Besham
Besham (also known as Besham Qala) is the largest town and commercial centre of the Shangla District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Most of the population is pashto speaking pashtun [locally Pukhtun].
Besham's shops remained open 24 hours a day due to its geographic position, as it is on the famous Silk route which connects Pakistan with China. Besham shops are famous for their china and international goods. In summer this small town is the centre of international and national holiday makers who use this route to visit the Northern areas of Pakistan.
There is a civil hospital which was upgraded to the Tehsil level. As the Besham city located at very important place in the area, there are many governmental and non governmental organization offices exist here. Indus Social and Development Organization (ISWDO) is one of the development organization having its head office in Besham. ISWDO is working for the development of the people of the Shangla and Kohistan since 2001. ISWDO has implemented many projects being Implementing Partner (IP) of many national and International organizations.
Besham is a good education centre and lots of students from surrounding areas study there, as the schools' standard is very high and competitive.
Coordinates: 34°56′15″N 72°52′45″E / 34.93750°N 72.87917°E