Buner (Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa)
Buner is located at the distance of 142 km from Peshawar via Mardan and Charguli in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. It is a mountain valley, surrounded by mountain ranges such as Ilam Range, the Duma Range, the Guru mountains, and the Sinawar Range.
Buner has boundaries with Swabi, Swat, Mardan, Shangla, and Torghar districts. It can be accessed through Pir Baba Road or Katland - Buner Road via Mardan City. Buner can also be accessed via Barikot from the Swat district.
Karakar Pass is a mountain pass in that Hindu Kush range and connects Swat and Buner districts. From the top, one can observe the splendid and magnificent view of Buner Valley. This pass is important due to killing of 8,000 Mughal soldiers of Emperor Akbar including commander-in-chief Birbal by the Yusufzai soldiers of Kalu Khan. Karakar Tunnel is under construction which will reduce the distance between Buner and Swat Valley
Elum Ghar, also known as Mount Ilam, is located between Buner and Swat Valley in the west of Shrine of Pir Baba. It is the highest peak covered with snow at an elevation of 9,200 feet in this region. From the top, the Swat Valley can be seen, especially Mingora City. The trek to top has several streams and lakes, so it attracts many tourists and hikers. Due to influence of Buddhism in area, there are number of ancient ruins related to the Indus Valley Civilization around the mountain top.
Sayyid Ali Tirmizi, also known as Pir Baba, was a Sufi, belonged to Naqvi Sayyid family, settled in Buner. He was in favour of the Mughal emporer Baber. It is claimed that he was the son of Sayyid Qamar Ali who was in the Mughal Army. He was inclined towards Islamic thoughts.
Torwarsak is the largest populous town in the Buner district. It is lower valley surrounded by mountain ranges. Totalai is an modern town in the Buner district and also considered as a gateway to the Swat Valley.
Daggar is a tehsil in the Buner district at an elevation of 2,260 feet. One of the unique feature of this town is flashes of lightning in this area. It is considered one of the top 100 hot spots of lightning, there is nearly 143 flashes of lightning per square kilometers per year.
In Buner, there are several small and large streams including the Barandu River flow throughout the valley. Due to these streams, there are several dense forests, meadows, terraced pastures in the valley. Most of these streams finally end into the Kabul River near Nowshera.
Tora Parkha Waterfall is natural water waterfall over several huge rocks. It is located in Char Village in the Buner district. It can be accessed through Pir Baba - Mingora Road via Katkala town.
Katkala is vast meadows near the Katkala town in the Buner district. It is vast area with forests and lush green grass lands with several wildlife to explore such as animals, birds, and insects. It is also important area for grazing for herds of animals.
Qwar Sar is the second highest point on the border of the Swat and Buner districts near Dokada Kalay. It is a lush green mountain with pine forests and tremendous beauty around the surrounding. One can also explore various kind of wildlife and insects in the forest. Poulaand and Upper Poulaand is the forest reserve area near the Qwar Sar to preserve the wildlife, plants, and forests in this area.