Madaklasht (Madaklashti: ماداکلشت) is a town located in Lower Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.[3] The town is predominantly inhabited by the Tajik people who speak Madaklashti, a dialect of Persian.[4]

Madaklasht Madaklasht: ماداکلشت Urdu: مدک لشٹ[1]
Town
Madaklasht
Coordinates: 35.7737°N 72.0312°E / 35.7737; 72.0312
Country	Pakistan
Province	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
District	Lower Chitral
Elevation	2,581 m (8,468 ft)
Population [2]
• Total	3,964
Time zone	UTC+05:00 (PKT)

Geography

Madaklasht is located in the Shishikoh Valley, which is part of the former Chitral district.[5] It is 40 km from Chitral city.[6]

History

The people of Madaklasht came to the town during the late eighteenth century.[7] It is said 7 people from Afghanistan's and Tajikistan's Badakhshan region came to Chitral to produce firearms for their kingdom.[3] The people were known by Khowar speakers as Badakhshani and they were ironmongers.[8]

2022 floods

During the 2022 Pakistan floods, the Madaklasht road was flooded, and the town isolated.[9]

Tourism

There is an annual snow Festival in Madaklasht every year, which is part of the Hindukush celebrations in the region.[3] The Provincial Tourism Strategy Board declared a Madaklasht an integrated tourism zone in January 2022,[10] which locals have protested against.[11] Foreign tourists regularly visit the town and locals join them.[12] The snow festival includes skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating as well as an ice hockey match and even a cultural showcase from the locals.[13]

References