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Soon Valley (Punjabi language, ), also known as Soon Sakesar Valley, is in the north west of Khushab District of Punjab, Pakistan. Its largest settlement is the town of Naushera. The valley extends from the village of Padhrar to Sakesar, the highest peak in the Salt Range. The valley is long and has an average width of . It covers a area. Soon Valley has a number of , , jungle, natural pools and . The valley has been settled since ancient times, most recently by the Awan tribe, which still resides in the valley.SIR LEPEL H. GRIFFIN writes in his book 'The Panjab Chiefs' (1865 Edition) p.570-571., that "All branches of the tribe (Awan) are unanimous in stating that they originally came from neighbourhood of Ghazni to India, and all trace their genealogy to Hasrat Ali the son-in-law of the Prophet. Kutab Shah, who came from Ghazni with Sultan Mahmud, was the common ancestor of the Awans……. It was only in the Rawalpindi, Jehlum and Shahpur districts that they became of any political importance……..In Shahpur District the Awans held the hilly country to the north west, Jalar, Naushera and Sukesar, where the head of the tribe still resides." H.A. Rose writes,"But in the best available account of the tribe, the Awans are indeed said to be of Arabian origin and descendants of Qutb Shah" 'A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province'A glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and North-West ..., Volume 1 By H.A. RoseThe Soon Valley. http://visitorsheaven.com/Soon%20Sakesar.php
The peak of Mount Sakesar is at above sea level. It was once the summer headquarters of the Deputy Commissioners of three districts – Campbellpur (now Attock District), Mianwali and Shahpur (now Sargodha). It is the only mountain in this part of the Punjab which receives snowfall in winter. In the late 1950s, the Pakistan Air Force placed PAF Base Sakesar, a radar station on Sakesar to monitor airspace over north-eastern Pakistan. Also on the mountain is a Pakistan Television Corporation transmission center.Complete information for tourists visiting Soon Valley http://visitsoonvalley.com/
The Awans of the Soon Valley were also amongst those the British considered to be "martial race".Lord Roberts who served as Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian army from 1885 to 1893 enunciated the theory of martial races. During this period the British were suspicious of the Russian advance towards India and Roberts wanted to create an efficient army to face the Russians in case of an invasion by the latter. According to him the most suitable persons for army were available in the north-west part of India, and he wanted that recruitment should be confined to that area only. He justified his theory on the ground that people in some region had become unfit to bear arms because of the softening and deteriorating effects of long years of peace and sense of security in those regions. Lord Roberts, Forty-one years in India (London: 1897), p. 383. The British recruited army heavily from Soon Valley for service in the colonial army, and as such, the Awans of this area also formed an important part of the British Indian Army, serving with distinction during World Wars I and II. All of the Muslim groups recruited by the British, proportionally, the Awans produced the greatest number of recruits during the First and Second World Wars. Contemporary historians Professor Ian Talbot and Professor Tan Tai Yong have asserted that the Awans (amongst other tribes) are viewed as a martial race by not only the British, but neighbouring tribes as well. Awans occupy the highest ranks of the Pakistani Army. A village by the name of Manawan (formerly Man Awan – The heart of the Awans) is also among the notable historical villages of the valley.
The agency Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) organized a report and initiated Soon Valley Development Program (SVDP) for agriculture, plantation, water system and dams.
Luddi is a folk dance for celebratory occasions, when the music is often played on the dhol drum and shehnai oboe.
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