Mankiala (also known as Manikyala and Manikiyala) is a village in the Potohar plateau, Punjab near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, which is known for its Buddhist stupa. It is located some 50 km from Islamabad, beyond Rawat Fort. The name Mankiala is said to be derived from Raja Man or Manik. Mankiala Stupa is a Gandhara era stupa built to memorialize the place where, according to legend, Buddha sacrificed some of his body parts to […]
BEIJING, Dec 22: Pakistan is a beautiful land blessed with tourism attractions and cultural diversity, totally contrary to the image of the country portrayed in some parts of the world, said Zhu Dazhi, editor of a leading Chinese magazine. Zhu, who visited Pakistan last week along with three other members of a media delegation said […]
Makli is situated in the city of Thatta in Sindh. It is famous as a historical graveyard in all the world. This graveyard has been listed as a world heritage. Makli is the historical heritage of Sindh. There are such graves which are so good, that by looking it, the art of the person who […]
The Port Tower is a 1,947 ft (593 m) tall skyscraper proposed for construction in Karachi, the financial capital of Pakistan. It will be constructed with the collaboration of local and foreign investors, in association with the Karachi Port Trust. The height of the tower has a special significance, as it represents the year, 1947, when Pakistan was formed. The new tower is […]
Mirpur (Urdu: میر پور) is the capital and largest city of Mirpur district and one of the largest cities in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Since Mirpur adjoins the northern plains of the Punjab, the climate is quite hot during the summer times. The city itself has gone through a process of modernization while most of the surrounding area remains agricultural. […]
Kandol Lake is one of the most beautiful lake in SWAT district. One can reach there by hikking a moderate level track starting from “Laddu” in two hours. You can reach “Laddu Valley” by jeep from KALAM in 1.5 hours. You can hire a guide from KALAM to help you in reaching that beautiful lake. […]
Besham (also known as Besham Qala) is the largest town and commercial centre of the Shangla District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Most of the population is pashto speaking pashtun [locally Pukhtun]. [nggallery id=8] Besham’s shops remained open 24 hours a day due to its geographic position, as it is on the famous Silk route which connects Pakistan with China. Besham shops […]
Shounter valley – lies in Upper Neelum valley. It can be accessed through a jeep track from Kel which only gets opened for a few months of the year. From Shounter valley, one can cross the Shounter Pass to enter into Astore valley at Rattoo. Shounter lake is a small but very beautiful lake in […]
The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,693 m/15,397 ft as confirmed by bothSRTM and multiple GPS readings. It connects China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s Gilgit–Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions and also serves as a popular tourist attraction. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it […]
Saral is beautiful name but Saral lake is more beautiful than its name and it can be seen from miles because it is deep down and can be seen from Saral Gali, even than it is hidden lake rather un-explored and unspoiled because only few people went there to touch the beauty of this lake. […]
The Hopar Valley (Urdu: وادی ہوپر) is a scenic portion of the Nagar Valley in northern Pakistan. It is about 10 km away from Nagar Khas, the principal city of the Nagar Valley. Hopar Valley is the site of the Spantik and Hopar (Hopper) glaciers. [nggallery id=18] Hopar Valley is a cluster of villages around a natural bowl at a bend of Bualtar Glacier. Opposite […]
Rush Lake is a high altitude lake located near Rush Pari Peak (5,098 m). At over 4,694 meters, Rush is one of the highest alpine lakes in the world. It is located about 15 km north ofMiar Peak and Spantik (Golden Peak), which are in the Nagar valley. Rush Lake and Rush Peak can be reached via Nagar and Hopar and via the Hopar Glacier (Bualtar Glacier) andMiar Glacier, which rises from Miar and Phuparash peaks. The […]
The Hindu Gymkhana (Sindhi: هندو جمخانه, Urdu: ہندو جِمخانہ) was the first public building in Karachi to boldly adopt the Mughal-Revival style. The building established in 1925, Its located at Sarwar Shaheed Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. [nggallery id=23] The Hindu Gymkhana was a club for the Hindu upper classes, who formed a strong commercial […]
