Qualla: White Palace (Marghazar)

White Palace (Marghazar): Introduction

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Power22, CC BY-SA 3.0. Marble from the same quarries that supplied the Taj Mahal, hauled over mountain roads to a hilltop at 7,136 feet in the Swat Valley. Bronze fittings shipped from Belgium. Artisans brought from Turkey to shape it all into something the King of Swat could call his summer retreat. The White Palace at Marghazar is an improbable building in an improbable place -- a gleaming monument to one ruler's ambition, perched above the green terraces and cedar forests of northern Pakistan's most storied valley.

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Image: Power22 | CC BY-SA 3.0

White Palace (Marghazar): A King's Vision in White Stone

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Adilswati, CC BY-SA 3.0. In 1935, the lush landscape around the small town of Marghazar, thirteen kilometers from Saidu Sharif, caught the eye of Miangul Abdul Wadud, the Badshah Sahib -- the first king of the princely state of Swat. He decided to build a summer palace here, and he intended it to rival a...

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Image: Adilswati | CC BY-SA 3.0

White Palace (Marghazar): Rooms Fit for Royalty -- and Royalty Came

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Usman1566, CC BY-SA 4.0. The palace contains 24 spacious rooms arranged across several blocks, each designed with a specific purpose. The Royal Suite served as the king's personal quarters. Two large conference halls hosted cabinet meetings. A king's lobby opens onto views of the garden lawn, while a ver...

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Image: Usman1566 | CC BY-SA 4.0

White Palace (Marghazar): Built Without Cement

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Saleemhayat, CC BY-SA 4.0. What makes the White Palace structurally remarkable is not just its materials but its method. Instead of cement, the builders used chuna -- traditional lime mortar -- as the binding agent. The result is stonework so dense it resists drilling. Ceilings rise thirty to thirty-five f...

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Image: Saleemhayat | CC BY-SA 4.0

White Palace (Marghazar): From Palace to Hotel

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Tahirshalmani7779, CC BY-SA 4.0. After the death of Miangul Abdul Wadud, ownership passed through the royal family -- first to his grandson Miangul Asfandyar Amir Zeb, and now jointly to Miangul Shahriyar Amir Zeb and the three daughters of the late Asfandyar. The palace has been converted into a hotel, and duri...

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Image: Tahirshalmani7779 | CC BY-SA 4.0