Trending now: New Ramazan retreats for you and the family

Residents of Peshawar Valley make to the mountains for the whole month to escape the scorching heat.

PESHAWAR: An interesting new trend has emerged in the past three years for those wanting to escape the scorching heat of Peshawar Valley during Ramazan. Many now rent houses in hill stations of Swat or Galiyat and shift their families there for the entire month.

“Fasting in Ramazan can prove to be very tough down in the plains,” said Ijaz Ahmad of Badhaber while talking to The Express Tribune. “The temperature shooting past 40 degrees centigrade every day and prolonged power outages do not make it any easier. So last year, I rented a house for Rs25,000 in Kalam and shifted my family there for the whole month.”



Ahmad said the arrangement did not weigh too heavily on his pocket, and turned out to be a great family trip where the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves. He mentioned that his brother-in-law went to Murree instead and was happier with his stay, as it is more accessible than Kalam and only a three-hour drive from Peshawar.

Another resident of Badhaber, Mukamal Shah, said many civil servants from his village had taken the month off to spend it with their families in the mountains. Shah explained that tourism to the hill stations reduces drastically during Ramazan, so houses are easily available for rent at low prices.

“In Kalam and Malam Jabba, you get mutton at half the price you do in Peshawar, however, beef can be a little more difficult to come by,” said Shah. “The most important factor is that the weather is much better than down in the valley, and you enjoy a certain peace of mind that is not found in cities.”

Saleem Raza from Peshawar said it has become a routine for many in the past three years to go to Malam Jabba in Ramazan.

“Nearly every house is rented out now,” said Raza. “Most locals also come back from wherever they are working to spend the month at home, especially in July.”

“In the past, it was common practice for many upper class families to spend their summers in the hill stations of Abbottabad or Galiyat, such as Murree and Ayubia,” added Raza. “Now many middle-class families are following in their footsteps – not just due to the unbearable heat, but because Ramazan has been falling in peak summer months of late.”

Raza explained that since some of these families cannot afford to buy a house in mountainous areas, they just rent it – some for the season, others just for Ramazan.

“The best way is to take your supply of rations like rice, oil, pulses, toiletries, etc, with you from Peshawar in bulk, because they are a little more expensive there,” suggested Raza. “Then you need to buy only fresh meat and vegetables.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2014.