The Fairy of Lake Saiful Muluk
High in Pakistan's mountains, people say fairies come down to a lake on full-moon nights, and a prince once waited there for the fairy princess he loved.
What was reported
Lake Saiful Muluk lies at more than 3,200 metres in the Kaghan Valley, ringed by snowy peaks. Its name comes from a legend made famous by the 19th-century Punjabi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh.
Prince Saiful Muluk of Egypt dreamed of Badri-ul-Jamala, a princess of the fairies, and searched the world for her. He found her at this lake, where she came to bathe on moonlit nights, and they escaped together from the giant who held her captive. Local people say fairies still come to the lake when the moon is full.
Explanations offered
The tale is a romance in the tradition of Persian fairy stories, told in poetry. The lake is a glacial lake held in by an old moraine. It's one of Pakistan's best-known beauty spots, and the legend is told to every visitor.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Kaghan Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
- Witnesses
- Folklore of the Kaghan Valley
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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