Merewether Clock Tower or Merewether Tower is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It was raised by public subscription as a memorial for Sir William L. Merewether. [nggallery id=26] Designed by James Strachan, the Municipal Engineer, the foundation stone was laid by the Governor of Bombay, Sir James Fergusson in 1884. It was formally opened to the public in 1892 by the Commissioner in Sind, Sir Evan James […]
The National Museum of Pakistan (Urdu: قومی عجائب گھر پاکِستان ) is located in Karachi,Sindh, Pakistan. National Museum of Pakistan was established in Frere Hall on April 17, 1950, replacing the defunct Victoria Museum. Frere Hall itself was built in 1865 as a tribute to Sir Bartle Frere, a Commissioner of Sind during the 19th century. Once the Museum was inaugurated then the Government of Pakistan deemed it wise […]
The Rainbow Centre is a building in Karachi, adjacent to the Empress Market, that is famous as the hub of video entertainment in Pakistan and the country’s video piracy industry. Located in the area of Saddar, it is reported to be the largest CD and DVD market in Asia and perhaps one of the largest hubs of CDs in the world. [nggallery id=37]
The Empress Market (Urdu: ایمپریس مارکیٹ) is a famous marketplace situated in the Saddar Town locality of Karachi, Pakistan. The market traces its origins to the British Rajera, when it was first constructed. 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 […]
The Mohatta Palace is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It 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 […]
Wazir Mansion or official Quaid-i-Azam Birthplace Museum was a family home inKarachi, Pakistan which is considered the birthplace of the country’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. [nggallery id=43] Wazir Mansion may be the birthplace of Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder ofPakistan. Once, it was misunderstood to be Jhirk which was later revealed to be untrue. The reality is disclosed in a book […]
Lahore Zoo (Punjabi: لہور چڑیا گھر, Urdu: لاہور چڑیا گھر) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, established in 1872, one of the largest zoos in South Asia. It is currently managed by the Wildlife and Parks department of the Government of Pakistan. Today the zoo houses a collection of about 1380 animals of 136 species. Lahore Zoo was the host of the fifth annual conference of SAZARC in 2004. […]
Karachi Zoo (Urdu: کراچی چڑیاگھر) also known as Karachi Zoological Garden is located on Nishter Road and Sir Agha Khan III Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is the oldest zoo in the country after Lahore Zoo. [nggallery id=45] Karachi Zoo, established in year 1878, was commonly called as ‘Mahatma Gandhi Garden’ (Urdu: باغ مہاتما گاندھی). In 1861, the zoo was transferred to municipality by […]
Holy Trinity Cathedral, is the seat of the Church of Pakistan, Diocese of Karachi, situated on Fatima Jinnah Road, near Zainab Market, in Karachi, Pakistan. The current Bishop is The Rt. Rev. Sadiq Daniel. There is also a Theological College in the grounds of the Cathedral. [nggallery id=46] Built in 1855, Holy Trinity Cathedral was designed by Captain John […]
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi, is situated on Shahrah-e-Iraq, formerly known as Clarke Street, located near the Empress Market inKarachi, Pakistan. [nggallery id=47] The first church in Sindh (except for possibly one in Thatta) was initially built on the grounds of this cathedral in 1845, and was called St. Patrick’s Church. It was in April 1881 that […]
Manghopir or Mangopir (Urdu: منگھوپیر) is one of the neighbourhoods of Gadap Town inKarachi, Sindh, Pakistan . [nggallery id=48] There are several ethnic groups in Manghopir including Muhajirs, Sindhis, Punjabis,Kashmiris, Seraikis, Pakhtuns, Balochis, Memons, Bohras, Ismailis, etc. Over 99% of the population is Muslim. The population of Gadap Town is estimated to be nearly one million. Manghopir is a rural area of Karachi, named after Sufi Pir Haji Syed Sakhi Sultan. The area has the oldest Sufi shrines in the city, hot […]
Kacha Qila/Kaccha Qilla: One of the oldest Forts still remaining in Hyderabad. River Indus used to flow next to the fort prior to development of the barrage system by the British. [nggallery id=49]
Qila Shaikhupura,constructed by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The name Sheikhupura is derived from a nickname of Jahangir, who was known as Sheikhu by his father Akbar the Great. The city is the headquarters of Sheikhupura District and is approximately 35 km from Lahore. The original name of Virkgarh was renamed by Jahangir. [nggallery id=51] The city was renamed Singhpuria in Sikh rule, and had a large Sikh population prior to Partition in 1947, Gurudwaras are […]
