Sights in Pakistan
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Pakistan Monument
Shakarparian is also the site of the impressive reddish-brown granite Pakistan Monument, conceived to represent Pakistan's diverse culture and national unity. Flanked by well-tended gardens and shaped like an unfurling flower, the four main 'petals' represent the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), with the three smaller 'petals' depicting other regions, including Kashmir.
A museum showcases post-independence memorabilia.
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Mausoleum Of Sheikh Rukn-I-Alam
Lying just inside the main entrance to the fort, this masterpiece of Mughal architecture is the most significant and attractive of Multan's shrines. A pious and widely loved scholar, Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fatah (1251-1334), commonly known as Sheikh Rukn-i-Alam (Pillar of the World), became head of the Suhrawardiya Sufi branch introduced to the region by his father Baha-ud-Din Zakaria, and is regarded as the patron saint of Multan.
Built entirely of red brick and timber, the structure is not only beautiful but is skilfully executed, with a brilliant mastery of the squinch (a small arch across the corner of a tower masking the transition from square to dome). It is said that the…
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Qasim Bagh Fort
Multan's most prominent landmark, now largely in ruins except for its gate and part of the outer walls and bastions, is Qasim Bagh Fort, near Hussain Agahi and Chowk Bazaars. In the fort is the Qasim Bagh Stadium that occasionally hosts cricket matches.
Apart from the shrines, most of the fort was destroyed by the British in 1848-49 to avenge the death of Lieutenant Alexander vans Agnew, killed in Multan by order of the Sikh governor. Agnew's memorial obelisk stands on a plinth at one of the highest points of the fort mound. Qasim Bagh, the small garden after which the fort now takes its name, and the large Qasim Bagh Stadium lie to the south. Although you can still walk …
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Mausoleum of Baha-ud-Din Zakaria
Just near the Mausoleum of Sheikh Rukni-Alam, the Mausoleum of Baha-ud-Din Zakaria, father of Rukni-Alam, was built in 1263. A disciple of the Sufi mystic Hazrat Shahabuddin Umar Suhrawardy of Jerusalem, Baha-ud-Din (1182-1262) introduced the Suhrawardiya branch to the subcontinent and founded a university in Multan. His tomb was badly damaged in 1848 but was later restored.
The brick building has a square base and an octagonal second storey supporting a dome, and is decorated with blue tiles and Arabic inscriptions. Although the upper halves of this tomb and Rukn-i-Alam's mausoleum have similar designs from the outside, it's interesting to compare the top-heavy and funct…
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Bahawalpur Museum
Displaying items ranging from calligraphy to artefacts from Moenjodaro, Cholistan and Harappa, Bahawalpur Museum, less than 1km southeast of Farid Gate.
The museum is divided into a Pakistan Movement Gallery of photos; an Islamic Arts Gallery of arms, textiles, graphic arts and metalware; an Archaeological Gallery; a Coins & Medals Gallery with items minted by the former state of Bahawalpur; an Ethnological Gallery with handicrafts from Cholistan and Bahawalpur; a Fabrics Gallery with costumes from the region; and a Manuscripts & Calligraphy Gallery.
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Institute Of Blue Pottery Development
To see the production phases of blue pottery, a traditional craft that is a Multan speciality, visit the small but interesting Institute Of Blue Pottery Development. The lovely items made here are sold in Pakistan and beyond and can also be purchased at the institute's own showroom (prices range from Rs30 for a small vase to Rs7000 for a large one). For an informal tour meet the institute's project director, Mr Shuaib Khan.
An autorickshaw from the city centre is Rs100 (one way). The PTDC and TDCP can arrange tours to the institute (prices on application).
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Mausoleum Of Sultan Ali Akbar
This largely forgotten but impressive 16th century tomb lies in the Suraj Miani suburb to the north of the city centre. Akbar's mother has her own tomb nearby.
To get here take a passenger tonga from the north side of Kutchery Chowk to Suraj Miani in the northern outskirts and then walk 400m east and south, winding through the backstreets. You'll be able to see the huge octagonal building from the tonga. A qinji costs about Rs60 (Rs10 per person if there are six people) or it's Rs70 by autorickshaw.
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Daman-e-Koh
A picnic spot and lookout in the Margalla Hills, Daman-e-Koh has panoramic views over Islamabad and, on the rare clear day, south to the Salt Range. It's a splendid spot to get a sense of the city's layout, with the Shah Faisal Mosque a breathtaking sight. To get here, hop off intercity minibus 1 or 6 at 7th Ave and catch a Suzuki at Khayaban-e-Iqbal, or walk up the steep path behind the small Marghzar Zoo for about 30 minutes.
