Saidu Sharif is the administrative capital of Swat District and effectively the southern half of the twin city it forms with neighbouring Mingora. The town grew around the shrine of the Akhund of Swat, a 19th-century religious leader, and the white-domed shrine is still a focal point.
For visitors, Saidu Sharif is mainly a base: the Swat Museum, the Butkara and Saidu Sharif stupas, government offices, and the regional hospital are all clustered here. The street running between Saidu and Mingora is the main commercial axis. A short trip up to Marghazar from town brings you to the cool wooded slopes of the former summer palace of the Wali of Swat.