DURNOYAN - KOTLI SATTIAN

Durnoyan is situated 5 km west of Kotli Sattian. It is linked with a metal road. The village is composed of many small settlements, which are scattered on the slopes facing east and west down towards the Khads. A ridge stands in the center which raises up to Patriata, the highest point of the region.

The top village is named Burj, which means "The Memorial". The Burj was erected by The British Empire in memory of the great soldiers, who took part in the first World War (1914 - 1918), and gave their lives in the battlefield.

The village itself is a Patwar Circle and a union council as well. A small bazar exists at Burj, from where roads are extended to Kotli, Murree, Patriata and Lehtrar via Biaga.

The village covers an area of 2,174 acres. Thirty-six percent of the land is cultivated. There are 1.292 acres of uncultivated. This is due to the rough and steep terrain. The main crops of wheat, maize and potato are sown in small patches of land.

CLIMATE OF KOTLI SATTIAN

The climate of the Subdivision Kotli Sattian differs considerably on account of differences in altitude and relief on the heights. The climate is cold in winter and mild in summer. In depths and valleys, it is mild in general. On the whole, the subdivision experiences cool and mild summers and cold winters.

Precipitation in winter is normally in the form of snow and sleet. Hailstorms are frequent during the winter and they also occur often during the monsoon season. But the precipitation during the summer is mostly in the form of rain. The subdivision receives a very high amount of rainfall averaging 60.53 inches with the mean annual number of rainy days at 89.3. The rainfall is received both from the monsoon and western disturbances.

July is the wettest month of the year receiving 14.26 inches of rain with a mean number of rain days at 15. It is followed very closely by August, which receives an average rainfall of 14 inches. The driest month of the year is November which receives only 0.87 inches of rainfall with only 1.7 days of rain.

Murree is the rainiest place of Pakistan with mean annual rainfall of about 1,484 mm (164cm). Kotli Sattian is geographically a part of Murree and Kahuta Hills. It was declared a subdivision in 1990 by breaking up 40 villages out of both subdivisions. Patriata is located on almost border of Murree and Kotli Sattian subdivisions. Patriata is the highest point of Murree Hills which consequently is the highest point of Punjab as well. Patriata hills (Including some parts of Kotli Sattian subdivision) are the rainiest region of Pakistan.

SIMLY DAM

The Simly Dam is about 80 meters high earthen embankment dam on the Soan River, 30 kilometers east of Islamabad, Pakistan.  It was developed by the Capital Development Authority, Planning for the dam began in 1962 and it was not completed when expected in 1972 due to project delays. It was completed in 1983.

Simly Dam lies between Islamabad and Kotli Sattian. The water of this dam is stored and supplied to the Federal capital for drinking purposes. The water stored in this dam is fed by melting snow and the natural springs of Murree and Kotli Sattian hills. Angling and boating are also allowed on the lake, but you need to have permit for fishing from Capital Development Authority, Islamabad. 

The dam is tucked away in a nice sleepy area, where there are hardly any passer byes leave aside tourists. It is such a shame that this place could be developed into such a beautiful little family picnic abode but probably since it is outside the jurisdiction Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) limits, therefore CDA does not seem to be interested in developing it.

There is only one guest house in Simly Dam, operated by CDA, Islamabad. Before you plan to stay here, you need to have permission to stay and visit this beautiful guest house from CDA head office located in Islamabad.

About 100 meters before the Simly Dam, a road leads to Patriata via Karor and Bunn.

The Kotli Sattian region is quite favourable for the construction of dams for small purposes. However, the government does not initiate any plan in this region. Lakes can be easily constructed with nominal cost and labour. The natural fountains and streams connected with these fountains have ample water, which is always pure and fresh. The gift of nature can be stored in small dams and lakes and thereafter the pure water be supplied to the Islamabad. Moreover, such constructive stops on the part of the government will enrich the beauty of the region and consequently prove the best tourist spots, adjacent to Islamabad and easily approaching to all.

Photo by : Khizer Bajwa

ICE NEEDLES IN KOTLI SATTIAN

Needle ice is a phenomenon that occurs when the temperature of the soil is above 0 °C (32 °F) and the surface temperature of the air is below 0 °C (32 °F). The subterranean liquid water is brought to the surface via capillary action, where it freezes and contributes to a growing needle-like ice column.

                                             ICE NEEDLES IN KOTLI SATTIAN HILLS

GEOLOGICAL FORMULATION OF KOTLI SATTIAN

The mountainous tract is a part of Siwalik terrains which is formed of anticline. Mr. Wynne, in his Geology of Neighborhood of Murree Hill Station- Vol. III, page 66, has given a very good description of geological formation of Murree and it's surroundings. Relying on the referred books, the geological data of the subdivision is prepared.

