Multan

Multan (help·info) (Urdu: ملتان) is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province. It has a population of over 3.8 million (according to 1998 census), making it the sixth largest city of Pakistan. It is built just east of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic center of the country and about 966 km from Karachi.

Multan is known as the 'City of Sufi Saints (Pir) and Shrines'. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and superbly designed tombs. A network of rails, highways and air flights has Multan well connected to the rest of the world.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Geography and climate
3 Demographics
4 Economy
5 Educational institutions
6 Tourism
7 Sites of interest
8 See also
9 External links



[edit] History
Main article: History of Multan
Multan is one of the oldest cities in South Asia, the exact age has yet to be determined. Its modern name comes from its old Sanskrit name Mūlasthān. It has seen a lot of warfare because of its location on a major invasion route between South Asia and Central Asia. It is famous for its Sufi shrines.

Multan was ruled by various Hindu empires for over 1000 years. It is believed to have been visited by Alexander the Great. It is said that when Alexander was fighting for the city, a poisoned arrow struck him, making him ill- and eventually leading to his death. The exact place where Alexander was hit by the arrow can be seen in the old city premises. It is believed to be the same city as "Maii-us-than", where Alexander's forces stormed the citadel after seeing their king injured and unconscious on the field of battle. Multan was part of the Mauryan and the Gupta empires that ruled much of northern India. In the mid 5th century, the city was attacked by a group of nomads led by Toraman. These nomads were successful in taking the city, but did not stay, and the long-standing Hindu/Zorastrian rule over the city was reestablished. The noted Chinese traveler Huen Tsang visited Multan in 641 AD.

During the Pre-Islamic period, Multan was known as the city of gold for its large and wealthy temples. The Sun temple, Suraj Mandir, was considered one of the largest and wealthiest temples in the entire sub-continent. Numerous historians have written about this extremely large Hindu temple that housed over 6,000 people within it. Other famous sites included the Suraj Kund ("pool of the Sun") and Temple of Prahladapuri. Story of Prahlada from whom the temple took its name is interesting.

Prahlada was the son of King Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu held sway over this country and condemned the gods and forbade the paying of homage in their name. Prahlada was recognized as being a very devoted follower of Vishnu, much to his father's disappointment. As Prahlada grows in age, his father Hiranyakashipu becomes upset at his devotion to Vishnu, who he sees as his mortal enemy. Eventually his anger leads him to attempt to kill the boy Prahlada in many ways, but each time Prahlada is protected by Vishnu's mystical power. Finally in disgust Hiranyakashipu points to a particular pillar and asks if his Vishnu is in it? Prahlada answers "He is". Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, it burst in two and out sprang the god Vishnu in the form of a man-lion form called Narasimha avatar who laid the King across his knees and ripped his stomach open with his claws. A Temple devoted to Narasimha Avatar of Vishnu is built. The temple is situated close to the shrine of Bahawal Huk. Currently its roof and surrounding building have been damaged but the pillar is no more. The Idol was shifted from temple to a new place near old fruit market. Now it is at Haridwar, where it was brought in 1947 by Narayan Das Baba.

Interestingly, Multan is located very close to Harappa, the Indus Valley Civilization site. Some have suggested that Harappa and Mohenjodaro. could be linked with the two Avataras of Vishnu - Narasimha and Waraha respectively.

In the 7th century, Multan had its first experience with Muslim armies. Armies led by Al Muhallab ibn Abi Suffrah launched numerous raids from Persia into India for inclusion of the area into their empires. However, only a few decades later, Muhammad bin Qasim would come on behalf of the Arabs, and take Multan along with Sind. Following bin Qasim's conquest, the city was securely under Muslim rule, although it was in effect an independent state.

With the turn of the millennium, the city was attacked twice by Mahmud of Ghazni who destroyed the Sun Mandir. After Muhammad Ghuri's victories in India, and his establishment of a capital in Delhi, Multan was made a part of his empire. However, the rise of the Mongols would again give it some independence, albeit requiring it to be vigilant against Mongol raids from Central Asia.

