Shangla District is located in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district headquarters are located at Alpuri. It was previously a subdivision of Swat District, but was upgraded to the status of a district on July 10, 1995 by the then Chief Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao. The total area of the district is 1,586 square kilometres. Shangla comprises two sub division, Alpuri and Puran Tehsil. There are four (4) sub tehsils i.e. Besham, Chakesar, Martung and Makhuzai. Shangla has the lowest Human Development Index in the province and second lowest in the country.
The district is bounded in the north by Kohistan District, in the east by Battagram District and the tribal area of Kala Dhaka(Black Mountain of Hazara), in the west by Swat District and in the south by Buner District.
There are relics of the ancient Greek period at Pirsar, Chakesar and Daut. it is believed that Alexander the Great camped at Pirsar for a few days. There are also relics of the Hindu Shahi in Qlandar-Ajmair. Alexander the great visied Persar Dandai and then went back from the place without further conquering.
The highest point of the district is Shangla Top (7001 feet or 2,125 meters above sea level), 56 km from Saidu Sharif and 45 km from Besham (Karakoram Highway), connected through a paved single road. The only accommodation available is the Forest Rest House at Shangla Top. It receives an average snowfall from 5 to 8 feet in winter. There is a trout hatchery in Alpuri proper. From Alpuri, on way to village Lilonai, there is a beautiful lake called Bashigram.
Places to Viist:
- Yakhtangi
- Chakaisar
- Kayel
- Pirsar
Languages:
Pashto language speakers are in majority but Hindko ( A Punjabi dialect), Gujri and Kohistani are also spoken. Urdu being National language is also spoken and understood.
Contents Taken From: wikipedia.org, zamaswat.com, guides2pakistan