It was an amazing trip this year, as my family and I visited Naran Kaghan, located approximately five hours away from Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. There were five days of relaxing living at Grey Walls Huts and Cottages, except for one thing: Tapping into the legendary Saif-ul-Malook Lake was an absolute must.
According to folklore, the lake after an Egyptian prince is the main character in its love story. According to local legend, the prince of Egypt, Saif, had an enthralling dream that led to his fabled romance one night. During our tour, a local guide explained to us that Prince Saif dreamed of a lake he’d never seen before, but he dreamed it with such detail that he could see the mountains surrounding it, the sparkling green water at night, and the lush green valley in which it rested. But in that dream, he also saw some ethereal-looking fairies of Koh-e-Kaaf caught his attention as being the most radiant, beautiful, and magnificent had ever seen. A deep pang of sadness had gripped the prince’s heart after he had been awoken by an inexplicable sadness, with tears streaming down his cheeks after meeting the queen fairie, Badr-ul-Jamal.
After waking from a strange dream, Saif told his father he was in love.

His father began planning a wedding, unaware that Saif’s love was for a creature made of fire rather than a human.

Upon hearing this revelation, Saif’s father advised him to abandon all thoughts of seeking a woman. After much persuasion and pleading, Saif finally received his father’s blessing to seek out the woman of his dreams.

For six long years, the prince searched throughout Egypt for the lake he had envisioned, losing himself and feeling hopeless. He became a beggar, a madman wandering the streets of Egypt in tattered clothes and with thinning hair, yet he remained determined to find his happiness. A holy man once addressed him by his princely title, even though he had nearly forgotten his royal roots. In an attempt to guide him, Prince Saif approached the wise man, expecting him to offer him wisdom. The old man replied, “I have been waiting for you, Prince Saif.”
Immediately after this strange encounter, the old man handed Saif a battered sheepskin hat and urged him never to give up; nothing worthwhile comes without effort. It was immediately apparent to Saif that he had arrived in his most desired place, Lake Saif ul Mulook, after he donned the cap.
In the meantime, this cap was famous as the Sulemani Topi, whose wearer could obtain magic powers. The cap came with a caveat, however. As soon as Saif reached the lake, the jinn, the mystical creature that gave the cap its power, instructed him to pray for 40 days, sit in a circle without moving, and refrain from eating, drinking, or sleeping to see the fairy he had traveled to see. As excitement grew from finding the lake faded away, he had searched for so long. However, Saif remained steadfast, taking the challenge on.
Saif’s yearning grew stronger as his face became thinner and his body weakened from hardship. Having lost track of the days, he wondered every night if he would see Badr again. On the full moon, the 14th night of the lunar month, the fairies gathered by the lake to bathe, as they always did.

Astonished by their actions, Saif quickly ran behind a boulder to observe them. Only he realized he needed to take action when the fairies began to leave. To prevent Badr from flying away, he asked the mythical creature, the jinn, to hide the wings she had removed after her bath, ensuring she could not escape.
When the jinn emerged from the water, Badr appeared perplexed. She was left behind by the other fairies when they flew away, knowing their Giant master would be enraged by their late arrival and leave them unable to help her. Finally, Saif apologized for taking her wings and explained the entire journey he had been on to help her understand his actions. But he was surprised to find that Badr had had a similar dream, but never imagined would come true.
They were ecstatic upon discovering this and embraced each other tightly for a long time. However, Badr soon realized how angry her master would be if he found out. She tried to convince Saif to let her go, but he insisted would find a way to make it work. When Deo Safed was infuriated to learn that Badr had been left behind, the giant in charge of the fairies. He set out to find her, his most precious fairy.
The couple became frightened when they heard the giant’s footsteps far away and began praying to God for protection. Due to the giant’s big footsteps, there was a big storm on the lake, and the couple thought their lives were about to end. The two latched onto each other and soon found themselves in a dry and quiet place. A tunnel under the lake appeared to them after they opened their eyes, believing they had died.
In celebration of this accomplishment, they decided to stay together in the tunnel they had carved for themselves for the rest of their lives, avoiding the giant’s wrath. To commemorate this love, they surface on every full moon.’
Incredulous by this romantic folktale, we sought out the majestic lake ourselves and were not disappointed. This emerald-colored lake is surrounded by some of the lushest mountains, making it the perfect location to fall in love with nature, even without fairies. In-person, this is what the lake looks like:

Some locals still believe the couple resurfaces on the full moon night of every lunar month. They warn tourists not to travel to the lake during that period. Additionally, residents have been reported, to hear strange sounds emanating from the lake during full moon nights. While we were in the valley and most locals declined to accompany us to the lake that night, insisting it was haunted by the spirits of star-crossed lovers, a full moon was anticipated, and was unsafe after dark.
As a result, we missed the mysterious sounds and creatures rumored to have been present on those nights. However, the perplexity of this story has left me wanting more, so I will make a return trip to this valley at a full moon and trek to the lake on my own to discover the mystery of the magical lovers.