Under the Mughal Empire, Multan enjoyed over 200 years of peace, and became known as Dar al-Aman (Abode of Peace). The Khakwani Nawabs of Multan gave it a lot of financial stability and growth to the local farming sector. It was at this time that Multan was ruled by Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan Khakwani. As governor of Multan, he built the famous Mosque Ali Mohammad Khan in 1757 which remains to this day. Many buildings were constructed in this time, and agricultural production grew rapidly. The Khakwani Nawabs of Multan at this time were paying homage to the Afghan king but due to lack of power in Delhi and Kabul they had a free reign and pretty much were absolute rulers of Multan. Multan at that time included areas which are part of Vehari, Bahawalpur, and Dera Ghazi Khan districts. The city escaped the destruction brought upon India by the armies of Nadir Shah, but it was ruled from Kabul by numerous Afghan dynasties for a while.

Multan witnessed difficult times as Mughal rule declined. After Ahmad Shah Durrani's dynasty went into decline, it was ruled locally by the Pashtun Khakwani and Sadozai chieftains. The Sadozais having gained the favor of the king and having the Khakwani Nawab removed. This period saw the rise of Sikh power and frequent clashes took place between the Muslims and Sikhs. The Sikhs attacked Multan killed the Sadozai Nawab and took over the city. The Khakwanis had moved out of the city at that time and lived in small walled cities around main Multan. The Khokhars or Khatri Muslim occupied Multan intermittenly between 1756 to 1763 displacing replacing ruling Sadozai member by Khakwani nawab or his brother,son or even soninlaw ,this was most turbulent period in history of Multan resulting administration getting paralysed & inviting attack from misl from Gujranwal The Sikhs led many expeditions against Multan. Bhangi Sikh Sardar , attacked Multan for the first time around June 1761. The Sikhs plundered many village. His sons Jhanda Singh and Ganda Singh attacked again in 1764, However attempts to take the Multan fort failed and they retreated after collecting several million rupees from the ruler Muzaffar Khan Saddozai.It was later captured by Sardar Hari Singh from nawab in 1818 for Maharaja Ranjit Singh


The front view of an old colonial building built during the rule of the British RajIn the 19th century, the Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh with his Capitol at Lahore conquered Multan and thus became master of the whole of Punjab. Sikh armies under Great General Hari Singh Nalwa defeated and killed The ruler of Multan Muzaffar Khan Saddozai. The death of Muzaffar Khan was in fact the death of Muslim rule in Multan. After capturing the Fort, the Sikh soldiers were let loose to arson and debauchery as happened with the conquered cities throughout the History, which Latif recorded as follows: "The city and Fort were now given up to be plundered by the Sikh troops. Great were the ravages committed by the Sikhs on this occasion. About 400 to 500 houses in the Fort were razed to the ground and their owners deprived of all they had. Precious stones, jewellery, shawls and other valuables belonging to the Nawab were confiscated by the state and kept carefully packed by Diwan Ram Diyal for inspection of the Maharaja. In the town many houses were set on fire and nothing was left with the inhabitants that was worth having. Hundreds were killed in the city, and indeed there was hardly a soul who escaped both loss and violence". Diwan Sawan Mall took over and known to be one of the most able and powerful Sikh rulers of his time. He amassed enormous wealth and became a threat to the Sovereign. His sons Dewan Mulraj and Karan Narain were well looked after. The first son Mulraj became the Governor of Multan, after his father had been assassinated. His younger brother rose to being a General of the highest order under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and was awarded titles of Sardar (High Noble), Bakshi ( Benevolent) by the Maharaja. However, Sikh rule would not last long, as the British were eventually provoked into checking the Sikh strength in Punjab. After a long and bloody battle, Multan was made part of the British Raj. During this time, Sardar Karan Narain's son became an icon during the British Raj and was awarded titles 'Rai Bahadur' and Knighted 'Sir' by Her Majesty. The British built some rail routes to the city, but its industrial capacity was never developed.

Upon Pakistan's independence in 1947, Multan became part of the Punjab province. It initially lacked industry, hospitals and universities. Since then, there has been some industrial growth, and the city's population is continually growing. But the old city continues to be in a dilapidated state, and many monuments wear the effects of the warfare that has visited the city.


[edit] Geography and climate

Agricultural export is a large portion of income for the local populationThe city of Multan is located in southern Punjab province at almost the exact center of Pakistan. The very next major adjoining city is Sahiwal. The area around the city is a flat plain and is ideal for agriculture. There are many canals that cut across the Multan District that provide water from nearby rivers. It is extremely hot in the summer. Multan is has several citrus and mango farms . It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.


[edit] Demographics
The majority of Multan's residents speak a language called Siraiki. The overwhelming majority of the people are Muslim. Most of the people speak Siraiki language with a good portion of the people conversant in Urdu. English is understood by the educated.

