Shah Allah Ditta caves and few more miles up to the Losar Baoli are two historic sites in the Margalla Hills

Archaeological evidence indicates that the caves and the platform-like formations surrounding the area were first used for meditation by Buddhist monks and later by Hindu sadhus before Muslim ascetics took over during the Mughal period.

Marked on the ground close to the caves the location where Alexander arrived and was received by Raja Ambi, King of Taxila. The road next to the caves that leads to the main top of the mountain, Shah Allah Ditta road, is said to be built on the exact path followed by Pashtun emperor Sher Shah Suri during his visit.

Moving up the mountain from the caves, there is a stepwell called Losar Baoli. The Baoli is thought to have been constructed by the Emperor Sher Shah Suri in order to facilitate the caravans moving towards Kabul via Taxila. The Ride is a slightly tough but very scenic on the uphill stretch towards Losar Baoli.

Those who do not want to attempt the last uphill part can wait or return from the Shah Allah Ditta caves. Do inform the coordinators if you are turning back!

Generations of Mughal women played a crucial role, alongside the Great Mughal emperors, in transforming South Asia into the superpower of its time, the epitome of cultural refinement and a beacon of pluralism- their record has few parallels in world history...Join us for this fascinating presentation that explores the lives of the magnificent women of the Mughal dynasty!

Debunking old colonial narratives, recent scholarship has begun to uncover the multifaceted contributions of these highly educated, powerful women. These extraordinary women served as governors, diplomats, chief advisors, and Sufi guides; they were scholars and masters of martial arts, while also excelling as connoisseurs and patrons of the arts, including architecture, poetry, calligraphy, culinary arts, and haute couture fashion.

Guest Presenter: Zeenut Ziad-by profession- is a mathematician and an economist from the London School of Economics; and a specialist of Mughal history by passion. Amazingly, she has built two high-profile careers. Her first career saw her teaching economics at the University of Karachi, becoming the first woman executive in Pakistani banking, and serving as a consultant for the World Bank. Her passion for South Asian history, especially the Mughal period, led her to a second professional path. She organized a highly successful lecture series at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, on the Mughal Empire, which led to her first book, The Magnificent Mughals (2003). In 2011, she co-edited Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East in collaboration with Dr. Reza Aslan.

Ms. Ziad has taught courses on Mughal history at George Mason University and American University, Washington DC and lectured at many educational institutions. She was actively involved in Muslim advocacy and interfaith work and cultural projects in the US for more than two decades.

Pakistani cuisine can be characterized as a blend of regional cooking styles and flavours from across South, Central and West Asia. It also maintains certain Mughal influences within its recipes and cooking techniques. It’s ethnic and cultural diversity, diverse climates, geographical environments, and availability of different produce lead to diverse regional cuisines.

Ever wondered what a traditional Pakistani breakfast/brunch is like? Join us for this very special food tasting foray in the hospitable ambiance of a private home!

The mouth watering menu will include:

• Qeema (a special dish of minced meat)
• Nihari ( the perfect breakfast beef meat concoction for wintry days )
• ‘Pakistani’ version of omelettes served with different Parathas ( a layered flatbread exclusive to the Subcontinent-with different fillings: radish/ potato etc.)
• Poori also spelled as Puri (Small portions of unleavened dough is rolled to small discs and deep fried in hot oil. A perfectly made puri puffs as soon as it hits the hot oil!)
• Served with Channa Alu (Chick peas and potato mix) and Suji halwaa ( A delicious semolina dessert)
• and then to digest all this soul satisfying session - Doodh Patti Chai ( Mixed tea with milk and cardamom)..

Our very gracious host - Anisa A. Rehman Quraishi- with expertise in Pakistani, Arabic, Chinese and European cuisines,has earned her name in catering for exclusive private events in Islamabad.

Director: James Ivory / Screenplay: Ruth Prawar Jhabvalla - based on her book.

