The historic Bir Gali village, a medley of cultural diversity, is located to the northeast near the famous Mahabanr Mountain Range about 64 kilometres away from the main Swabi city at the juncture of four districts — Haripur, Torghar, Buner and Swabi.

According to local people, way back in 1983, a rest house was built by the provincial construction and works department with a foreign aid over 65 kanals on the Bir Gali hills.

They demanded of the upcoming provincial government to pay proper attention to Bir Gali village and allocate sufficient funds to make it a summer resort to improve domestic tourism.

The Bir Gali clay and stone made homes are reflective of primitive living style on hills, which present an eye-catching view to the visitors. The pleasant weather in the hot summer on the hills fascinates the tourists.

Termed as mini-Swat, Bir Gali village has witnessed a considerable hike in visitors in the recent years. The old style of home construction in the village is more attractive compared to its natural beauty.

However, this attraction might fade away in the coming years because rich people are building concrete homes in the village, fast replacing the clay and stone homes. Experts believe that a model of clay and stone homes could be preserved for tourists.

Although road to Bir Gali via Utla and Amazai in Gadoon Amazai has been in a dilapidated condition since long, yet the road from Swabi headquarters through Topi to the village gives a comfortable passage to tourists. A nocturnal stay for a group of local tourists with traditional food and music filled them with a trance.

Large number of visitors turned every summer to Bir Gali to enjoy its cool climate and rich greenery to beat the scorching heat.

“People of the village are peaceful and hospitable. They remain united despite different linguistic backgrounds. Bir Gali, compared to Galiyat, enjoys a magical location replete with clear transparent water rills and forests. The village has old structures but new ones are also being built,” Faiz Khan Gadoon, a resident of the village told this scribe.

Local visitors used to stay in the said rest house but due to lack of facilities, it was abandoned as no provincial government was able to improve its condition and utilise it for tourism purposes.

Bir Gali enjoys several unique features as its dwellers speak Pashto, Hindko and Gujri; has pleasant weather in hot summer; and rain forests with variety of plants and animals species.

Munir Khan, a resident of Gadoon Amazai, regretted that due to prolonged power outages in the area, most of edibles were perished while being kept in the deep freezers. Working with a private outlet in Bir Gali, he said that non-availability of electricity spoiled everything and disheartened tourists to visit the place again. “We have a limited number of rooms for families but still visitors enjoy the beauty of the area if power stays a little longer,” said Mr Khan.

The most distinct feature is the rustic way of clay and stone homes built on hilly patches, which look multi-storey structures from a distance. The visitors swarm different picnic spots spread over Deval, Utla and Bir Gali villages. Two private restaurants are being operated with limited number of rooms for families.

“Why not the old rest house in Bir Gali should be rebuilt and converted into tourists stay spot,” questioned Ejaz Saeed, another resident of the area.

He said that tourism department could ask construction and works department to hand over the structure to it under the rules. He said Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) could make a better use of the place, now only getting rustic with no public utility.

“The TCKP could make it generate enough revenue by redesigning the old structure for local tourists,” he suggested.

An official of TCKP, when contacted, said that the department had already worked on around 200 rest houses in the province. He said that TCKP had the expertise not only to renovate the rest house but also to make it operational in a befitting manner if it was handed over to it.

“The rest house in Bir Gali is unfortunately in ruins but it could be renovated and made fully functional provided the upcoming provincial government hands it over to TCKP. Our department has made operational around 11 such structures in Galiyat and enabled them fetch revenues in millions. Bir Gali village has great potential for domestic tourism. It could be improved in such a manner that even foreign tourists will be attracted to its serene atmosphere and natural lifestyle of its people,” said the official.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2018