5 must visit places of Islamabad.

Written by: Syeda Sheeza Ali

Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan and is quite famous for its greenery, Margalla Hills, and several landmarks, for instance, Faisal Mosque. In my opinion, the five best places to visit in Islamabad are as follows:

Margalla Hills

Margalla Hills are part of the Himalayas and surround Islamabad. They are lush, green, and rocky. They are full of hiking trails that snake their way up ridgetops and down through forested valleys.  Margalas is an excellent place for birdwatchers. The area is home to a large number of birds, including robins, sparrows, kites, crows, larks, paradise flycatchers, black partridge, and many others. Also, on top of the hills a great restaurant, Monal, which has both amazing ambiance and food. 

Faisal Mosque

My personal favorite because it is so serene and peaceful that it helps me ease my mind. it is currently the fifth largest mosque in the world and the largest in South Asia. It is located at the foothills of Margalla Hills in Islamabad.

Lok Virsa Heritage Museum

It is a museum of history and culture in Islamabad,. The museum has its own research center, media center, publishing house, and heritage library.

The Centaurus 

 The Centaurus Mall is four stories tall and comprises more than 300 shops. The Centaurus Mall also includes entertainment in the form of a play area for children, known as "Fun City^[", and a movie cinema, known as "The Centaurus Cinema", which shows some of the latest Lollywood and Hollywood movies and also a food court comprising of many franchises of food chains. The food court, the play area, and the cinema are located on the fourth floor of the mall.

Shah Allah Ditta Caves

Located around a km north of Shah Allah Ditta village are a few prehistoric limestone caves that have been in human use for thousands of years. Reportedly these caves have been under the use of Buddhist and Hindu monks. They contain a few very old banyan trees with numerous roots falling to the ground and a freshwater spring. There is a big car park just next to Sadhu Ka Baagh. From the caves, one can take a westerly climb and hike to Ban Faqirian stupa that is located at the top of the mountain. A very nice place to visit that is less than an hour’s drive from most places in Islamabad.