Historically Chitral was known as an independent princely state.
After the independence, Chitral was the first state to declare the
accession to Pakistan. In 1970, it was declared as district of Pakistan
and attached to the Malakand Division. The Chitral Valley is the
historic home to two main ethnic groups, Ancient Chitralis and the
Kalasha.
The easiest access to Chitral is in the southwest along the Chitral valley towards Jalalabad; this route is open all year and provides direct access to Kabul. However the Pakistan-Afghanistan border prevents this being used as an internal route to Peshawar and the south.
The other routes are over mountain passes. To the south, the Lowari Pass (3,200m) leads 365km to the region of Peshawar; this is now a road. In the north, the easiest route during summer (it is closed by snow in the winter), and the only one, which allows the use of pack animals, runs over the Broghol Pass (3,798m) to Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor.
The people of the Kalash Valley speak the Kalash language. Urdu is widely spoken and understood in major towns and to some extent Pashto is also spoken.
One of the major attractions of Chitral are the Kalash valleys-the home of the Kafir-Kalash or “Wearers of the Black Robe,” a primitive pagan tribe. There are certain famous places and valleys in Chitral like Garam Chashma valley, Booni, Golen valley, Madaklasht valley, Arandu, Birir, Rumbur and Bumburat.
Unlike
the rest of Pakistan where cricket dominates, polo is most popular
sport, with football being the most played sport. A number of sport
festivals and tournaments are held throughout the year, including the
Shandur polo tournament held at the highest polo ground in the world.