Saidu Sharif (Urdu: سیدو شریف) is the capital city of Swat District in the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°45'0N 72°21'0E with
an altitude of 939 metres (3083 feet)Saidu sharif is traditional seat of
government, remains the administrative headquarters of Malakand division (swat,
dir and chitral).Saidu Sharif has several government buildings, the Swat Museum,
the Tomb of Akund (RA) of Swat and the archaeological remains of the Butkara
Buddhist Stupa Government Girls College, Govt Jehanzeb college(recently got a
university status),Saidu Sharif hospital's, police station, CIA office, DIG, DC,
Commissioner House.
Saidu Baba
This is the honorific nickname of the colorful shrie to the
akhund of swat, behind the saidu sharif police station and near the old wali’s
residence.
Swat Museum
Swat Museum is on the east side of the street, halfway
between Mingora and Saidu. Japanese aid has given a facelift to its seven
galleries which now contain an excellent collection of Gandhara sculptures taken
from some of the Buddhist sites in Swat, rearranged and labelled to illustrate
the Buddha's life story. Terracotta figurines and utensils, beads, precious
stones, coins, weapons and various metal objects illustrate daily life in
Gandhara. The ethnographic section displays the finest examples of local
embroidery, carved wood and tribal jewelry.
Jambil Valley
At Panrh (or pahn) on the east side of the jambil khwarh
are a stupa and a monastery from the 1st to 5th centuries ad. There is allegedly
a path and a bridge about 1.5 km beyond butkara number 3, or go three km out
haji baba road from mingora bazaar. Further out at loebanrh, on the west side,
are an Aryan graveyard from the 2nd to 1st Millennia BC and a 3rd to 4th century
AD stupa.
Butkara (Butkada) Stupa
One of the most important Buddhist shrines in Swat, is near
the museum. Take the dirt track on the left (north) side of the museum for one
kilometer (about half a mile). The stupa is 400 metres (above a quarter of mile)
across the fields to the left (north).
The stupa, which dates from the 2nd century BC, was possibly built by the
Mauryan emperor Ashoka to house some of the ashes of the Buddha. In subsequent
centuries, it was enlarged five times by encasing the existing structure in a
new shell. Italian excavators working in 1955 exposed the successive layers of
the stupa, each layer illustrating a stage in the evolution of building
techniques.
The ex-ruling family of Swat, the Miangul, whose title is Wali and which is
headed by Miangul Aurangzeb, has its official residence in Saidu Sharif. All the
main Government offices along with the postgraduate college are located in Saidu
Sharif. Distances from Saidu Sharif.