Undiscovered South Pakistan

We will go for a sightseeing tour of: the Mohatta palace, Defence (Tooba) mosque, Quaid-e-Azam mausoleum, Frere Hall (Bagh-e-Jinnah), Empress Market and Clifton Beach.

The Mohatta Palace was built by Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta, an ambitious self-made businessman from Marwar as his summer home in 1927. The architect of the palace was Agha Ahmed Hussain. However, Mohatta could enjoy this building for only about two decades before independence of Pakistan and he left Karachi for India. He built the Palace in the tradition of stone palaces in Rajasthan, using pink Jodhpur stone in combination with the local yellow stone from Gizri.

Mazar-e-Quaid The mausoleum, completed in the 1960s, is situated at the heart of the city. It is the final resting place and mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.

Tooba Mosque, is often claimed to be the largest single-dome mosque in the world. It is built with pure white marble, the dome is 72 meters (236 feet) in diameter and is balanced on a low surrounding wall with no central pillars. It was built keeping acoustics in mind. A person speaking inside one end of the dome can be heard at the other end.

Frere Hall (Bagh-e-Jinnah), a beautiful British Colonial building, it now houses an art gallery (Sadequain Galerie,) a library plus a peaceful garden.

The Empress Market traces its origins to the British Raj era, when it was constructed between 1884 and 1889 and was named to commemorate Queen Victoria, Empress of India. Today, it is amongst the most popular and busy places for shopping in Karachi and reflects as one of the few historical spots of the city. Commodities sold in the Empress Market range from condiments, fruit, vegetables and meat to stationary materials, textiles and pet shops.

Clifton Beach, is Karachi's busiest beach due to its location within the central metropolitan area. Camel and horse rides on the sands are popular, while hawker stands sell cold drinks, chai (tea) and grilled corn.

We drive from Karachi to Hyderabad stopping along the way at Haleji Lake, a haven for migratory Siberian birds and crocodiles; and Makli/Thatta, an ancient town that was a river-port and the capital of Sindh, until the Indus changed its course. Here we will visit Jamia Masjid, built by Shah Jehan, who went on to build the Taj Mahal, the delicately stone-carved Dabgir Masjid, and the Makli Necropolis, claimed to be the largest graveyard in the world.

Thatta, once a capital and centre of Islamic culture is near the vast necropolis of Makli. Which gives great insight into the civilization of the Sindh from the 14th to the 18th centuries.

The enormous cemetery possessing half a million tombs and graves in an area of about 10 km2 is among the largest in the world. Kings, queens, governors, saints, scholars, and philosophers are buried here in brick or stone monuments, some of which are lavishly decorated with glazed tiles.

We drive out from Hyderabad to Ranikot Fort, also known as the Great Wall of Sindh, which is believed to be the biggest fortress in the world, and was the last stronghold of the Talpur Mirs before the British takeover. We then cross the Indus to visit Bhit Shah, the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif, Sufi saint and poet and the uncrowned king of Sindh. Especially beloved of the poor, there is a daily musical gathering at the shrine. We return to Hyderabad to explore its famous bazaar, the longest in Pakistan, and its many handicraft workshops.

Ranikot Fort is a historical Talpur fort near Sann, Jamshoro District, Sindh, it is known as The Great Wall of Sindh and is believed to be the world's largest fort with a circumference of approximately 32 kilometres. The site was nominated in 1993 by the Pakistan National Commission for UNESCO world heritage status, and has since been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Bhitshah (59 km north of Hyderabad)

Bhitshah is famous as the last resting place of Shah Abdul Latif (1689-1752 A.D.) A great poet-saint of Sindh. Shah Abdul Latif chose this "Bhit" (sand dune or mound) as his permanent abode in 1744.

Leaving Hyderabad we drive to Sehwan, site of one of Alexander the Great’s fortresses, and the shrine of Shaikh Usman Marvandvi, popularly known as Lal Shabaz Qalandar, a 12thC Persian Sufi mystic, whose riotous annual festival is attended by thousands. Later we visit Manchar Lake, where fishermen descended from the original Indus Valley people use the same ancient fishing techniques.

Sehwan

Sehwan is an old town of pre-Islamic period. Here are the remains of Kafir-Qila, a fort reported to have been constructed by Alexander the Great. Sehwan is famous for the resting place of the great mystic poet, saint and scholar Shaikh Usman Marvandvi (1117–1274), popularly known as Shahbaz Qalandar whose mausoleum is visited by thousands of the devotees throughout the year.

