Peshawar
Peshawar derives its name from a Sanskrit word "Pushpapura" meaning the city of flowers. Peshawar's flowers were mentioned even in Mughal Emperor Babar's memories. Alexander's legions and the southern wing of his army were held up here in 327 B.C. for forty days at a fort excavated recently, 27 1/2 kms north-east of Peshawar at Pushkalavati (lotus city) near Charsada.
The great Babar marched through historic Khyber Pass to conquer South Asia in 1526 and set up the Moghal Empire in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent.The Khyber Pass and the valley have resounded to the tramp of marching feet as successive armies hurtled down the crossroad of history, pathway of commerce, migration and invasion by Aryans, Scythians. Persians, Greeks, Bactrians, Kushans, Huns, Turks' Mongols and Moghals. 
Peshawar is now, as always, very much a frontier town. The formalities of dress and manner give way here to a free and easy style, as men encounter men with a firm hand-clasp and a straight but friendly look. Hefty handsome men in baggy trousers and long, loose shirts, wear bullet studded bandoliers across their chests or pistols at their sides as a normal part of their dress.
There is just that little touch of excitement and drama in the air that makes for a frontier land. An occasional salvo of gun fire, no, not a tribal raid or a skirmish in the streets but a lively part of wedding celebrations.
Remember, we are in the land of the Pathans - a completely male-dominated society. North and south of Peshawar spreads the vast tribal area where lives the biggest tribal society in the world, and the most well known, though much misrepresented.Pathans are faithful Muslims. Their typical martial and religious character has been molded by their heroes, like Khushhal Khan Khattak, the warrior poet and Rehman Baba, a preacher and also a poet of Pushto language.
Today, they themselves guard the Pakistan-Afghanistan border along the great passes of the Khyber, the Tochi, the Gomal and others on Pakistan's territory, but before independence they successfully defied mighty empires, like the British and the Moghal and other before them, keeping the border simmering with commotion, and the flame of freedom proudly burning.
Peshawar is the great Pathan city. And what a city! Hoary with age and the passage of twenty-five centuries, redolent with the smell of luscious fruit and roasted meat and tobacco smoke, placid and relaxed but pulsating with the rhythmic sound of craftsmen's hammers and horses' hooves, unhurried in its pedestrian pace and horse-carriage traffic, darkened with tall houses, narrow lanes and overhanging balconies, intimate, with its freely intermingling crowd of townsmen, tribal, traders and tourists - this is old Peshawar, the journey's end or at least a long halt, for those traveling up north or coming down from the Middle East or Central Asia, now as centuries before when caravans unloaded in the many caravan series now lying deserted outside the dismantled city walls or used as garages by the modern caravans of far-ranging buses.
Attock Fort
It is situated about 101 km west of Islamabad on the left bank of Indus River. The fort was completed in 1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, a minister of Emperor Akbar. The Mughal caravan sarai outside the fort, which is almost on the G.T. Road, was also built during this period. Please note that no visitors are allowed inside the Fort.
Takht-i-Bhai
Takht-i-Bhai is another well-known and preserved monument, a Buddhist monastery located on a rocky ridge about 10 miles northeast of Mardan. This structure dates back to two to five century AD and stands 600 feet above the plane. The feature, which distinguishes this site from others, is its architectural diversity and its romantic mountain setting. The uphill approach has helped in the preservation of the monument.
The exposed buildings here include the main stupa and two courtyards in different terraces surrounded by votive stupa and shrines, the monastic quadrangles surrounded by cells for the monks, and a large hall of assembly. In one of the stupa courtyard is a line of colossal Buddhas, which were originally 16 to 20 feet high.
The site's fragmentary sculptures in stone and stucco are a considerable wealth but its most remarkable feature is the peculiar design and arrangement of the small shrines, which surround the main stupa. These shrines stood upon a continuous sculptured podium and were crowned alternately with stupa-like finials forming an ensemble. The beauty and grandeur provided by the entire composition is unparallel in the Buddhist world.
Takht-i-Bhai had a wealth of ancient Buddhist remains. A long range of different sized Buddha and Buddhistavvas from Takht-i-Bhai fill many museums. Some of the best pieces of Gandhara sculpture, now to be found in the museums of Europe, were originally recovered from Takht-i-Bhai.
Khyber Pass
The prime attraction in this region is the Khyber Pass situated in the Sulaiman Hills which form the western barrier of Pakistan. The hills dip down here, leaving a passage sometimes as broad as 1 1/2 kms and sometimes as narrow as 16 meters. The pass begins near Jamrud Fort 18 kms from Peshawar and extends beyond the border of Pakistan at Torkham 58 kms away.
You may travel by road from Peshawar via Jamrud fort which lies amongst low stony hills capped with pickets manned by Khyber Rifles. Also on the way you will see Ali Masjid and the fort with insignia of the regiments that have served in the Khyber. On route is also the Sphola sputa of Buddhist period and Landikotal Bazaar until you reach the border post at Torkham. The other exciting way of seeing Khyber Pass is to undertake a 42 kms and 3 1/2 hours journey to Landikotal by the equally legendary Khyber Railway.
Swat Valley
Valley of Swat, with its rushing torrents, lakes, fruit-laden orchards and flower-bedecked slopes is an idyllic valley. It has a rich historical past. It was described as "Udayana" (the garden) in ancient Hindu epics where Alexander of Macedon fought and won some of his major battles before crossing over to the plain of Pakistan.
Swat was once the cradle of Buddhism where at one time more than 1,400 monasteries flourished. It was the hub of the Gandhara school sculpture which was an expression of Graeco-Roman style mixed with the local Buddhist traditional sculpture.
The valley of Swat sprawls over 10,360 sq.kms. The normal temperature is maximum 21.11C and minimum 7.22C. Tourist season is all year round. The main town of the valley is Saidu Sharif with a museum which houses most archaeological finds excavated in the area.
Chitral-Kalash Valleys
A 50 minutes flight from Peshawar takes you to the north-western extremity of Pakistan where lies the exotic valley of Chitral. Towering the valley is the majestic 7,705 meters high Trichmir peak. In three narrow valleys about 40 kms from the town of Chitral live the famous Kafir Kalash tribe. They are known the world over for their primitive pagan traditions and their love for dance and music. Chitral has many sculpture springs and is popular for trekking and mountaineering. Facilities exist for trout fishing. There are a number of hotels in Chitral proper.
