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 Pakistanis
truly take pride in
their 5,000 years
old history which
goes back even
further into the
hoary past yet
untraced.
In the words of Sir
Mortimer Wheeler,
famed British
Archaeologist,
Pakistan enjoys a
high international
position in the
history of past
achievements by
virtue of possessing
the greatest
vestiges of one of
the first three
mature civilizations
of the world.
To get a taste of
the rich cultural
heritage of Pakistan
one may visit The
National
Ethnographic Museum,
Lok Mela Folk Art
and Craft Fair, Shah
Faisal Mosque, one
of Asia's largest
most impressive.
While in Peshawar, a
few kilometers from
the Khyber Pass, one
may find a mix of
Pakhtun, Afghan, and
Chitral people to
name a few. The Old
City has a special
bazaar for every
kind of handmade
crafts, brass,
leather, jewellery,
many from tribal
areas of the
Northwest Frontier
Province. Excellent
ethnographic museum
and collection of
Gandhara art.
Possible to see
Khattak dance
performance. One of
the major
attractions of
Chitral, is the
famous Kalash valley
- the home of the
Kafir-Kalash or
"Wearers of the
Black Robes", a
primitive pagan
tribe. Their
ancestry is
enveloped in mystery
and is the subject
of controversy. A
legend says that
five soldiers of the
legions of Alexander
of Macedonia settled
in Chitral and are
the progenitors of
the Kafir-Kalash.
A few miles from
Rawalpindi is
Takht-e-Bai, which
hosts numerous
Buddhist shrines
dating from the 1st
to 7th B.C. While in
Lahore one may drive
south into Punjab,
where there is the
famous Rohtas Fort,
a magnificent
example of military
architecture, the
construction of
which started in the
mid - 16th Century.
The old City of
Lahore has artisan
workshops and the
Famed Shalimar
Gardens. The Sunehri
Masjid (Golden
Mosque) is called so
because of its three
golden domes and
dazzling gold plated
minarets. Here also
is the museum
dedicated to
Mohammed Abdur
Rahman Chughtai,
master artist and "reinventor"
of Mughal and
Persian painting
traditions. One may
also pay a visit to
the Lahore Fort,
which is a palace of
immense proportions.
The Royal Quarters
have brilliant
examples of design
and handicraft
techniques, no
longer practiced.
By heading southwest
towards the Mid
Indus River one may
reach the culturally
rich city of Multan.
This town has a most
distinctive
structure - the
shrine of Shah
Rukn-iAlam. The
Hussein Agahi Bazaar
also has crafts
traditional to this
area. Across the
River and south of
Dera Ghazi Khan, is
Choti the home of
 the chief of the Leghari Baluch
tribe. This
remarkable residence
is a prime example
of Mughal
architecture and
interior design.
East of Multan is
the area of
Cholistan, where you
may be able to meet
some of nomadic
people and get a
glimpse of their
unique dress, learn
about their crafts
and perhaps see the
"Camel dance".
The Bahawalpur area
is famous for its
varied handicrafts.
The ethnographic
museum has a
remarkable
collection of
textiles,
embroideries,
jewellery and
costumes from
Cholistan. Near Kot
Diji is the
Talpurian Fort, a
huge brick
construction built
on several levels,
and Methelo, the
abode of Sindhi
master of
embroidery.
Embroidery on
leather can be found
in Shikarpur and
Khairpur regions.
You can visit the
town of Thatta,
located near
Karachi. It holds a
site of a brick
mosque with 93 domes
which is another
remarkable example
of Mughal
architecture. This
is an area of
magnificent
handicrafts, among
them textiles with
block printing and
bandhani are of
great admiration.
The Makli Hill area
has hundreds of
tombs, with a unique
construction and
ornate inscribed
stonework.
Pakistan is a great
reservoir of the
heritage of the
Indus, & Gandhara
Civilizations. With
layers of various
Gandhara Kingdoms,
it is unsurpassed as
a treasure house of
the Greco-Buddhist
sculptures &
artifacts. Moghul
monuments are strewn
all over the
country. |
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