Multan has traditionally been a melting pot of several regional as well as distinct ethnic groups due to it location near four of Pakistan's main provinces and it historical significance as a centre of learning, culture. As a result, Multan of today consists of Baloch, Pashtun, Panjabi, Seraiki (a transition group between Panjabi and Sindhi), Afghan, Persian and mohajir's who recently arrived at the time of independence in 1947.

Multan is also rich in literature, there are many poets and other prominent personalities who are known country wide. The city is notable for being the birthplace of the founder of Afghanistan, Ahmed Shah Abdali who was born in the village of Kiri Shah Husain Khan where members of his tribe still live. In Urdu poetry Asad Multani, Dr. Qateel Jaffri, Haider Gardezi, Aasi Karnali, Aslam Ansari, Arsh Siddiqi, Sahir Bukhari (Known as Sharif Bukhari), Iqbal Arshad, Arshad Multani, Hazeen Sidiqi, Anwar Jamal, Razi-ud-Din Razi, Ghazala Khakwani, Kashif Baloch, Shaakir Hussain Shaakir and Riffat Abbass are popular poets of the city. Whereas Hafeez Khan is leading short story writer, playwright,critic,research schollar and columnist.While Mazhar Kaleem the undisputed master of spy novels in Urdu literature also hails from Multan. Multan is also famous for its sufis. It is still the home town of Sheikh Amin, a present day famous Sufi.


[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy of Multan

Local billboards in MultanMultan is a commercial and industrial center, it is connected with the rest of the country through rail and air including the other industrials hubs such as Lahore, Karachi, Quetta & Faisalabad. Industries include fertilizer, cosmetics, glass manufacturing, cotton production and processing, large textile units, flour mills, sugar and oil mills and large-scale power generation projects. It is famous for its handicrafts (carpets & ceramics) and cottage industries. There are hospitals, public gardens, and several colleges affiliated with the University of the Punjab. The University of Multan was established in 1975. Large, irregular suburbs have grown outside the old walled town, and two satellite towns have been set up. Mangoes of Shujabad district are well known. Multani khussa (traditional shoes), embroidery on dresses for women and men, furniture and other wooden products, earthenware pottery, painted pottery, camel-skin ware (e.g. lamps), surgical instruments & carpets are few of the city's major export items with a great demand within the country as well.


Mango trees are a large portion of Multan's export domestically as well as abroadMultan is an important agricultural, industrial and tourist centre. Wheat, cotton and sugarcane are the main crops grown in the district. Moreover, rice, maize, tobacco, bajra, moong(lentils), mash(lentils), masoor(lentils) , oil seed such as rape / mustard and sunflower are also grown in minor quantities in the district. Mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranate are the main fruits grown in the Multan district. Additionally, dates, jaman, pears, phalsa and bananas are also grown in minor quantities in the district. Mangos:[2]Citrus kinnow:[3]


[edit] Educational institutions
Main articles: List of educational institutions in Multan and List of universities in Multan
In 1950, the then Governor Abdur Rub Nishtar founded Nishtar Medical College, which became an affiliate of Punjab University. Renowned doctors graduated from this institution and have spread out all over the world. Legacy of its graduates resonates in the west, where a large number of these doctors have established their name in the different faculties of medicine.

Bahauddin Zakariya University formerly known as Multan University, is the main source of higher education for this region. Government College at Bosan Road, Government College Science, Punjab College, Punjab College for Women, and Government Degree College for Women are the most popular institutions.

Among schools, various public and private schools provide education up to secondary level. One of them is Government Islamia High School at Aam Khas Bagh, which in spite of very limited resources, is providing opportunity for the poor students of this city to excel. There are several privates schools and colleges which follow foreign curricula like the British GCE Ordinary level/Advanced level & the IB within the city. The oldest of these institutes is La Salle High School which has lost its significance as schools such as Multan Public School, Jinnah Highs, Bloomfield Hall and Beacon House have attracted high caliber students given their resources.Multan Public School is one of the largest school of Pakistan.Its 97 acre campus containg splendid buildings of academic block and vast playing fields along with all the educational facilities makes it one of the best public school of the country.

There is another Institute for Engineering and Technology called N.F.C. I.E.T. It is located opposite to the Pak-Arab Fertilizers, on Khanewal Road. This Institute currently offers Graduate Degree in Chemical, Electronic and Computer System Engineering.




