Harappa

Harappa is located in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and the site lies some 35 kilometres southwest of Sahiwal. Harappa is the first site of the Indus Valley Civilization that was discovered in the 1920s. Harappa is located about 250 kilometres from Lahore. 

Harappa has been the centre of curiosity and interest among history students, historians and archaeologists since its discovery some 85 years ago. A date with history is what takes many tourists to Harappa. Excavations in Harappa have revealed a civilization, which was excellent in town planning and other sphere of every day life. Harappa, the type-site of the Indus civilization, is today a large village in the Montgomery District of Punjab, 15 miles southwest of the district town. It overlies and adjoins the mounds of the ancient city, which appear to have had a circuit of not less than 3 miles, though the more emphatic mounds occupy a considerably smaller expanse.

Pakistan Monument

The National Monument in Islamabad, Pakistan is a national monument representing thefour provinces and three territories of Pakistan.

Designed by Arif Masood the blooming flower shape of the monument represents Pakistan's progress as a rapidly developing country.

The four main petals of the monument represent the four provinces (Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh), while the three smaller petals represent the three territories (Northern Areas, Azad Kashmir and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas).

The Khyber Pass

The Khyber Pass (altitude: 1,070 m or 3,510 ft) is a mountain pass that links Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Throughout history it has been an important trade route between Central Asia and South Asia and a strategic military location. The summit of the Khyber Pass is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) inside Pakistan at Landi Kotal and it cuts through the northeastern part of the Safed Koh mountains which themselves are a far southeastern extension of the Hindu Kush range.

History

In some versions of the Aryan migration theory, the Indo-Aryans migrated to India via the Khyber Pass.

Mazar e Quaid

Mazar e Quaid refers to the tomb of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. It is an iconic symbol of Karachi which was completed in the 1960s. Roughly, the mausoleum is a modernized reminiscent of Ismail Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara.It is also like an authentic contemporary interpretation of traditional sufi shrines, especially the ones in Multan.

Shahi Fort (Qila) Lahore

The Lahore Fort, locally known as Shahi Qila, is located in the northwestern corner of Lahore’s Walled City. The majestic edifice is the result of many centuries’ work. According to the Pakistani historian Wali Ullah Khan, the earliest reference to the Fort comes in the history of  Lahore compiled by Al-Biruni, which refers to a fort constructed in the early 11th century. Munshi Sujan Rae Bhandar, author of the Khulasa-tut-Tawarikh records that Malik Ayaz, a lieutenant of Sultan Mahmud, built a masonry fort at Lahore and inhabited the city. It is generally believed that present Lahore Fort is the same fort, which was damaged by the Mongols in 1241 and again in 1398 by a detachment of Timur’s army, then rebuilt in 1421 by Sayyid, son of Khizr Khan.

Faisal Mosque

The Faisal Mosque in Islamabad is the largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fourth largest mosque in the world. It was the largest mosque in the world from 1986 to 1993 when overtaken in size by the completion of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. Subsequent expansions of the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque) of Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia during the 1990s relegated Faisal Mosque to fourth place in terms of size.

Badshahi Mosque

Close to Minar-e-Pakistan is the magnificent Badshahi mosque, built under the patronage of the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb Alamgir. The moque was completed in 1673 under the supervision of Aurangzeb’s foster brother Muzaffar Hussain who was appointed governor of Lahore in May of 1671 and held this post until 1675.

The Badshahi mosque is adjacent to Lahore Fort, one of the most splendid examples of Mughal architecture in Pakistan. The mosque is one of the largest building made during the reign of Aurangzeb, and in terms of space, it is one of the largest mosque in the Indian subcontinent. The area within the mosque measures approximately 150 meters on each side.

Minar-e-Pakistan

Minar-e-Pakistan is a tall minaret in Iqbal Park Lahore, built in commemoration of the Pakistan Resolution. The minaret reflects a blend of Mughal and modern architecture, and is constructed on the site where on March 23, 1940, seven years before the formation of Pakistan, the Muslim League passed the Pakistan Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan), demanding the creation of Pakistan. This was the first official declaration to establish a separate homeland for the Muslims living in the South Asia.

Katas Fort

The Hindu sacred place “Katas” is located in the salt range at a distance of 18 miles in the south of Chakwal. The mention of Katas is found in “Maha Bharat” which was written in 300 BC. The etymology of this place as narrated in the old edition of “Tarikh-e-Jhelum” is that according to Brahaman’s belief, Shiv Devta wept so profusely on the death of his beloved wife Satti that two holy ponds one at Pushkar of Ajmair and other at Katak Shell came into being with his tears. In Sanskrit, the word “Katak Shell” means chain of tears, which later on was pronounced as “Katas”.