Kotli Sattian is on the eastward side of Murree hill station and on the northward side of Kahuta. The syn-clinical areas of undulations seem to rise toward the eastward. Steady low dips in the opposite direction, are visible from Murree hill station in the precipitous flanks of some of the distant hills on this side of the Jhelum river, as in that supporting the Plateau of Narrar and others.

The mountains of the subdivision are largely composed of MIOCENE sandstone and EOCENE MUMMULITIC limestone. This zone has undergone very recent folding and faulting, including early PLEISTOCENE thrusting. In the earlier, territory zone strike-faults have disrupted anticlines and brought in massive PERMO-CARBONIFEROUS limestone's forming the higher ridges.

The most important rocks with which the hilly tract is made, consists of limestone, shale, sandstone and clay-stone. The sandstone of the Murree formation is medium to course-grained purple and greenish grey in colour. The clay-stone is thickly bedded. The coarse grained, greenish grey sandstone is soft and rich in iron contents. The purplish or reddish brown sandstone is hard and compacted. The grey sandstone, coated with purple tinge due to oxidation and quartz occasionally intersect the rocks, especially the clay-stone, which is massive and break with colloidal fracture. Some of the straits yield excellent building material and are quarried for road construction. Others, on exposure, decompose and crumble away.

The Narrar Hill (Panjpeer) is wholly composed of a hard white sandstone. Thin flakes of white calcareous matter and hollow nodules filled with clay are generally seen in these rocks. While in the beds of streams, especially towards the south, concentrations of coarse limestone are commonly met with small beds of fine conglomerates, which are also to be found here and there. Mixed or alternating with the sandstone, are often extensive beds of red bluish clay or shale. These, alone with the more or less decomposed sandstone gives character to the soil of the subdivision.

Reference : A HANDBOOK OF KOTLI SATTIAN    

                                                      Panjpeer (Narrar) Rocks

LEHTRAR - KOTLI SATTIAN

Lehtrar is a revenue estate and situated on the Rawalpindi-Kotli Sattian Road. Lehtrar is located 29 km from Islamabad, and 17 km from Kotli Sattian town. It is exactly situated on the foot slopes of Panjpeer Ridge and forms a narrow valley.

The etymology of the word “Lehtrar”, it is supposed that the word is comprised of two words “Lohi” and “Tarer”, which means the cooking slabs. Such slabs are still found in the village.

Lehtrar Bala covers 935 acres of land, of which approximately 50% of the land is being cultivated. The principal crops in the valley are wheat, maize and pulses. The weather remains moderate. The ample water is available through springs. Therefore, the soil is suitable for growing fruit trees and vegetables.

Lehtrar has a small bazar located on the main road serving the goods for local need. Almost all amenities of basic scale are available. The average household size is 5.8% and literacy rate is 87%. 

LEHTRAR TO PANJPEER HIKING TREK

Danoi hike  starts from the Lehtrar rest house on the Lehtrar Road. This road links Islamabad to Bagh via Kotli Sattian. Total distance between Islamabad and Lehtrar town is around 30 Kilometers. Rest house is behind the petrol pump just a little ahead of the main bazaar. The hike starts behind this rest house and is actually an abandoned jeep road. In a couple of hours, this path reaches Danoi rest house while passing through a beautiful pine forest. Danoi rest house Is at an approximate altitude of 1300 meters.

If you have lesser time, another option is to skip the first part and start the hike right from Danoi Rest House itself where a metaled road joins from Lehtrar. To reach rest house on a vehicle, follow the Lehtrar road for a further few kilometers towards Kotli Sattian till a place called as Thoon Mor from where a road turns right towards Baba Saeen Tikka Sarkar shrine in Kamra. There is also a sign board indicating this shrine. Total traveling distance from Islamabad to Danoi rest house is around 60 kilometers. If you are coming on your own vehicle, you can park it here. Tell the rest house guards to take care of it, and they will do it well. The rest house was built in 1928 and is right in the middle of the beautiful pine forest. You can also spend the night here through an advanced booking from the forest department office near Sawan station, Rawalpindi but they are generally reluctant to entertain people without reference.

Just a few steps from the rest house, there will be many paths climbing upwards. You can take any of these which will cross the road at a few points before joining it back. Hike towards the Panjpeer big boulders for another 2 hours or so. The climb is gentle. The distance is around 7 Kms. The views to your left are breathtaking as you see the sheer thousand feet drop and huge, impressive sandstone rock formations to your right. After hiking for the said time you would come to a spot that constitutes huge sandstone base with boulders spreading far and wide for miles. The whole plateau floor is made up of these sand stone boulders and I have never seen anything like this before. This place is perched high up off the valley floor and is home to hundreds of butterflies floating around in a gentle breeze. Towards the Northeast you can see the mighty Jehlum. The elevation here is around 1750 meters. You can hike further up for about 30 mins to reach the highest point (1850m) where there is an SCO tower and their outpost. Views from there are even better as you can see hills stretched for miles with unobstructed views to as far as white snow capped mountains of Kashmir towards North East and Muree and Patriata Hills towards Northwest. The temperature never exceeded beyond mid twenties. The place is an ideal spot for a campsite and offers ample virgin rocks to rock climbing enthusiasts.

