Saif ul Malook Lake, pakistan

Saif ul Malook Lake

              The Lake of Fairies

Lake Saiful Muluk is a mountainous lake situated in the Mansehra district, about 8 kilometers from the town of Naran, in Kaghan Valley. It takes almost 7 hours from Islamabad. Saiful Malook Lake is the most famous tourists destination in Naran Kaghan Valley.

The lake with its majestic and mesmerizing natural beauty, pleasant atmosphere and associated tale and history, attracts thousands of tourists each year from all around the country during the summer.

The lake is also famous for being habitat of large size Brown Trout fish, which weigh up to 7 kilograms.

Saiful Muluk was formed almost 300,000 years ago by glacial rocks that blocked the stream flowing through the valley.

The highest peak in the Kaghan Valley, Malika Parbat, is right across the lake.

Lake Saif ul Malook also provides a marvelous view of Malika Parbat, which is the highest peak of Kaghan Valley.

malika parbat

The best time to visit Lake Saif ul Malook is between May and the end July. It remains covered in snow during winter, and the road to the lake stays closed due to heavy snow fall.

The lake is flourishing with several species of blue-green algae which is why the lake has a turquoise color.

algae

Camping under the starlit skies surrounded by utter tranquility will be the highlight of your stay.

Boating is a risky business because the depth of the lake hasn’t been measured yet.

In pictures, the lake always look so calm, but there are occasional landslides, thunderstorms and heavy rains too.

a frozen lake under moon

a dream home near lake

a view of naran valley from lake

aerial view

hotels near saif ul maluk

lake in summer time

lake in winter time

trekking

Altitude:

Lake Saif ul Malook is one of the highest alpine lakes of Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of 3,224 meters (10, 578 feet) above sea level.

Depth:

There are lots of controversies about the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook. In fact, there is no authentic source to tell the exact depth of lake. The local people of the valley say Lake Saif ul Malook is 1 kilometer deep, some of them says it is 1.7 kilometers. However, a team which recently conducted a survey on all alpine lakes of Northern Areas of Pakistan told that the depth of Lake Saif ul Malook is 50 feet.

Story of Lake Saif ul Malook:

The history of this exquisite lake is much famous and attracts the tourists from all over the world. The story is about a prince, Saif-ul-Malook, who fell in love with a fairy princess, Badi-ul-Jamal.

The tale was transformed into a poem by Sufi saint and Punjabi Hindko poet, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh. The same poem was translated into Urdu language by a resident of Balakot, Ahmed Hussain Mujahid. According to the locals it is a place of fairies and demons, who through the extremity of weather display their anger.

A story teller narrated: “I have not seen the fairy, but I’ve seen the glory of God. Every month, on the 14th night of the lunar month, the lake is like a mirror – cradling the mountains, the sky, the innumerable twinkling stars, the glowing orb of the moon – so still, so clear, you can scarcely tell the between reality and reflection. It is a sight to behold! Many a night I have also seen lights, floating lights, a thousand floating lights, here on the slope, where and watched them disappear under the rocks. I have not seen the fairy, Badi-ul-Jamal, but I have witnessed the glory of God.”

Saif-ul-Malook was a prince of Egypt. He had a handsome amount of treasure which he inherited from his forefathers. Inscribed on the treasure were two seals; one bearing the image of Said and the other one being that of Badi-ul-Jamal.

When Saif saw the picture of the fairy he immediately fell in love with her. He then left his home to search for her, a journey that took six years to complete. One day a saint met Saif in a street of Egypt and gave him a Sulemani cap, telling him that it will take the prince to his desired place. The saint told the prince that he would find the fairy in a lake but he had to pass several daunting exams and also pray in order to achieve her, as she was a fairy queen and prince was human. A human eye can never see a demon or fairy as they are “fire borne”.

Saif reached the place and started a Chilla (pray for 40 consecutive days). Day by day his health get worst but he didn’t give up and prayed. After praying for 40 consecutive days without food and rest he became exhausted and weak. It was the 14th night of that month and he thought, “Maybe tonight I’ll see her.” Then suddenly he saw the fairy queen coming along with her maids towards the lake for bath. She was extremely beautiful with dark black hairs and radiant eyes. She was truly a sight to behold.

After talking to Badi-ul-Jamal, Saif came to know that she was trapped in a castle at Koh Qaf by Safaid Deyo (white giant) for the past 10 years. The white giant was also in love with the fairy. After listening to the story of the fairy queen, Saif took her and tried to escape from this valley. When the white giant came to know of this he created turbulences out of anger in this lake, as a result of which flood came in Kaghan Valley. They (the fairy and the prince) hid in a cemetery few miles away from Naran, but due to the flood Saif and Badi-ul-Jamal took shelter in a cave near the lake.

Legend has it that the Ansoo Lake in Kaghan Valley, a few miles away from Saif-ul-Malook, was created out of the tears of the white giant when he found out that the fairy was gone. According to the classic fable, the prince and the fairy queen still live, to this day, in that cave and dance above the water surface on the 14th night of every lunar month.

https://www.shughal.com/11-breathtaking-photos-of-lake-saiful-muluk-a-heaven-on-earth/ttp://www.pakistantoursguide.com/lake-saif-ul-malook.html

https://dailytimes.com.pk/87662/saif-ul-malook-the-lake-of-fairies/