A Journey through Zaida, Swabi

Dawn.com Published November 16, 2011
A tributary of River Indus dividing Bela and Zaida, district Swabi. Although the water level is low at this point of the year, it rises high enough in the summers to flood nearby areas. Bela, on the other side of the tributary, is a largely undeveloped area used recreationally as hunting grounds.
A tributary of River Indus dividing Bela and Zaida, district Swabi. Although the water level is low at this point of the year, it rises high enough in the summers to flood nearby areas. Bela, on the other side of the tributary, is a largely undeveloped area used recreationally as hunting grounds.
A stream passing through Zaida, an area called Badrai by the locals. Used recreationally for fishing, the plain area surrounding this stream is currently unsuitable for development as the water level rises high enough in the summers to flood nearby lands.
A stream passing through Zaida, an area called Badrai by the locals. Used recreationally for fishing, the plain area surrounding this stream is currently unsuitable for development as the water level rises high enough in the summers to flood nearby lands.
The Dera of Khanzada Naeem Bahadur Khan, a local elder in Zaida, District Swabi. The gentleman was set to participate in the provincial assembly elections on an ANP ticket, only to forfeit on the grounds of corrupt practices of the party. Currently wielding more influence in the area than the local MPA, his ?Dera? is a vast area comprising of various guestrooms for catering to visitors from all over Pakistan all-year round.
The Dera of Khanzada Naeem Bahadur Khan, a local elder in Zaida, District Swabi. The gentleman was set to participate in the provincial assembly elections on an ANP ticket, only to forfeit on the grounds of corrupt practices of the party. Currently wielding more influence in the area than the local MPA, his ?Dera? is a vast area comprising of various guestrooms for catering to visitors from all over Pakistan all-year round.
Lanes in the village market are generally cobblestone, with a lot of red brick usage evident in buildings, mimicking a glimpse of an old English rural area. A lot of groundwork for development was laid here in the British Raj, which has been slowly built on by the locals.
Lanes in the village market are generally cobblestone, with a lot of red brick usage evident in buildings, mimicking a glimpse of an old English rural area. A lot of groundwork for development was laid here in the British Raj, which has been slowly built on by the locals.
Lanes in the village market are generally cobblestone, with a lot of red brick usage evident in buildings, mimicking a glimpse of an old English rural area. A lot of groundwork for development was laid here in the British Raj, which has been slowly built on by the locals.
Lanes in the village market are generally cobblestone, with a lot of red brick usage evident in buildings, mimicking a glimpse of an old English rural area. A lot of groundwork for development was laid here in the British Raj, which has been slowly built on by the locals.
A view of the main marketplace in Zaida.
A view of the main marketplace in Zaida.
A view of the grounds of the Khyber Block Making Factory. With the ongoing development in the whole district, construction materials industry has seen a surge once again in recent days.
A view of the grounds of the Khyber Block Making Factory. With the ongoing development in the whole district, construction materials industry has seen a surge once again in recent days.
A farmer preparing his fields for sowing season. A noticeable distinction from farming practices in other areas is the planting of trees on land boundaries. As most agriculture here is small-scale, these trees serve as an addition to what is grown on fields and are natural fencing of land borders/boundaries
A farmer preparing his fields for sowing season. A noticeable distinction from farming practices in other areas is the planting of trees on land boundaries. As most agriculture here is small-scale, these trees serve as an addition to what is grown on fields and are natural fencing of land borders/boundaries
In this picture, a man harvests maize from his field. Crop-rotation can be witnessed in this picture, whereby fodder-grass grows on one of the fields while the other is ready for sowing.
In this picture, a man harvests maize from his field. Crop-rotation can be witnessed in this picture, whereby fodder-grass grows on one of the fields while the other is ready for sowing.
Agriculture in the region was seemingly distinct from other areas in Pakistan. Instead of having a few landowners owning large parcels of land, here land ownership is more equally divided, with a large concentration of small parcel ownership.
Agriculture in the region was seemingly distinct from other areas in Pakistan. Instead of having a few landowners owning large parcels of land, here land ownership is more equally divided, with a large concentration of small parcel ownership.
A lot of agriculture is visible in village markets as commercial buildings are built right next to farm lands.
A lot of agriculture is visible in village markets as commercial buildings are built right next to farm lands.
A firewood store in the village market area. While a lot of development can be witnessed in the Zaida, gas is still not available in all areas of the village which creates the need for firewood. Additionally a lot of locals also skip use of gas for cooking and prefer using firewood in-line with old customs.
A firewood store in the village market area. While a lot of development can be witnessed in the Zaida, gas is still not available in all areas of the village which creates the need for firewood. Additionally a lot of locals also skip use of gas for cooking and prefer using firewood in-line with old customs.

Zaida is a village in the Swabi District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Swabi is generally considered to be the gateway between KP and Punjab, and is known for its agriculture products, marble and construction materials industry and is one of the more developed regions in the province. Photos by Mohammad Shayan Lakdawalla/Dawn.com