Awards: British Academy Award: Adapted Screenplay

Cast: Julie Christie, Greta Scacchi, Shashi Kapoor, Christopher Cazenove, Nickolas Grace, Jennifer Kendal, Julian Glover, Susan Fleetwood, Madhur Jaffrey, Zakir Hussain, Ratna Pathak Shah, Patrick Godfrey, Barry Foster.

Heat and Dust is a 1983 British historical romantic drama film with a screenplay by Ruth Prawaer Jhabvala based on her novel by the same name (written in 1975). The film formed part of a cycle of productions which emerged during the first half of the 1980s, reflecting Britain's growing interest in the British Raj. It moves effortlessly between the past and the present examining two very different women both of whom ultimately take the same route.

In 1982, an Englishwoman named Anne (Julie Christie) begins an investigation into the fate of her great-aunt Olivia (Greta Scacchi) whose letters and the diary she has inherited. Anne's search brings her to India, where the story of Olivia's life is told in flashbacks. The plot follows two intertwined stories. The first is set in British India of the 1920s, and deals with an illicit affair between Olivia, the beautiful young wife of a British Colonial official, and an Indian Nawab. The second, set in 1982, deals with Anne, Olivia's great-niece, who travels to India, hoping to find out about her great-aunt's life, and while there, gets involved herself with a married Indian man…

The Merchant-Ivory team - American director James Ivory and Bombay born producer Ismail Merchant - bring Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's "Booker" prize winning novel to the big screen. An impecably produced film with superb costumes, sets, a memorable score by Richard Robbins and dazzling cinematography by Walter Lassally.This was Merchant-Ivory's first film made on a lavish scale (though on a still fairly limited budget) and proved to be a springboard in helping them on to bigger budgets and far more acclaim with their adaptations of Henry James, E. M. Forster, Evan S. Connell, Edward Albee and Kazuo Ishiguro- all of which soon followed this success.

In conversation with Zahid Hussain

Dialogue with History, Zahid Hussain’s latest book, is a compilation of thirty nine interviews with infuential leaders, local and international, who shaped the world in the last decades. Rehana Hakim, former editor or Newsline magazine, writes, “ Perceptive, probing and provocative, Zahid Hussain’s conversations with the movers and shakers of the world’s political, economic and social landscape read like an interview with history…Among the interviewees are luminaries from neighbouring India, Iran and Afghanistan (Rajiv Gandhi, Bani Sadr, Massoud Rajavi, Hamid Karzai, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. From Pakistan, there is an exclusive interview with the indomitable Bacha Khan and detailed conversations with Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pervez Musharraf, Dr. Mahbubul Haq, Asma Jahangir and others.”
Award- winning journalist and author Zahid Hussain began his career with Herald and Newsline in Karachi before becoming a correspondent of Times of London and the Wall Street Journal. He has authored several books including 'Frontline Pakistan', 'The Scorpion's Tail' and 'No Win War- The Paradox of US- Pakistan relations in Afghanistan's Shadow’ and ’Face to Face with Benazir. Dialogue with History is his latest publication.

Looking for adventure? Dont miss our exciting annual ride among the various Heritage sites in Taxila - Not to be missed!

Taxila (meaning "City of Cut Stone") is an important archaeological site of ancient India, located in Taxila city, Rawalpindi District of the Punjab, Pakistan, situated about 32 km (20 mi) north-west of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, just off the famous Grand Trunk Road.

Ancient Taxila was situated at the pivotal junction of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. The origin of Taxila as a city goes back to c. 1000 BCE. Some ruins date to the time of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BCE, followed successively by Mauryan Empire, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian, and Kushan Empire periods.

We will regroup at the Taxila Museum and get our bicycles from the truck. We will start our ride from the Taxila Museum and go to the different heritage sites ultimately returning back to the Taxila Museum. The ride would take min 4 hours with short stops at each site. We will be riding on and off road so chose your bicycle accordingly.

The Tila Charauni, at 1490m, is the highest peak of the Margalla Hills ridge adjacent to Islamabad. On a clear day, the views of the mountains in the north are amazing! The winter means the snowclad mountains of the North will be a treat to watch!

