Ziarat (Urdu: زیارت) is a city and the capital of Ziarat District, Balochistan the province of Pakistan. It is a holiday resort, about 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the capital city of Balochistan province Quetta.[1] The famous Quaid-e-Azam Residency is also there in the valley, where Quaid-e-Azam (the founder of Pakistan) spent a few of his most memorable days. Tourists from all over Balochistan and also from Sindh province visit the valley in the harsh summers. Its overall cold weather, fascinating sceneries, lush green forests and mighty mountains attracts tourists of all kinds.
May to September are months of peak tourist visits. Specially in the days of Eid festive and other national or religious the valley is full packed. The 2016's Eid experienced about 0.4 million people visiting.
The hill station is easily accessible from Quetta through a Highway. While accessing it from Loralai is little difficult due to bad road conditions. The third way of accessing the valley is through Harnai District although it is pretty dangerous near Dumiara waterfall, due to the very steep and unpaved road.
4X4 Road to Dumiara waterfall
The main road of the station is Jinnah road which also called the red zone of the valley due to a large numbers of government and askari resorts and buildings there, a few of which are:
Frontier Corps Resthouse
Governor House
IG Police House
Panther Lodge (Army)
Juniper Lodge (Army)
Quaid-e-Azam Residency
Commissioner House
CM Balochistan House
Tourist areas
Ziarat and the surrounding juniper valleys offer good opportunities for hiking and trekking, as well as various gorges. The city is also becoming popular for a taste of snowfall during the winter.
The Quaid-e-Azam Residence in Ziarat in winter
Ziarat is the location of the Ziarat residency where Jinnah spent the last days of his life. The residency, constructed in 1892, is a wooden structure with great architectural importance. It was originally meant to be a sanatorium, but was converted into the summer residence of the Agent of the Governor General. It is now a national monument. The residency catches tourists' attention because of its location and hilly surroundings.
There is a small dam, and the valley is full of fruits: cherry in summer and apple in winter. Between the hills and the deep ravine, there is a mile-long stretch of flat land ideal for walking. This is the Chashma Walk, which leads to the spring, or “chashma", that provides water for the town.
The highest spot that cars can reach is Prospect Point, which is 2,713 metres (8,901 ft) above sea level and offers a view of the valley stretching out in undulating slopes, about 6 km from Ziarat. From a nearby cliff, one can clearly see the highest peak of the Khilifat Hills. There is a small rest house nearby. Bookings can be made through the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Ziarat.
Sandman Tangi, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from Ziarat, features a dramatic waterfall, and about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the ci
