Introducing Dir District & the Lowari Pass
Wedged between the districts of Swat and southern Chitral is Dir, little more than the watershed of the Panjkora River (a tributary of the Swat River). Once an independent state, it is now part of Malakand Division. For today’s travellers, as for the British in the 19th century, Dir is mostly a place to get through on the way to Chitral.
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Dir’s people have been mostly Yusufzai Pashtuns since the 16th century. In 1895 the British forced their way through Dir and over the Lowari Pass to relieve the siege of Chitral, but otherwise left the region to its own devices until Partition. Dir and its nawab (prince) remained largely autonomous until the 1960s, when it was formally absorbed into Pakistan as Dir district.
In 1950 a seasonal road was completed over the Lowari Pass into Chitral. A much-delayed tunnel through the pass is nearing completion to offer year-round access to Chitral, almost inevitably to Dir’s economic detriment.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Chitral Peshawar road closed to foreigners?
by imranthetrekker1 14 June 2011
Bonjour from Chitral, Things are calm on the road from Chitral to Peshawar across Dir, travelers have already left for Peshawar and…
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Re: Chitral Peshawar road closed to foreigners?
by imranthetrekker1 13 June 2011
+This morning a Japanese couple left for Peshawar from Chitral.Hopefully they 'd make the trip safely.+ They are not making it through…
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RE: Chitral Peshawar road closed to foreigners?
by imranthetrekker1 10 June 2011
Bonjour from Chitral, 2 Japanese backpackers arrived in Chitral today from Gilgit and after Chitral and Kalash valleys, they'd take the…
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