Total distance of the hike is 10Km, half of which is the climb to the top. It is categorized as a moderate level hike.

We will gather at the meeting point and will use our own cars to reach Pir Sohawa, from where we will

start the hike.

Bring refreshments. Wear sturdy shoes & dress accordingly as it may get windy and cold !

Day Trip

Foreigners: Please check with your organisations for an NOC.
The Takht-e-Bahi Buddhist Monastery is one of the most impressive and well preserved pieces of Gandhara architecture in Pakistan. It is situated 14 km northwest of Mardan on the road to Swat (2 ½ hour drive from Islamabad). The reputation of Takht-e-Bahi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is based partially on the extraordinarily good state of preservation and partially on its glorious location. The site itself is located on the northern flanks of a rocky spur rising 150 meters (500 ft) above the plains.

On a clear day you can see across the plains as far as Peshawar on one side, and the Malakand pass and the Swat hills on the other. The monastery and stupas were founded in the 1st. Century AD and abandoned in the 7th century AD. You may also enjoy the famous local cuisine of “Chapli Kabab and Tandoori Nan" from one of the famous kabab shops in the Takht-e-Bahi bazaa
Trip Itinerary
Departure from Islamabad at 08:00 a.m. (Assembly Point: In front of United Bakery, Supper Market F-6, Islamabad at 7:45 a.m.)
Travel on Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway.
Short stay on the way for toilet break etc.
Take road to Mardan.
Arrival at Takht-e-Bahi
Visit historical site of Takht-e-Bahi along with local guide
Return to main road and stop at local restaurant.
Enjoy lunch of “Chapli Kabab and tandoori nan". (You may also bring your own refreshments as well).
Departure for Islamabad 3:30 pm
Arrival at Islamabad at around 6:30 pm.

An unforgettable evening- not to be missed!

'He weaves his voice with the pure, crystalline sounds of the Santur strings, to develop a repertoire both traditional and spiritual, gleaned during his years around the Mediterranean, as well as personal compositions and improvisations with influences ranging from Anatolian to Celtic or Persian music...'

French/ Morrocan Zakaria Haffar has played several string instruments, from the guitar to the Arabic ‘Oud’, before fully devoting himself to the ‘Santur’- a Persian ancient instrument with 72 metal strings, played with delicate wooden hammers. He has practiced on the 'Santur' for more than 10 years- as a solo artist and in bands, in Egypt, Turkey, Mali, and France.

• In collaboration with Alliance Francaise d’Islamabad & Serena Hotel

‘The National Art Gallery in Islamabad represents the cultural heritage of Pakistan, the visual as well as temporal. It represents the collective ethos of the nation…’

Renowned Islamabad architect Naeem Pasha will present his newly published book “Documenting the National Art Gallery”, which charts a remarkable 27-year long journey to build Pakistan’s National Art Gallery. The journey culminated in a stunning inaugural show that highlighted Pakistan's extraordinary visual art.

For more than 35 years, Pasha co-owned Rohtas Gallery, one of Islamabad’s first and foremost art galleries. A poet and a painter- apart from being an architect- he is the recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in recognition of a lifetime of service to art and architecture. Among numerous others, he has also designed the St Thomas Church in Islamabad, the Pakistan Air force Academy in Risalpur and the State-Life Tower- that dominates Islamabad’s Blue Area.

He will be in conversation with architect Hammad Husain whose many works include government and commercial buildings as well as private residences.

The National Art Gallery (NAG) Islamabad- established in 2007- is located in the heart of Islamabad, near the Parliament House and is part of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). It Showcases Pakistan's rich cultural heritage and contemporary art, and features works by renowned Pakistani artists, including: Sadequain, Shakir Ali, Zulfiqar Zaidi, Gulgee, Anna Molka Ahmed .It also regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, workshops, and lectures. The Permanent Collections include: Modern and Contemporary Art,Calligraphy and Islamic Art, Sculpture Garden, Textile and Folk Art.

• In collaboration with PNCA