Manchar Lake

Manchar is the largest fresh water lake in Asia it is as old as the Indus River and is spread over 254 square km. It is inhabited by boat men whose lifestyle – and boats – have remained unchanged since the days of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Leaving the beautiful garden city of Larkana we

drive to Mohenjo-daro, the most impressive and best-preserved ancient site on the Indian sub-Continent. An entire city belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization, contemporary with that of Ancient Egypt and Sumeria, it displays advanced town-planning techniques. Later we continue to Sukkur via Bukkur, an island in the Indus surmounted by a fort and surrounded by shrines dedicated to river-gods. Sukkur itself contains much of interest; Sateen Jo Astaan (the tombs of the seven

sisters) and Masoom Shah Jo Minaro both places give

great views of the area and have an interesting history.

Mohenjo-daro is the most ancient and best-preserved urban ruin on the Indian subcontinent, dating back to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. It comprises two sectors: a stupa mound that rises in the western sector and, to the east, the lower city ruins spread out along the banks of the Indus. The acropolis, set on high embankments, the ramparts, and the lower town, which is laid out according to strict rules, provide evidence of an early system of town planning.

We leave Sukkur via the Lansdowne bridge and the stupendous irrigation works completed by the British. We drive north and enter the Punjab, stopping at Uch Sharif, which contains some of the most poignant ruins in Islamic antiquity, notably the Tomb of Bibi Jewindi. We continue on to the charming city of Bahawalpur.

Uch Sharif means "The High Place". The small town is built around a hill overlooking the confluence of the rivers Sutluj and Chenab. It is famous for its exquisite Sufi Shrines which are open for public.

We drive to Derawar fort, a huge citadel towering over the surrounding Cholistan desert, where we will meet some of the desert people and learn something of their way of life. In the evening we drive to Multan

The Derawar Fort towers over the surrounding semi-desert and is visible from miles around, the marble and blue tiled tomb of the knights and their families lies a few hundred yards to the East of the Fort.

All day sight-seeing around the monuments and bazaars of Multan, the ancient capital of Lower Punjab, and renowned as the City of Sufis. The Tomb of Shah Rukn-i-Alam is a must-see, as is the shrine of Shams-ud-din Tabriz. Multan is a centre for the production of fine embroidered cottons, tilework, ceramics and traditional camel-skin lamps, and also famed for its halwa and mango chutney.

Multan is known as the City of Sufis or City of Saints because of the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. It also has a number of old mosques which were once considered as the jewels of the city. Some have been dated back to over a thousand years ago and have been recognised as some of the oldest mosques within South East Asia.

Leaving in the morning we drive to the ancient site of Harappa, contemporary with Mohenjo-Daro, but also containing the remains of a later Bronze and Iron-Age city. We then continue to Lahore for our overnight stay. When driving to the hotel in Lahore we might already see some beautiful landmarks like the Minar-e-Pakistan, the Town Hall, the GPO (General Post Office) and the Governor’s House.

The site at Harappa contains the ruins of a Bronze Age fortified city, which was part of the Cemetery H culture and the Indus Valley Civilization. The city is believed to have had as many as 23,500 residents and occupied over 100 hectares at its greatest extent during the Mature Harappan phase (2600–1900 BC).

Full day sightseeing tour: the Lahore museum, the Badshahi mosque, the Lahore Fort (Shahi Qila) and at the end of the afternoon the Wagah border flag ceremony. Overnight at a hotel in Lahore.

Lahore Museum:

The Lahore Museum contains some fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh door-ways and wood-work and has a large collection of paintings dating back to the Mughal, Sikh and British periods. It includes a collection of musical instruments, ancient jewellery, textiles, pottery, and armory. There are important relics from the Indus Valley civilisation, Gandhara and Graeco-Bactrian periods as well as some Tibetan and Nepalese work on display. The Fasting Buddha from the Gandhara period is one of the most famous objects of the museum. The ceiling of the entrance hall features a large mural by renowned Pakistani artist Sadequain.

The Badshahi Mosque or the 'Royal Mosque' was commissioned by the sixth Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1671 and completed in 1673. The design was inspired by Islamic, Persian, Central Asian and Indian influences and it’s the second largest mosque in Pakistan and South Asia and the fifth largest mosque in the world.

The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila is the citadel of the city of Lahore. Origins of the fort go as far back as antiquity, however, the existing base structure was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar between 1556 – 1605 and was regularly upgraded by subsequent Mughal, Sikh and British rulers.

The Wagah border closing 'lowering of the flags' ceremony or The Beating Retreat ceremony is a daily military practice that the security forces of India (Border Security Force) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have jointly followed since 1959. The ceremony starts with a blustering parade by the soldiers from both the sides as well as loud sheers from proud Indian and Pakistani nationals supporting their countries and ends up in the perfectly coordinated lowering of the two nations' flags.

