Ansoo Lake

Ansoo Lake (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ansoo Lake is situated in Kaghan Valley Mansehra District of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located near Malika Parbat in the Himalayan range at the altitude of 4,245 meters (13,927 ft). This lake is considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes of the world.

 

 

The name “Ansoo” comes from its tear-like shape (the Urdu word Ansoo means teardrop). The lake also resembles a human eye with a central ice island resembling the iris and a ridge resembling an eyebrow, which becomes even more prominent when ice melts on the “eyebrow” during the summer. This ridge was partially destroyed in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

The lake is said to have been discovered in 1993 by Pakistan Air Force pilots who were flying low in the area. Earlier, the lake was not even known to the locals.^{[citation needed]}

There is no place to stay at Ansoo Lake. Some people may camp on the top of extremely cold and windy mountains but it is very risky and even the locals do not recommend this.

History of Saiful Muluk

English: Saif ul Maluk Lake, Kaghan Valley. in Saiful Malook National Park, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Photo by Joonas Lyytinen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saiful Muluk (Urdu: جھیل سیف الملوک‎) is an alpine lake located at the northern end of the Kaghan Valley (

WikiMiniAtlas

34°52′37.34″N 73°41′37.71″E / 34.8770389°N 73.6938083°E / 34.8770389; 73.6938083), near the town of Naran.^[1] It is in the north east of Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. At an altitude of 3,224 m (10,578 feet) above sea level it is amongst one of the highest lakes in Pakistan. There is also a similar named fictional story associated with the lake.

The weather here is moderate during day time while the temperature drops to negative temperatures at night.

 

Location

Saiful Muluk is located in District Mansehra of Hazara Division. It is about eight kilometers North of Naran,^[2] in the Northern part of Kaghan valley. Malika Parbat, the highest peak in the valley is located near the lake.^[3]

  Physical features

Saiful Muluk was formed by glacial moraines that blocked the water of the stream passing through the valley.^[4] Water from multiple glaciers around the lake feed it.^[1]

  History

A fairy tale called Saiful Muluk, written by the famous Sufi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, is associated with the lake.^[5] It is the story of the prince of Persia who fell in love with a fairy princess at the lake.^[6] The impact of the lake beauty is of such extent that people believe that fairies come down to lake in full moon. A poet and writer from Balakot Dr Mujahid hussain wrote the story of Saiful Muluk in prose depicting the local version.

 

  Ecology

Large size Brown Trouts are found in the lake weighing about seven kilograms.^[7] About 26 species of vascular plant exist in the area, with Asteraceae the most commonly found specie. Other species commonly found in the region are: Ranunculaceae, Compositae, Ranunculaceae, Cruciferae, Gramineae, Apiaceae, Leguminosae, Scrophulariaceae and Polygonaceae.^[1]