Getting There
Shrine of Akhund Abdul Ghafoor alias Saidu Baba in beautiful valley (Swat) is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. It is about 217 km from Peshawar and 306 km from Islamabad via Swat Motorway.
By Air: The nearest airport that can be used for air travel Saidu Baba Shrine is Saidu Sharif Airport
By Train: If you want to go to Saidu Baba Shrine by train from any part of the country, there is no train available to go to Saidu Baba Shrine So you can get off at Nowshehra Railway station or Peshawar station and go Saidu Baba Shrine by car, bus and Jeep
By Road: Through a car, bus and Jeep you can reach Saidu Baba Shrine from Islamabad in Five and a half hours. The distance of Saidu Baba Shrine from Peshawar is 217 Km and from Islamabad is 306 km.
What to Expect
Thousands of tourists from different parts of the country throng picturesque Swat valley, especially in the summer season, to enjoy its natural beauty and take refuge from the scorching heat. One of these attractions in the scenic valley is the shrine of Akhund Abdul Ghaffar alias Saidu Baba. Situated in the courtyard of the white marbled Saidu Baba Mosque, the shrine is thronged by people in droves from across the country.
Saidu Baba, an influential religious leader of the region, played a fundamental role in the formation of the modern Swat state a large number of visitors and devotees visit his shrine, some to find solace, some to get their prayers answered and others to see its historical grandeur.
History
Akhund Abdul Ghaffur alias Saidu Baba was born in 1794 A.D at Jabrai village in Swat. The name of his father was Abdul Wahid and he belonged to the Safi tribe of Mohmands. However, there also exists a contrary opinion regarding his origin.
He was known for his piety from an early age. He remained busy acquiring religious education at various places. He went to Gujar Garhi (Mardan), Nowshehra, and Chamkani (Peshawar) for pursuing religious studies. He was inclined towards Sufism and remained a disciple of various Shaykhs Interestingly, the wooden shrine Saidu Baba Mosque was housed in the marble courtyard of the renovated mosque and was left in its original wooden shape. The graves in the mosque were also kept in raw shape as well. It was during the 1950s when Wali Sahib decided to reconstruct the wooden shrine on modern building practices as well.
Saidu Baba has been praised by Muslim leaders and English writers alike. His love for freedom, strong character, bravery, and far-sightedness was praised by Syed Jamaluddin Afghani in his book, Al Bayan, while Hughes, a famous Christian missionary, also lauded him. George T Lanigan wrote a poem on the death of Saidu Baba in 1877.
The grave on the Qibla side of Saidu Baba shrine is that of Miangul Abdul Khaliq also known as Kashar (Junior) Miangul. Miangul Abdul Khaliq was the father of Miangul Abdul Wadud (Bacha Sahib) and Miagul Shirin. He died in 1892.
Facilities Available
- Local guides are available
- People of Swat are very hospitable
- PTDC, Serena, PC Malam Jabba, White Palace and many other hotels are available
- Swat can be accessible thought local transport and can book a car on rent.
- Wi-Fi service is available in swat
- Tourism Department helps the Tourist/ Visitors through providing broachers in both Urdu and English languages. The local Police and the local Guides can speak multi languages (i.e local languages, Urdu, English and some of them can speak Chinese also).
- There is a bus stand in Swat for public transportation.
- Filling stations are available in Swat which includes Petrol and Diesel.
- Taxis are available in Swat on daily rent basis.
- Shops are available in Swat