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Eidgah Mosque
The large Eidgah Mosque, covering an area of some 73m by 16m, was built in 1735 and was later used by the Sikhs as a military garrison. In turn, the British used it as a courthouse (it was here that Agnew was slain) but it was restored to its original use in 1891 and today has some of the finest blue tilework in Multan. The mosque is about 1km north of Qasim Bagh Fort.
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Central Library
Next door to the Bahawalpur Museum, this fine building houses a well-stocked Central Library. The foundation stone was laid by the then viceroy, Sir Rufus Daniel Isaacs, in 1924. The garden is very restful.
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Frere Hall
Many of the city's most architecturally interesting British Raj buildings are now used as government offices. They include Frere Hall.
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Lahore Fort
Built, damaged, demolished, rebuilt and restored several times before being given its current form by Emperor Akbar in 1566 (when he made Lahore his capital), the Lahore Fort is the star attraction of the Old City. Note that the museums here may close an hour or so before sunset.
The fort was modified by Jehangir in 1618 and later damaged by the Sikhs and the British, although it has now been partially restored. Within it is a succession of stately palaces, halls and gardens built by Mughal emperors Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, comparable to and contemporary with the other great Mughal forts at Delhi and Agra in India. It's believed that the site conceals so…
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Smugglers' Bazaar
On the fringes of Peshawar as you head towards the Khyber Pass is the Smugglers' Bazaar (Karkhanai Bazaar). It thrives openly on the sale of goods imported through Pakistan for Afghanistan, then smuggled back through the Tribal Areas to avoid paying duty. Everything is available here from cut-price electronics to clothes and stationery. It's an enormous trade that costs Pakistan millions of dollars annually in lost revenue - enough money to generate the bribes that allow the market to flourish.
Foreigners are banned from entering the far end of the bazaar where guns and drugs are openly on sale - a barrier prevents accidental entry.
The Smugglers' Bazaar and Darra Adam K…
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Uprising Memorial
The Uprising Memorial, is a memorial to those who rose against the Maharaja in 1947. It includes the graves of the local heroes, Mohammed Babar Khan and Safiullah Beg of the Gilgit Scouts, and Mirza Hassan Khan of the Kashmir Infantry.
At Partition, many had anticipated Maharaja Hari Singh's eventual accession to India. A clique of Muslim officers in the Maharaja's own army, led by Colonel Mirza Hassan Khan, had been conspiring to seize Kashmir for Pakistan, but word had got out and Hassan was transferred to Kashmir's 'Siberia', the Bunji garrison south of Gilgit.
Meanwhile, the Gilgit Scouts' Major Mohammed Babar Khan and several fellow officers (and, according to some, t…
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Baltit Fort
The oldest parts of Baltit Fort date from the 13th century. Over the years more houses and towers were added, and it was fortified. To cement an alliance with Baltistan's Maqpon dynasty in the 17th century, Mir Ayesho II (great-grandson of the legendary Girkis) married a daughter of the Balti ruler, who sent artisans to build a fort at nearby Altit. The princess then came to live in Hunza, bringing her own artisans to improve Baltit Fort.
Balti-style renovation continued under the reign of Ayesho II's son. The name Baltit probably dates from this time. The fort took on its present appearance only in the last century or so. Mir Nazim Khan added outer walls and fixed up hi…
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Rohtas Fort
Some 16km northwest of Jhelum, colossal Rohtas Fort is an extraordinary example of military architecture. It was started in 1543 by the Pashtun ruler Sher Shah Suri, to protect the strategic Peshawar to Calcutta (now Kolkata) road from the Mughals and their allies. He never lived to see its completion and work was carried on by succeeding rulers. However, it was soon made redundant when Akbar moved his frontier to Attock and built a new fort there.
The vast fort is now in ruins except for the crenulated outer walls and most of its 12 gates and 68 bastions. The best-preserved remains are to the west; walk through the town to the western Sohal Gate to start your exploration…
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Buddhist Monastery
This Buddhist Monastery sat on a commanding rocky hill 15km northwest of Mardan is by far NWFP's stand-out Gandharan site, and compares more than favourably with Taxila near Islamabad. It thrived between the 1st and 7th centuries AD before being abandoned, finally giving up its secrets to British archaeologists from 1907-13, who also reconstructed parts of the site.