Private Colleges and Universities
University of Southern Punjab
SKANS
Punjab College of Information Technology
Punjab college of Commerce
Punjab college for Women
Leadership College
Superior College
Educators College




[edit] Tourism
Multan, being an historic city, attracts a number of tourists every year. When the first settlements established themselves in Multan, access to the city was through a circular road around the rampart that gave access to the city through thirteen gates and even now some of the imposing structures of these gates are still visible and well preserved. The Old City has narrow, colorful bazaars full of local handicrafts and narrow winding lanes. There are many places of historical, cultural and recreational interest in the city. In the bazaars of the Old City one still comes across tiny shops where craftsmen can be seen busily turning out masterpieces in copper, brass, silver as well as textiles in the traditional fashion.

The numerous Sufi shrines within the old city offer impressive examples of workmanship and architecture. The Shams-e Tabriz shrine is built almost entirely of sky-blue engraved glazed bricks. That of Shah Rukn-e Alam (Tughlaq period) has one of the biggest domes in Asia. The shrine of Sheikh Yusuf Gardez is a masterpiece of the Multani style. Other shrines include the Pahladpuri Temple and the Idgah Mosque (1735).


[edit] Sites of interest
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Please improve this article if you can. (May 2007)

The Multan Municipal Corporation Clock Tower
King's Mosque (also referred as Eid Gah Mosque)
Side view of the Shah Rukn-I-Alam mausoleumGeneral
Multan Arts Council building
The Multan Municipal Corporation Clock Tower
Mohallah Qadeerabad.
Mumtazabad Colony
Shahrukne Alam Colony
Gulgasht Colony
New Multan
WAPDA Colony
Multan Cantt.
Basti Khudadad Colony
Prestigious College Students
Ali Murtaza Gardezi (Union College, New York)
Nazar Abbas Kazmi (NCA, Lahore)
Fun and Playlands
Joy Land
Jinnah Park
Askari Park Jheel (LAKE)
Alladin
Mumtazabad Park
Shahshamas Park
Cantonment Garden



Construction
Supercon Engineers (Road Construction)
Industries
AlHilal Vegetable ghee Mills www.sultanghee.com/ourproducts.htm
Hussain Industries
Chenab Concrete (Tuff Paver & Concrete Block Manufacturer)
Hafeez Ghee and General Mills
Saleem Soap Factory (Muhammad Rafiq Group)
Pak Cola industry
Coca Cola Industry
Peppsi Cola Industry
Rubber Industry and Plastic as well
Textile Industry
Colonial buildings
Memorial Obelisk
Temples
Sun Mandir
Suraj Kund
Forts
Multan Fort
Fort Munro
Mausoleums
Mausoleum of Shah Shams Tabraizi
Mausoleum of Shah Gardez
Mausoleum of Hazrat Baha-ud-Din Zakaria
Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-i-Alam
Mausoleum of Musa Pak Shaheed
Mausoleum of Bibi Pak Daman (Near Basti Daira)
Mausoleum of Hazrat Sher Shah Syed (Multan-Mazzaffargarh Road)
Mausoleum of Hazrat Makhdoom Abdul Rashid Haqqani (Makhdoom Rashid Road)
Shrine of Shahadna Shahaid (Near Delhi Gate) (shrine of a faithful disciple of Bahaul Haq)
Totla Mai (Near Haram Gate)
Mausoleum of Shah Ali Akbar
Baba Safra (Near Eidgah)
Nuagaza tombs
Manka
Mausoleum of Makhdoom Jahania in Jahanaian
Mazar Baba Tal Shah 160/10-R Jangal Maryala
Museums
Multan Museum
Govt. College Museum
Gardens Parks
Lake Chamanzar-e-Askari and Company Bagh (Cantonment)
Qasim Bagh in the Multan Fort
Langer Khan Garden
Aam-Khas Garden and the parks at Bohar gate
Cantonment garden (Multan cantt.)
Jinnah Park Shah Ruken Alam Colony Multan
Shah Shamas Park Daulat Gate Multan
Chaman Zar Askari Cantt
Qasim Bagh Park
Mosques
Mosque
Sawi Mosque
Mosque Ali Muhammad Khan
Mosque Phool Hattan Wali
Eid Gah Mosque
Jamia Khair-ul-Madaris
Mosque Ahmed Shah Abdali
Mosque Khalil
Baqarabad Mosque New Multan
Sports grounds
Multan Cricket Club Stadium
Qasim Bagh Stadium
Divisional Sports Ground
Govt. College Cricket Ground (PCB Ground)
Red light district
Ghanta Ghar (Multan)