It was called "Kaspeiria" by the ancient Greeks. In classical literature Herodotus calls it "Kaspatyrol". Xuanzang, the Chinese monk who visited Kashmir in 631 AD called it "Kia-shi-mi-lo". Tibetans called it Khachal, meaning "snowy mountain". It is and has been a land of rivers, lakes and wildflowers. The Jhelum River runs the entire length of the valley. The valley is d by snow-capped mountains on all sides. Lakes such as Dal Lake and nearby Nagin Lake have hundreds of houseboats. This is from the British Raj era when s were not allowed to buy land here. So they constructed large wooden houseboats to spend the summers in. This, in turn, has led to houseboat hotels. Many are decorated with wood s and Victorian era furniture. 