Islamabad

Islamabad is Pakistan taking a deep breath — a purpose-built 1960s capital of wide avenues, modernist sectors, mountain views, and unusual calm. Its letter-number grid gives the city a planned elegance, making it a notable example of a modern capital built from scratch. The Margalla Hills rise minutes from downtown with pine forests, hiking trails, and viewpoints, while Murree and the higher Galiyat turn the capital into a gateway to cool hill-station air, winding mountain roads, and elevations that climb beyond 8,000 feet. Faisal Mosque, shaped like a Bedouin tent, glows below the hills as one of the city’s great icons. Then Rawalpindi, just south, flips the mood completely: old, loud, bazaar-dense, and full of street-life energy. Islamabad gives you calm, design, and mountain light; Rawalpindi gives you pulse and spice.