Saidpur Village
Saidpur is a village and union council (UC-1) located in a ravine in Pakistan in the Margalla Hills, near the Daman-e-Koh overlook, in the Islamabad Capital Territory. It is a Mughal Era village that has a wide spectrum of religious and cultural heritage. It serves as a tourist spot for locals as well as foreigners.
The village also has an animal market, which provides a source of income to its dwellers. Some shops sell locally made pottery items and handicrafts. A 2015 estimate puts the village's population at between 12,000 and 15,000.
History
Establishment and early years
The area around the village has been a part of several civilizations, including the Gandhara, the Buddhists, the Greeks, Ashoka of the Maurya Empire, the Mughal Empire, and the British Raj. One of the oldest villages in the region that is still inhabited, Saidpur was founded in 1530 by Mirza Fateh Ali. It was named Fatehpur Baoli after its founder. The village was transferred to Said Khan Gakhar by Emperor Akbar as a reward for the Gakhar family's services in the war effort against Sher Shah Suri. As a result, the settlement was renamed to 'Saidpur'. Sultan Said Khan was the son of Sultan Sarang Khan, a chief of the Potohar area during the reign of Mughal Emperor Babur.
Several years later, Said Khan's daughter married Akbar's son, Saleem (who later ascended the throne as Emperor Jahangir). Her father gave her Saidpur as a wedding gift. Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, Jahangir's autobiography, mentions his stay at a village "beyond Rawalpindi", believed to be Saidpur, en route to Kabul. The village was a garden resort at that time, and a natural spring flowed across it, providing water for drinking and irrigation.
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