You can reach back to the Danoi rest house in around 1 hour and 30 mins. If you wish to go camping here, you can stock your supplies at the Danoi rest house, and either haul the load up in your back packs or hire porters to do the job for you. The locals here are quite cooperative and nice. However to be extra safe I would suggest that you carry protection equipment if you wish to camp for the night. A second option is to bring a security guard with you.

Panjpeer is the highest point of the Danoi Ridge in Kotli Sattian/Kahuta. It is called Panjpeer because of a shrine it has at the top. Locals believe this was a place where five saints came and got settled. It is at an altitude of approximately 1800 meters. In winters the top gets a few ft of snow each year. The rocks are an ideal place for camping. The place not only offers the amazing rocks but also water falls, streams, a thick forest and local species of plants and animals. The village around the path offers a lot to understand the local life and hospitality of the local people.

Danoi Rest House

NEELA SANDH WATERFALL - KOTLI SATTIAN / ISLAMABAD

Kotli Sattian is one of the most beautiful region of Pakistan. It will sure be very surprising to even the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi that outskirts of Islamabad actually host a waterfall and adjoined natural swimming pools. This Waterfall runs throughout the year. Neela Sandh is a blue water pond on Lehtrar road, Kotli Sattian. This is a picnic spot which is worth visiting, not only this, this is only 40 minutes drive from mainstream Islamabad city. But as soon as you reach there, you’ll realise, you’ve been missing a very beautiful natural phenomenon in your backyard.

Neela Sandh Picnic Point actually comprises of two identical water falls, each one have its own natural swimming pool. If you ever end up visiting there, make sure you use life jacket while swimming, as water is deep enough and it can be very risky to swim there without a life jacket.

KASHIF SATTI - IT PROFESSIONAL

Kashif Satti is Vice President of Managed Services Delivery at Dataprise in Washington D.C. area,where he works to influence company strategy around Service Desk and Automation. He is an IT professional with more than 15 years of experience in Information Technology.  Mr.Satti received his BS and masters degree from UCLA in Computer Sciences and holds numerous technical certifications including: A+, N+, MCP, CLA, and CLE. He is the recipient of the 2014 Gold Stevie® Award for Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year. He hails from Santh Sarola, Kotli Sattian.

He is a brilliant IT professional with great leadership skills, who successfully managed Global Service Desk Team along with many other departments ( Onboarding, NAS, Remediation and Automation), not many would be able to manage that many departments under one umbrella. However, Kashif always been the person that look for ways to keep the team growing and make the team as the best winner team. He is a person with great expertise and deep experience of modern business solutions and technologies. He is not only a well-educated and independent perfectionist but also an inspiring Manager.

In Jan 2014, Kashif Satti declared as the Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year - Technology Industries. Gold Stevie® award in the “Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year - Technology Industries” category in the eighth annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

TAUSEEF "TAZZ" SATTI - TAZZ SPORTS, AUCKLAND

Tauseef "Tazz" Satti is a developer of cricket gear brand Tazz Cricket and a Director of Cricket at Kumeu Cricket Club in Auckland, New Zealand. Over the years he  also worked as a cricket player/coach in 6 different Countries. A former Area Cricket Coordinator at Northland Cricket in Northland, New Zealand. He had an experience of coaching Denmark U-15 International team in European Championship 2009 as well.

Tazz Satti (born 5 March 1980, Rawalpindi, Pakistan) is a former cricketer who played List A cricket for the Islamabad Cricket Association and Hawke Cup cricket for Northland Cricket Association (New Zealand). He moved to New Zealand in 2002, where he was a professional for Sydenham Cricket Club, Christchurch (2002–2005) and Northland Cricket Association (2007–2011).

Satti earned his MBA degree in 2015 from Massey University, Auckland. He is well traveled entrepreneur with a great appetite for innovation, at the age of 20 he started his first business venture "TS Sports" with $0 capital. He Created a cricket gear brand "Tazz" in 2003 , "Tazz" is now accredited by "International Cricket Council" and endorsed by several professional cricketers around the world. In 2004-05, Satti worked as online manager for "Leather Direct ", which is New Zealand's largest Leather good stockiest, and also launched their first ever user interactive website in 2005.