith barbet, great barbet, plum-headed parakeet, rose-ringed parakeet, slaty-headed parakeet, Indian pitta, Indian paradise flycatcher, spotted forktail, Indian pied myna, rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler, rufous-bellied niltava, verditer flycatcher, blue-throated blue flycatcher, crimson sunbird, Mrs. Gould's sunbird, purple sunbird, kalij pheasant, Asian koel, orange-headed thrush, rufous treepie, Indian pond heron, scarlet minivet, wire-tailed swallow, Himalayan bulbul, Indian white-eye, brahminy starling, white-capped redstart, Oriental magpie-robin, red-vented bulbul and others.[15][16]

There are around 30 or more mammal species here, some of the herbivores include the rhesus macaque, Indian boar, Northern red muntjac, Indian flying fox, Kashmir flying squirrel, Indian crested porcupine, and grey goral, carnivores include the Indian leopard, Indian wolf, golden jackal, yellow-throated marten, masked palm civet, small Indian civet, red fox, jungle cat and leopard cat.[17][18][19]

There are many butterfly species in and around these hills like the papilio protenor, papilio polyctor, vagrans egista, graphium sarpedon, hypolimnas bolina, pseudergolis wedah, symbrenthia lilaea, arhopala rama, catopsilia pomona, charaxes agrarius[20] as well as the Tajuria cippus.[21]

Bird watching

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See also: Birds of Islamabad

The Margallas are an excellent place for bird watchers. The area is home to a large number of birds, including robins, sparrows, kites, crows, larks, paradise flycatchers, black partridge, shrikes, pheasants, spotted doves, Egyptian vultures, falcons, hawks, eagles, Himalayan griffon vulture, laggar falcon, peregrine falcon, kestrel, Indian sparrow hawk, white cheeked bulbul, yellow vented bulbul, cheer pheasant, khalij pheasant, golden oriole, collared dove, wheatears and buntings.[22]

The cheer pheasant, indigenous to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was being reared in Margalla Hills as a part of conservation campaign by the World Pheasant Association and Capital Development Authority.[23]

Environmental conservation

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The ecology of Margallas faces threats from quarrying by stone-crushing plants,[24] deforestation,[25] illegal encroachments,[26] and buildings, and poachers.[27] Crush plants situated around the hills near Taxila are busy eroding the hills for extracting building material.[28] Deforestation is resulting from fires and illegal felling of trees.[29]

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Forested road next to the hills.

Margalla Hills Society

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The Margalla Hills Society[30][31] was established in 1989.[32][33]

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan

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Main article: WWF-Pakistan

The WWF-Pakistan's 'Green School Programme', in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority (CDA), carries out 'Eco-Adventure Activities' on the Margalla hills to raise awareness in the school children regarding the conservation of natural environment and about the importance of being environmentally responsible.[34]

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Tilla Charouni, highest peak with 1,604 metres (5,262 ft)

Events

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Daman-e-Koh lookout park in the Margalla Hills, Islamabad

Places in Margalla Hills

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Punjabi, Urdu: مارگلہ پہاڑیاں

References

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  1. ^ https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/668362-can-margalla-be-saved-from-commercial predators#:~:text=The%20Rawal%20Lake%20and%20Shakarparian,army%2C%20all%20departments%20remained%20tightlipped.&text=Share%20this%20article:
  2. ^ "Another fire breaks out on Margalla Hills". Dawn. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  3. ^ Vegetation classification of the Margalla foothills, Islamabad under the influence of edaphic factors and anthropogenic activities using modern ecological tools- Majid Iqbal, Shujaul Mulk Khan, Zeeshan Ahmad, Murtaza Hussain. - Retrieved 11-4-2026
  4. ^ a b "Full article: Vegetation classification of the Margalla foothills, Islamabad under the influence of edaphic factors and anthropogenic activities using modern ecological tools". ResearchGate.
  5. ^ "Mean FOR THE PERIOD 1961 - 2009". Archived from the original (TXT) on 2010-06-13.
  6. ^ An Analytical Study of Variations in the Monsoon Patterns over Pakistan. 20-1-2014, Retrieved 3-4-2026
  7. ^ "1m-years-old footprints found at Margalla Hills". Dawn. 2007-07-28. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  8. ^ "64 per cent plants on Margalla Hills used for treatment of diseases - thenews.com.pk". The News International. 2012-12-17. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  9. ^ "D7BL1MHP Ecological Baseline Margalla Hills National Park | PDF | Grazing | Habitat".
  10. ^ "Everything About Cherry Blossoms Season in Pakistan - Exploria.pk". 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  11. ^ "Client Challenge". www.scribd.com. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
  12. ^ Indigenous uses of economically important flora of Margallah Hills National Park, Islamabad, Pakistan- Asma Jabeen, Mir Khan, dr mushtaq Ahmad, Muhammad Zafar March 2009. Retrieved 2026-03-12
  13. ^ Franklin, Smith and. "Prospects of Bamboo cultivation in N.W.F.P." researcherslinks.com. Archived from the original on 2025-03-18. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  14. ^ Bird checklist - Islamabad, Pakistan. ebird.org. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  15. ^ "Margalla Hills National Park bird checklist - Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
  16. ^ "Client Challenge". www.scribd.com. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
  17. ^ "Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona: Scientific journals".
  18. ^ "Client Challenge". www.scribd.com. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  19. ^ "Seasonal indices in prey species of the leopard cat in Margalla Hills... | Download Scientific Diagram".
  20. ^ "Observations".
  21. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-05-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ "Margalla Hills National Park". Wildlife of Pakistan. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  23. ^ "Cheer pheasant reintroduced successfully into the wild". The Express Tribune. 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  24. ^ Anwar, Shahzad (2014-12-28). "Environmental hazard: Stone-crushing plants nibbling away Margallas". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  25. ^ Anjum, Shakeel (11 September 2018). "Encroachers causing deforestation on Margalla Hills". The News International. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  26. ^ Iqbal, Nasir (2021-11-10). "IHC orders survey of damage caused to Margalla Hills National Park". Dawn. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  27. ^ "Experts call for halt to poaching of pangolin". The Express Tribune. 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  28. ^ "Stone crushers pose threat to Margallas: World Earth Day observed". Dawn. 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  29. ^ "CDA fails to control Margalla Hills fire". Daily Times. 2013-12-03. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  30. ^ "Roedad Khan - Margalla Hills Society". Roedad.com. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  31. ^ Khan, Aurangzaib (2015-02-25). "Herald Exclusive: The whole Roedad". Dawn. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  32. ^ Salam, Afia (2013-10-07). "A tunnel without vision". Dawn. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  33. ^ "PM's intervention sought to halt work on Margalla Road". Dawn. 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  34. ^ "Eco-adventure activity launched on Margalla Hills - thenews.com.pk". The News International. 2012-12-26. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  35. ^ Crilly, Rob (28 July 2010). "Passenger plane crashes outside Islamabad". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  36. ^ "Margalla Hills receive snowfall after 6 years". 2013-12-02. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  37. ^ "Margalla Hills turn snowy after a decade". Dawn. 2016-02-11. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
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