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Comments (15) Closed
Ashok Sharma
Nov 16, 2011 01:28pm
Beautiful pictures. To be honest, they do seem like they have been photoshoped or edited a little for the color and hue. Reminds me of some of the old bylanes in Haryana/Old Delhi. Key Dhang se :)
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AMER WISAL MUHAMMAD
Nov 16, 2011 02:48pm
Hope my note finds you well guys.No doubt the pics r beautiful.Ashok bro, they only seem 2 b edited but i think so u'll find them as natural as they seem in the pics if & only u visit our village bro. Gr8 work dude 4 da person who's uploaded the pics & hats off 4 dawn news 2 include our village in their paper. AMER WISAL SHAHMANSOOR (SHARJAH)
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Nulife
Nov 16, 2011 03:00pm
Admiring Pics.I use to wait daily for dawn media gallery pics. Good Work!
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Debadutta Singh
Nov 16, 2011 04:06pm
If a developed village of Pakistan looks like this , I wonder how an underdeveloped village would look like.
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Khan
Nov 16, 2011 04:59pm
The slide show is about Zaida while the author says Swabi district as a whole is more developed than some of the far villages not particularly Zaida ... Literacy rate in Swabi is better than many other villages in the area, and is home to GIKI (Ghulam Ishaq Khan institute) one of the top ranked Science & Engineering university in Pakistan.
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amna
Nov 16, 2011 05:33pm
since i don't get to visit my village much hence the pictures are a delight to watch.thx.
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Riaz Yousafzai Shahm
Nov 16, 2011 08:37pm
Thanks to The Dawn and the guy who brought our village in the global view.However the beauty of the area has not been captured well rather too little.For instance there is beautiful hill with a clear water canal flowing at the foothill on the left side of Zaida and a picturesque hamlet across the canal.The views from the hilltop not only captures all the environs of Zaida as far as up to River Indus called Abaseen but also offers a rare panorama.Similarly the views from Zaida towards the hill are quite stunning.I wish if he could have a tad planned his photography.For those who seek to discover the beauty of the landscape, culture, history of the population and landmarks in Swabi District as a whole please visit -----Swabi District (??? ?????) on Facebook.
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Riaz Yousafzai Shahm
Nov 16, 2011 08:48pm
Dear Debadutta Singh! Going by these pictures yes your query is quite logical as these neither captured the beauty nor the development which the guy has mentioned but if you happen to visit the Swabi District on Facebook then I hope you would really enjoy and like the pictures of the area therein. Thanks!
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Asim Raheel Khan
Nov 17, 2011 12:10am
Sardar gi Asalam O Alikum, Sasi ya kar this is my village and this picture is not of developed or underdeveloped village of Pakistan, this is of river bank of Indus on which Ghazi barotha dam has been built and water routed toward Ghazi barotha canal ... so now u see very less water ... This is a very beautiful place my cousins havaily as u call it is near by .... before partition Zaida has been home to many Hindu & Sikh families, ... have a nice day ....
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Mudassir Iqbal
Nov 17, 2011 09:34am
Beautiful place and pictures !! Reminded me of the University I applied there but did not get in :(
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Muhammad Anees
Nov 17, 2011 12:02pm
Let us be clear about a few things here. First, Zaida ( my hometown ) is NOT a village. By most standards, a settlement with a population above 20000 is termed as a town. Zaida’s population is definitely more than that. Second, the first high school here was established in 1952. Now, there are separate colleges for boys and girls. Third, a number of commercial banks have branches here. So, the photos here don’t give the true picture of the place. They are more a kind of personal portrayal. It is a far more beautiful place than what can be seen here. There is a beautiful mountain north of the town. You can have a breathtaking view of the town from atop the mountain. Fields around the Pehoor Canal, Badrai and Zaida Bypass road can offer much better material for photos. Still, I am thankful to Dawn News and all other friends for the effort and the interest shown here.
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Muhammad Anees
Nov 17, 2011 12:06pm
Let us be clear about a few things here. First, Zaida ( my hometown ) is NOT a village. By most standards, a settlement with a population above 20000 is termed as a town. Zaida’s population is definitely more than that. It is a Municipal Committee. Second, the first high school here was established in 1952. Now, there are separate colleges for boys and girls. Third, a number of commercial banks have branches here. So, the photos here don’t give the true picture of the place. They are more a kind of personal portrayal. It is a far more beautiful place than what can be seen here. There is a beautiful mountain north of the town. You can have a breathtaking view of the town from atop the mountain. Fields around the Pehoor Canal, Badrai and Zaida Bypass road can offer much better material for photos. Still, I am thankful to Dawn News and all other friends for the effort and the interest shown here.
Recommend 0
Shaukat Zaidi
Nov 17, 2011 09:30pm
I happened to visit Zaida in 1990 and found it to be a beautiful place specially the area in the vicinity of the hill. The hill was surrounded by lush green plains studded with rows of poplar trees. Possibly that green area around the hill has been "developed" into houses and streets. Shaukat zaidi- Kinshasa/ D R Congo
Recommend 0
Alamgeer Khan
Nov 18, 2011 11:56am
I live in Historical Village Hund...Which is Situated near by the River Indus...
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M.Abdullah(Zaida)
Nov 29, 2011 11:46am
1st i thanks to Dawn News for visiting our city. But the things u mention is very much less about our city. Let Me to Tell u about our city.;- History. The Name Zaida was given to our city because of a princess live here in mughal era named Zahida.by passing of time the name zahida become Zaida. Its population is more than 80,000. The most occupations of people of zaida are farming,.Many peoples are working abroad in dubai,saudi arabia and england plus america. The zaida is the most educated area in swabi and its have the large no of schools in town. Our city have a ptcl exchange,pesco office,2 degree colleges 1 for boys 2nd 4 girls. More than 40 Mosques. A hospital,a ground,a police stations,3 banks.its also have a canal.sui gas has been also given to our city. It have also a mountain.the near by village to zaida are shahmansoor,kunda,kaddi and dodher. The people of near by area come to zaida 4 there daily needs.;- Abdullah of Zaida fb.com/techtel cell 03139994957. For free news 4rm Swabi in pakistan send FOLLOW TRICKSMASTER to 2323(zong) and 9900(all other networks).
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