You enter through a courtyard that at one time held at least 35 stupas and 30 little chapels with Buddha statues. A few statues have been left in situ, the rest are in the Peshawar Museum. The walls would have been plastered, but now reveal the amazing dry stone walling techniques that constructed the complex.…
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Faqir Khana Museum
About 500m inside Bhatti Gate on the right-hand side, a small mansion houses the Faqir Khana Museum. It houses the treasures of the Faqir family, who have lived in Lahore since the 18th century. It is said to be the largest private collection in south Asia, with over 13,000 pieces of art.
The head of the Lahore branch of the family was a fakir (Muslim ascetic) from Bukhara whose three sons achieved prominence in the court of Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh, despite being Muslims. One son was royal physician, another a foreign minister and the third a finance minister. Largely as a result of their ties with Ranjit Singh, they amassed many valuable antiquities, as direct or hand-me…
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Shah Faisal Mosque
The eye-popping Shah Faisal Mosque, nestled at the foot of the Margalla Hills, is one of Asia's largest and reflects an eclectic blend of ultramodern and traditional architectural design styles. Topped by sloping roofs (a stark contrast to the traditional domes found on most mosques), the main prayer hall and courtyard is said to hold around 100,000 people. Most of its cost (pegged at about US$120 million today) was a gift from King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
Designed by a Turkish architect, Vedat Dalokay, and built between 1976 and 1986, the mosque's geometric design (modelled on a desert tent) and clean lines make the impressive scale hard to discern until you are up close…
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Badshahi Mosque
Completed in 1674 under Aurangzeb as the Mughals' final architectural fling, the sublime Badshahi Mosque, opposite the main gateway to the Lahore Fort, is one of the world's largest mosques. Replete with huge gateways, four tapering minarets of red sandstone, three vast marble domes and an open courtyard said to hold up to 100,000 people, it was damaged by the British and later restored.
The rooms (admission Rs5) above the entrance gate are said to house hairs of the Prophet Mohammed and other relics. The mosque looks lovely when it's illuminated in the evening.
In 1991 the mosque grabbed international headlines when hardline mullahs (Muslim religious leaders) protested at…
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Khunjerab Pass
Much of the Pakistan side of the Khunjerab Pass that links Pakistan with China on the Karakoram Highway is within the Khunjerab National Park (KNP), established in 1975. A KNP resthouse at Dih may be available to the public if no officials are using it. From Dih to the pass it's about 50km (32mi).
The pass is one of the few known habitats of the big, curly-horned Marco Polo sheep, of which there are now only a few hundred in the world. It's also home to Himalayan ibex, golden marmots, wolves, snow leopards and more.
Scattered along the KKH are deserted concrete buildings: hostels for Chinese KKH workers, built in the late '60s when the road was being laid to Gulmit. At Ko…
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Ganish Village
The restoration of Ganish Village is particularly good and won a Unesco Asia Pacific Heritage Award. While Baltit Fort shows how the cream of society lived, Ganish shows another side of traditional Hunza life. Behind a shaded, tranquil tank are several richly carved wooden mosques, 100 to 200 years old, the restoration of which clinched the award. Legend has it that Ganish warriors practised their river-crossing techniques in the tank before crossing the Hunza River to attack Nagyr villages.
The timber-and-stone watchtower from the days of war with Nagyr is a tight squeeze but worth the climb. Particularly interesting is the use of the cool glacier meltwater to store food…
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Jehangir's Tomb
Standing in a garden on the northern outskirts of Lahore, the elaborately decorated sandstone Jehangir's Tomb is that of Emperor Jehangir. Built in 1637 by Jehangir's son, Shah Jahan, it's believed to have been designed by Jehangir's widow, Nur Jahan. The tomb is made of marble with trellis decorations of pietra dura bearing the 99 attributes of Allah in Arabic calligraphy. These are inside a vaulted chamber, decorated with marble tracery and cornered with four minarets.
Outside is a sunken passageway with one tunnel supposedly leading to Shalimar Gardens and another to Hiran Minar - both tunnels are now bricked up.
The entrance to the tomb courtyard lies on the right-hand…
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Petroglyphs
Chilas is surrounded by wonderful Petroglyphs, which are easy to access, though be prepared for high temperatures and take plenty of water. There is a sign to the 'Chilas II' site near the KKH police checkpoint. Less than 1km down a jeep track there is a huge rock covered with hunting and battle scenes and Buddhist stupas. A common image is the long-horned ibex, ancient symbol of fertility and abundance, and an elusive trophy animal even now.
On a rocky knoll facing the river are the oldest inscriptions, from the 1st century AD: scenes of conquest and stories of the Buddha's life. Four kilometres east beside the jeep bridge to Thalpan is the 'Chilas I' site, with art foun…
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