Lake Saiful Muluk Explained

Caption Bathymetry:Location of Lake Saiful Muluk within Pakistan
Location:Saiful Muluk National Park, Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Coords:34.877°N 73.6945°W
Inflow:Glacial water
Outflow:Stream (a tributary of Kunhar River)
Pushpin Map:Khyber Pakhtunkhwa#Pakistan
Basin Countries:Pakistan
Area:2.75km2
Max-Depth:113feet
Elevation:3224m (10,577feet)[1]
Cities:Naran

Saiful Muluk (Urdu: {{Nastaliq|جھیل سیف الملوک) is a mountainous lake in northern Pakistan, located at the northern end of the Kaghan Valley, near the town of Naran in the Saiful Muluk National Park. At an elevation of 3,224 m (10,578 feet) above sea level, the lake is located above the tree line, and is one of the highest lakes in Pakistan.

Location

Saiful Muluk is located in the Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about north of Naran,[2] [3] in the northern part of Kaghan Valley. Malika Parbat, the highest peak in the valley is near the lake.[4]

The lake is accessible from the nearby town of Naran during the summer season but access during winter is limited, as heavy snowfall and landslides threaten to cutoff the lake from other regions.

Physical features

Saiful Muluk was formed by glacial moraines that blocked the water of the stream passing through the valley.[5] The Kaghan Valley was formed in the greater Pleistocene Period dating back almost 300,000 years when the area was covered with ice. Rising temperatures and receding glaciers left a large depression where glaciers once stood. Melting water collected into the lake.

Ecology

The lake has rich eco-diversity and holds many species of blue-green algae. Large brown trout are found in the lake, up to about seven kilograms.[6] About 26 species of vascular plant exist in the area, with Asteraceae the most commonly found species. Other species commonly found in the region are: Ranunculaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae, Gramineae, Apiaceae, Leguminosae, Scrophulariaceae and Polygonaceae.

Folklore

See main article: Saiful Maluk. The Lake Saiful Muluk is named after a legendary prince. A fairy tale called Saiful Muluk, later on turnt into poem form by the Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh.[7] [8] It tells the story of the Egyptian Prince Saiful Malook who fell in love with a fairy princess named Princess Badri-ul-Jamala at the lake.[9] [10]

Gallery

Hover the mouse click or tap on the following images to see their captions.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Surface Elevation of Lake Saiful Muluk . Dailytimes.com.pk . 22 April 2016 . 1 June 2018.
  2. Web site: Distance from Naran . Google Maps . 10 June 2018.
  3. Ali . Ihsan . Mapping and Documentation of the Cultural Assets of Kaghan Valley, Mansehra . Natural Heritage of Kaghan Valley . . Islamabad . 46 . http://unesco.org.pk/culture/documents/publications/Mapping%20and%20Documentation%20of%20the%20Cultural%20Assets%20of%20Kaghan%20Valley,%20Mansehra.pdf . 20 September 2012 . 12 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712230436/http://unesco.org.pk/culture/documents/publications/Mapping%20and%20Documentation%20of%20the%20Cultural%20Assets%20of%20Kaghan%20Valley,%20Mansehra.pdf . dead .
  4. Hussain . Manzoor . Khan . Mir Ajab . Shah . Ghulam Mujtaba . 5 March 2006 . Traditional Medicinal and Economic uses of Gymnosperms of Kaghan Valley, Pakistan . Ethnobotanical Leaflets . 1948-3570 . 10 . 72 . 20 September 2012.
  5. Book: Ehlers . J. . Gibbard . P. L. . 29 July 2004 . Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology . 2 . . 978-0444515933 . 305–306 . 16 September 2012.
  6. Book: Muhammad Yaqoob . Peter . T. . Swar . S. B. . 14 March 2003 . Cold water fisheries in the trans-Himalayan countries . Production and culture of trout in the Northwest Frontier Province and Northern Areas of Pakistan, A review . . Rome . 978-9251048078 . 327 . 16 September 2012.
  7. http://windsweptwords.com/2013/04/27/the-legend-of-Saif-ul-Muluk-part-iv/{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  8. Web site: The News International: Latest News Breaking, Pakistan News. www.thenews.com.pk.
  9. News: Javed . Asghar . 23 June 2002 . Pristine lakes of the north . . 10 September 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20070713113826/http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/archive/020623/dmag9.htm . 13 July 2007 .
  10. Web site: Saif-ul-Malook: The Lake of Fairies. 22 April 2016.