KARACHI UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL (KUBS)

UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI
PAKISTAN STUDIES
Final term lecture Mam Seema Akhtar
Historical Places in Pakistan
Pakistan is a country which is absolutely a gem for the tourists.
The main reason is that it has got flavor for all types of tourists
and beautiful locations, mountains, landscapes, large cities and
the historic places can be witnessed here. The historical places
in Pakistan dominate the entire arena because of its rich history
and one of the oldest civilizations of this world had lived where
Pakistan stands today.
Pakistan is a country in which you would find a variety of
historical places that signify the unique traditions and culture of
the country. These places are of extraordinary significance for
people interested in history, at the same time they may act as
an attraction for tourists. The tourism industry of Pakistan
flourishes because of the existence of beautiful historical sites
in the country.
HARAPPA
. Harappa is situated approximately 200 km from Lahore in the
Montgomery District of Punjab. It is the place of the historic
Indus Valley Civilization settlement which is as old as 5000 years
and is a civilization which the modern day people almost forgot
about. A beautifully designed civilization which was discovered
in 1920 has all elements of a modern day arrangement of a city.
It had an exceptional sewerage system, drinking water wells
and a high quality waste disposal system. The Harappans were
agrarian people and experts believe they had a system of
government for the distribution of the wealth of food.
Mohenjo-Daro
Mohenjo-Daro is probably the most attractive historic Place in the country which
is famous all through the world. It is part of the Larkana District of the province of
Sindh and it is just at the right bank of the mighty River Indus. The Mohenjo-Daro
is a 5000 years old city which is the oldest civilization known to man after the
Chinese. It was also the urbanized and the largest civilization in South Asia. They
were first discovered in the year 1922 but, it was the year 1965 when significant
excavations were completed. Now, people come from all over the places to
witness this historic site.

Mohenjo-Daro was discovered in 1922 and is one of the oldest and most built up
urban civilizations of the world. It is located on the west bank of the Indus River
and it is a tiny proportion of the Indus river civilization of Harappa. Experts believe
that the city was one of the most important in the Indus Valley Civilization and
would have held majority of the trade courses and strength of the Southern Indus
Plain between 2600 and 1900 BCE. All the houses in the city had areas for bathing
and water wells were located in multiple spots all across the city. It had the most
amazing drainage system and many of the modern day civilizations use the model
of Mohenjo-Daro’s drainage system to build new ones.
Lahore Fort and the Shalamar Gardens
These places in Lahore tell about the charismatic approach of the Mughal dynasty
when it comes to making some really attention-grabbing beautiful constructions.
They both are distinct places and the royal complexes of the unforgettable
Mughal era. The Fort is very prominently located in the northwest part of the
Lahore city which has been renovated several times all through its history. The
Shalamar Gardens on the other side is the Royal Mughal Gardens with beautiful
lawns, fountains and beautiful constructions. It was built by Shah Jahan in the
year 1642.

Makli
Makli is actually a necropolis in the famous and the historic city of Thatta. The
history of Makli dates back to the 14th century. People flock here from different
parts of the country and even from outside Pakistan for witnessing the amazing
mausoleums and the monuments in the country. The best thing about the place is
that it is built with the use of some really top quality stone, glazed tiles and the
bricks which represents the actual Sindh civilization of the time.

Takht-i-Bahi
The literal meaning of Takht-i-Bahi is the ‘spring throne’ which refers to the
monastic complex of the Buddhists dating back to the 1st century BC. It is situated
right up a 152 m hill and the place is about 16 km from Mardan city and some 80
odd km from the Peshawar city. It has four major parts which are its Stupas
courts, monastic complex, tantric complex and a temple complex.

Taxila

Taxila is another place which holds much significance when talking

about the historical places of Pakistan. It is located 30 km North West
of the Rawalpindi city and it is considered to be one of the most
significant historical locations in Asia. The city is known for prospering
culturally and economically from the 1st to 5th century AD. The city
comprises of a variety of buildings, settlements and castles. It also used
to be the capital of the Budhist Kingdom so tourists might come across
multiple Budha monuments in the city.
Taxila is a great archeological site which is very much approachable and nearby
the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad. The history of this city takes us back to the
Gandhara period and now it holds the ruins of that civilization. It used to be a very
critical place in the history for the Hindus and the Buddhists.

Minar-e-Pakistan
The literal meaning of Minar-e-Pakistan is the ‘Tower of Pakistan’. It is situated
right at the heart of Lahore city and it took about 8 years to complete in the year
1968. The history of this place is that the famous Lahore resolution in the year
1940 was passed at this location by the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam

Rohtas Fort
This fort was actually built as a garrison by the the ruler of the area, Sher Shah
Suri. It is located near Jhelum, Punjab at a distance of just about 15 km. This fort is
loved by all because of its exceptional architecture and apart from this it also
beautifully reflects the Islamic architecture of military. It was built with the help of
architectural intelligence of the designers from the Indian subcontinent and
Turkey

Badshahi Mosque
The Great Badshahi Mosque is one of the oldest mosques of the region which was
built in the Mughal Era by the Great Emperor Aurangzeb. It was constructed in
the year 1671 and today it is the second largest mosque in the country after Shah
Faisal Mosque. It can accommodate as much as 100,000 worshippers at a time
when all its halls and courtyards are occupied. It was till 1986, that this historic
mosque was known as the largest mosque in the world. But, with Shah Faisal
Masjid and several other mosques in the entire world were constructed which
were bigger than this one