On our sightseeing tour today we will be making a tour of the Old Walled City including the Wazir Khan mosque and the Shahi Hammam. In the afternoon we will visit the Shalimar Gardens and the Tombs of Jahangir, Nur Jahan and Asif Khan.

Overnight at a hotel in Lahore.

Wazir Khan Mosque Complex:

The Wazir Khan Mosque is known for its extensive faience tile work, it contains some of the finest examples of Qashani tile work from the Mughal period.

Shahi Hammam:

The Shahi Hammam is the only monumental building in Pakistan which represents the Central Asian/Turkish/Irani tradition of public hot baths. It was designed as a public bathhouse to service both the visiting travellers as well as the inhabitants of the city. The Hammam is a single storey building and covers an area of approximately1,050 square metres. Built on the pattern of Turkish and Iranian bathing establishments of its time (which consisted of hot, warm and cool plunges, sweat rooms and related facilities), the Hammam is a collection of 21 inter-connected rooms offering all the facilities found in a public bath. It is the only monumental public bath in the Sub-continent from that period which still survives. The entrance gateway on the west and the main hall in the northern part of the building are exquisitely decorated with frescoed panels depicting angels, animals, birds, floral and geo-metric designs.

The Shalimar Gardens were built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, construction began in 1641 AD (1051 AH) and was completed the following year. The gardens are laid out in the form of an oblong parallelogram, surrounded by a high brick wall, which is famous for its intricate fretwork.

Tomb of Jahangir:

The Tomb of Jahangir is a mausoleum built for Jahangir, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1605 to 1627. The interior of the mausoleum is an elevated sarcophagus of white marble, the sides of which are wrought with flowers of mosaic in the same elegant style as the tombs in the Taj Mahal at Agra, India. In close proximity the tomb of his wife Nur Jahan and his brother-in-law Asif Khan can be found.

Hiran Minar is an early 16th-century Mughal era complex located in Sheikhupura, the complex was built at the site of a game reserve in honour of Mughal Emperor Jahangir's beloved antelope named Mansraj.

Sheikhupura Fort is a Mughal-era fort built in 1607 near the city of Sheikhupura, it was built during the reign of Emperor Jahangir. The fort was drastically altered during the Sikh-era, with numerous buildings constructed - some with exquisite Sikh-era frescoes. In 1808, the fort was conquered by the six-year-old of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Prince Kharak Singh. In mid 19th century when power turned to the British, the fort of Sheikhupura was used for the 'house arrest' of Maharaja’s last queen, Maharani Jind Kaur the mother of Maharaja Duleep Singh.

Anarkali Bazaar:

Anarkali Bazaar is one of the oldest surviving markets in South Asia, dating back at least 200 years. The market derives its name from a nearby mausoleum thought to be that of a slave girl named Anārkalī, buried alive by order of the Mughal Emperor Akbar for having a love affair with his son, Prince Salīm, who would later become Emperor Jahāngīr. The Bazaar is divided into two portions, the Old Anarkali Bazaar is known for traditional food items while the New Anarakli Bazaar is noted for its traditional handicraft and embroidery cloths.

From the cultural “capital” Lahore we will drive west to the capital of Pakistan, the city of Islamabad, half way we make a stop to visit the Katasraj Temple and explore the Khewra Salt Mines. Dinner & overnight at hotel in Islamabad Katasraj Mandir is a Hindu mandir or temple complex situated in Katas village near Choa Saidanshah dedicated to Shiva. The smaller temples, built in pairs around the larger central temple, were built around 900 years or so ago, although the earliest of them dates back to the latter half of the 6th century AD. The Katas site houses the Satgraha, a group of seven ancient temples, remains of a Buddhist stupa, a few medieval temples, havelis and some recently constructed temples, scattered around a pond considered holy by Hindus. The Khewra Salt Mine (or Mayo Salt Mine) is located in Khewra, is Pakistan's largest and oldest salt mine and the world's second largest. Its history dates back to its discovery by Alexander's troops in 320 BC, but it started trading in the Mughal era.

Your last day in Pakistan! We will have a sightseeing tour in Islamabad which will consist of a selection of some of the following sites: the Faisal Mosque, the Government buildings on Constitution Avenue, the Shakar Parian Park with its rose and jasmine garden, the Pakistan Monument, the Lok Virsa heritage museum, Saidpur village, Rawal Lake, Daman-e-Koh viewpoint. Our goodbye dinner will be at Monal restaurant on the top of the Margalla Hills.