Murree is The Best Place for Tourism

Murree is Pakistan's most popular hill station. Murree lies 50 kilometers northeast of Pakistani capital Islamabad at a comfortable altitude of 7500 feet (2286 meters) in the Himalayan foothills at 33 54' 30" north latitude and 73 26 east longitude.  Murree Sanitarium (US sanatorium), as it was initially known, was selected because of its cool climate

to serve as recuperation area for British troops and was one of the several such hill stations established in the foothills of Himalayas across the Indian subcontinent. It was one of two important hill stations in the Punjab, other being Shimla, in present day Hamachal Pardesh state of India. Murree was more accessible from the Punjab plains than Simla and served as summer capital of the province till 1875 when it was replaced by Simla.

Murree is a mountainous area, forming part of outer Himalayas, situated at 33.35’ north latitude and 73. 27’ eastern longitudes. It consists of four gradually increasing supers. On highest among them is situated Murree city itself at height of 7500 feet. Others include Patriata, Kuldana and Gharial. It is bounded by River Jehlum in the east, NWFP districts of Abbottabad and Heripur to the North and West, Islamabad Capital Territory to the Southwest and Kotli Sattian Tehsil (town) of Rawalpindi district to the South. Murree town was built in line with the European cities with Church in the centre and main road, The Mall, running along with commercial places and administrative offices around the same. The Mall was and still is still the centre of attraction. Non Europeans were not allowed access to the Mall till independence in 1947.

Historians disagree about the origins of Murree name. According to one theory Murree name comes from local Marrhi meaning a ridge. According to another it is derived from Turkish Marg meaning a meadow. It can not be far from reality, since there are large Turkish cultural influence in the region. The local dialect emit a series of words from Turkish language. Besides historical locals who used to spend most of the year in the valleys and used the top of hills, as pastures or fields to grow seasonal crops. For centuries Turkish Marq could have been Mary, who also became British spellings used in the beginning of their contacts with the area. It was only in 1875 that the current spelling was adopted Murree.

A further explanation Murree name from Hazrat Marriam, or Virgin Marry, said to be buried at Pindi Point is one of the highest places. There are stories abound about holiness sight, and how divine intervention has been a stop construction workers to remove the grave. Whatever the explanation of the name seems that before the advent of the British do not represent something beyond the Hilliard. There is no entry indicates that the entire area is known as the Murree day had the same name before British occupation of the area in 1846. During the Afghan and Sikh rule the area was referred by the name the tribe inhabiting the same. It was only after transfer of the hill tract, including Murree, from the Hazara district of Rawalpindi District in 1850, the Tehsil Murree was established.

At that time consisted of 92 villages spread across five areas or 'Ilakas of Phulgran, Charhan, Dewal, Kotli and Karor. Parts of the areas which were placed under the rule of Raja pf Muzaffarabad in 1831 along with Murree and Kahuta area, including the area from Khapur to Boi at the confluence of the rivers Jehlum and Kunhar was not returned to Rawalpindi and was held in Hazara District. Sometimes Pulgran later was transferred to Rawalpindi Tehsil and now forms a part of Islamabad Capital Territory. In the 1990s, Kotli and some villages in the so Karor ilaka were separated to form Sattian Kotli Tehsil. Click here for details