some pics

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Oh! Nadia, you just don't know what you have done.... :) You have brought so many fond memories of my childhood by posting the pictures of places where I grew up..If I were to start writing, it would take me several pages on each picture...sitting thousands of miles away and looking at very trails where I and friends used to play, is just a very very sweet and special feeling.

I don't think no place can be as special as Taxila..whether, it was Sirai Kala's one-box-room railway station, where the cuckoo train used to stop each night around mid-night..and while on sleep over with friends, we used to throw blankets on top of us in a dark room, just to get scared by its whistle..or those bright sunny spring mornings when we used to ride our bikes through these very trails amidst the ruins of Sirsukh and Sirkap..and then playing hide and seek around Taxila's museum building..which is an architectural gothic masterpiece...orthe GT road we used to take to spend weekends in Islamabad.

Those lovely crisp mornings in winters, when you could see snow on the mountains of Abbottabad, and gathering at bus stops, and then an hour ride on a school bus to Hassanabdal..and all that feeling of nervousness, if the homework wasn't finished.. :0

The sweet smell of orange groves in abundance all over, lush green meadows and natural springs that run wild in the area..alas! so many things I miss about Taxila.. but none more than the friends and families with whom we spent all this lovely time..I can just go on and on..

Thank you so much, and truly appreciate it. I just don't have any words ..you really made it very special ..

22

Dervaish, Nikii, BirdBrain, JellyBelly, Qrius, AhmadJee, Phajja Nanbai, Truth is Beauty, Vivacious, Jaan Lewaa, Bismah, HSKhan, Aleezay, and Abdullah ..... it made me so glad to read your comments, thank you for the kind words. You don't know how much i appreciate it. Qrius ... you deserve an award for reading all of those descriptions. i didn't think anyone would, even i got bored of what i wrote:~)
Thank you, you are always so kind.

Abdullah ... i don't know what to say!!!! You have had a most Blessed & wonderful childhood. Your descriptions of it far supercede anything Rudyard Kipling would have written. It sounds so wonderful.

The place has still got that charm, while we were there we met some local people who were - despite whatever material comforts they lacked - some of the most hospitable and friendly people ever. You know those type of people you meet, who are so nice and truly Muslim, and you feel like dil khush ho gia to know that there are still people like them in this world. A humbling experience.

i forget along which route or by which village this was, but there were dozens and dozens of men all lined up by one side of the road, sitting on the ground, busily carving from stone - gorgeous calligraphies, earthenware jars, even the inscriptions that go on coffins. On the other side of the road from them, shops are set up where you can buy the ready-made stuff. It was a surreal experience just to observe them from a respectful distance, sitting there under the trees, surrounded by tonnes of stone and marble, working away oblivious to their surroundings in the 40+ heat. Such hardworking people that it makes me ashamed.

Thank you soooooooooo much for your lovely comments. After reading them, now when i look at these pictures, i'm reminded even more of what a special place it truly is. If possible, you should definitely return for a visit; you would love to observe in what ways the place has changed from your childhood and in what ways it has stayed the same. Many many thanks again for your comments; you don't know much that meant to me.

23

Great pictures Nadia. Nothing beats personal photos andI don't think I've been to Taxila before as I don't have any connections there so thanks for giving me a glimpse of that part of the world. It looks very serene.

24

very nice collection of pictures and excellent description.... thats what i alwayyyys enjoy in your posts Nadia :)

25

Nice pics:k:

26

Zaalim, kya yaad kara dia, however, I am a bit disappointed that there is no pic of my former alma mater.

If you went all the way to Sirkip you should have taken a few pics of the orange groves as well. I still get at least one paitee of red-blood maltas from Khanpur every year, they are simply out of this world.

27

Buhat mazza aya daikh kay and parh kay. Thanx :slight_smile: :k:

28

Nadia: thank you so much for your nice compliments. Yes, I do feel very blessed and am thankful for growing up at a place like Taxila; the place where I spent most of my time while in Pakistan. There’s just something very magical, gothic and ancient about this place, and all surrounded by immense natural beauty, the lush green valleys, seclusion and hills that surround. No wonder, the ancient monks chose the surroundings of Taxila to build temples and monasteries. Then you have all these mysterious names of places such as Sirai-Kala (Black Inn); where Heavy Mechanical Complex lies, and the place where we used to live, Sirkap (Severed Head), and Sirsukh (Blessed Head), that just increase fascination by many folds. These three places were closest to our place, and I spent lots and lots of time in and around.

My last trip was back to Taxila was in 97’ but for only couple of days. The place had not changed that much. The Sirai-Kala railway station; built by the Brits in the early nineteen hundreds was still there, and some ancient houses that surround were standing aloft. By looking at these pictures, there’s an immense sense of relief to see that there hasn’t been any construction around the remains of Sirkap and I would like them to remain as they are; barren, secluded, and surrounded by all the greenery, the way they have withstood time over a span of thousands of years.

The place you have mentioned lies before Taxila’s museum, on the same road as Sirkap and Sirsukh. I can totally picture those hard working folks carving artifacts out of rocks. The local culture takes its roots from Hazara, and NWFP, and by no means comes close to Punjab. However, majority of the people speak pahari or hindko.

One of the most favorite places is the ancient Victorian garden behind the Taxila Museum. There used to be a fountain in the middle, I am not sure if it’s still there, but the way this place is taken care of, I have no reason to believe otherwise. But, nothing compares to the museum building itself. It almost looks like a castle; built with granite rocks and walls covered with fern.

If I ever settle any place in Pakistan, it will have to be in or around somewhere this place. I love the weather; the abundant rainfalls, the magnificent architecture of some of the old houses. There's is just no place like it. Many thanks once again.

29

Great pictures, thanks for sharing Nadia.

I have also been to Taxila, I remember the small roadside shops and the museum they have there. Its really a beautiful region surrounding all those parts.

P.S. Please check your email.

30

Awesome pictures I spent so many summers in Taxila including this past one and like Abdullah said the pictures are all so vivid from having seen these places so many times. It’s amazing how much history there is in Taxila. The garden on the other side of Taxila Museum is amazing. Thank you for the neat pictures.

31

Nadia! Thanks for kind words, there was no need to mention, really :slight_smile:

And thanks for sharing these wonderful pics. Many moons ago I was in the Gandhara reagion. These pics brought back some childhood memories :k: Great stuff.

32

Good pics Nadia, thanks for sharing.