The Shahi Mosque in Chitral

Chitral was a princely state with its own sovereign rule until it decided to merge with West Pakistan in 1969. Chitral is home to fourteen diverse languages, however, the one most commonly spoken is Khowar. Chitral in Khowar is actually ‘Chitrar’ with a strong ‘r’ at the end. According to local historians, there are a lot of theories about the coining of the name ‘Chitral’ out of which the most famous is the meaning attached to the word Chitrar. In Khowar it translates to persons of great resilience, strength and patience.