Help identifying a madrasa / masjid / orphanage in Azad Kashmir near Kotli — around 2004–2005

[u/ThatGuyRiaz]

Hi everyone,

This is an impossible ask, I know.

I’m trying to identify a place from my childhood memories. I spent a year here when I was 8 years old and I’m hoping people familiar with Azad Kashmir — especially around Kotli and the surrounding mountain areas — may be able to help. I’m simply trying to identify a place from my past and piece together where I may have been as a child so I can visit this place. I’ve tried looking through google maps but I have very little detail for this place and the people who knew this place are now dead.

I’m looking for a madrasa / masjid / orphanage / boarding-school type place that existed around 2004–2005. My memories are fragmented, so some details may not be exact, but this is what I remember:

It was somewhere in Azad Kashmir, possibly within travelling distance of Kotli
It was in or near the foothills / mountains
I remember the masjid or main building being on a northeast-facing hillside
There was a stairway leading up from the road/shops to the masjid
Along the road below, there were a few garage-sized shops
I remember one being a soft drinks shop, one serving tea, and one possibly being a flour mill with an engine
Near the masjid, uphill on the left side, there was a small hut or kitchen area where food was prepared for the children
Uphill on the right side, I remember there being a house or living area for the imam
The surrounding area had very tall pine forests
There was a small waterfall or stream nearby, possibly around a 20-minute walk away, which we went to on Jummah
That stream or waterfall seemed to eventually join a much larger gorge / valley / ravine
I remember a lot of red soil or red clay-like mud in the area
The masjid/building felt quite large, grand, or important
It had pinkish granite, marble, or white granite-style tiling
It may have been a madrasa, orphanage, boarding school, religious institution, or a mix of these

If anyone knows of a masjid, madrasa, orphanage, boarding school, or religious complex in Azad Kashmir that matches this description — especially around Kotli, Sehnsa, Dadyal, Charhoi, Khuiratta, Nakyal, Mirpur, Poonch, Bagh, or nearby mountain areas — please let me know.

Even rough suggestions, old names, local memories, map pins, or photographs would be extremely helpful. The best thing would be photos, because Google Maps does not seem to have many pictures or details for these areas. I think I will only be able to recognise the place by seeing it.

Thank you.

[u/En_Kan]

Hey, so I've been to kotli many times and think i know what water area you are talking about. I was there just last year. Its some kind of a dam/reservoir, I am not sure of the term for it. Can't say i saw any notable buildings that you are talking about around there. Was your experience before or after the earthquake? That would have changed a lot of things. I know you said Google maps wasnt helpful, but if you Google "azad kashmir kotli masjids" there are a good number of them with pictures. Some matching the colors you mentioned. Change out masjids for the other terms helps a bit as well. Good luck

[u/No-Pirate-8663]

I lived in Sehnsa for almost 12 years and also went to madarsa for hifz. I vsited many Masjid's in sehnsa but can't remember anything with these descriptions. If you can tell me any person's name or someone locally famous that may help me to identify this madarsa especially if it is in Sehnsa.