Skardu Fort or Karpocho Fort is a fort in Skardu city in Gilgit-Baltistan of the disputed Kashmir region that dates from the 16th century CE. An ancient mosque is also present inside the fort. The fort and its mosque are located on the eastern face of the Khardong hill 40 ft above Skardu city. A […]
Bala Hisar Fort (Pashto/Urdu/Persian: قلعه بالا حصار) is one of the most historic places of Peshawar. The word Bala Hisar is from Dari Persian, meaning, “elevated or high fort”. The name was given by the Pashtun King Timur Shah Durrani (1773–1793), who used the fort as the winter capital of the Afghan Durrani Empire, with the summer capital being in Kabul. The Sikhs who conquered Peshawar in the early […]
Pacco Qillo Fort (Urdu: پكاقلعه, Sindhi: پڪو قلعو, Strong Fort), formally known as Pacca Qilla, is an early modern fortification in Hyderabad, Pakistan. Hyderabad (help·info) (Sindhi: حيدرآباد سنڌ, Urdu: حیدرآباد Haidarābād) is the second largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the sixth largest city in the country. The city was founded […]
Hingol National Park or Hungol National Park (Urdu: ہنگول ) covers about 1,650 km². and is the largest of National Parks of Pakistan and lies on the Makran coast in Balochistan and approximately 190 km from Karachi. It winds through the Hungol valley between high cliffs. [nggallery id=55] The area was for the first time declared reserved in 1988 . Parts of three districts of Balochistan, […]
Mohenjo-daro (pronounced [muˑənⁱ dʑoˑ d̪əɽoˑ], lit. Mound of the Dead, Sindhi: موئن جو دڙو), is an archeological site situated in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2600 BC, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world’s earliest majorurban settlements, existing at the same time as the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete. Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in […]
The Princess of Hope is a statue, founded in Hingol National Park lies on the Makran coast in Balochistan and approximately 190 km from Karachi. The name Princess of Hope was given by Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on her visit to this area. [nggallery id=57] She stood there, namelessly, for God knows since when – right there […]
Taxila (Urdu: ٹیکسلا) is a Tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is an important archaeological site. Taxila is situated about 32 km (20 mi) northwest of Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi in Panjab; just off the Grand Trunk Road. Taxila lies 549 metres (1,801 ft) above sea level. [nggallery id=58] The city dates back to the Gandhara period and contains the ruins of the Gandhāran city of Takṣaśilā which was an important Hindu and Buddhist centre, and […]
Bublimotin, Bubli Motin, Bublimating orLadyfinger Peak, is a distinctive rock spire in the Batura Muztagh, the westernmost subrange of the Karakoram range in Pakistan. It lies on the southwest ridge of the Ultar Sar massif, the most southeasterly of the major groups of the Batura Muztagh. The whole massif rises precipitously above the Hunza Valley to the southeast. Bublimotin, while having little prominence above the saddle with nearby Hunza Peak, […]
Baltit Fort or Balti Fort is an ancient fort in the Hunza valley in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. [nggallery id=69] In former times survival of the feudal regimes of Hunza was ensured by the impressive Baltit fort, that sit on top of Karimabad. The foundations of the fort are said to date back around 700 years, but there have been rebuilds and alterations over the centuries. […]
Passu is a village on the Karakoram Highway, beside the Hunza River, some 15 km from Gulmit, the Tehsil Headquarter of Gojal in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and about 150 km upriver from Gilgit. It lies very near the tongue of the Passu Glacier, and just south of the tongue of the Baturaglacier. The latter is the fifth longest non-polar glacier in […]
Khewra Salt Mines is a salt mine located in Khewra, Jhelum District, Punjab in Pakistan, about 160 kilometres (99 mi) from Islamabad and 260 kilometres (160 mi) from Lahore. It attracts up to 40,000 visitors per year and is the second largest salt mine in the world. Situated in the foothills of the Salt Range, the Khewra Salt Mines are the oldest in the South Asia. [nggallery id=72] Salt has […]
The Chaukhandi (Urdu: چوکنڈی) tombs are situated 29 km (18 mi) east of Karachi on N-5 National Highway near Landhi Town in Pakistan. The Chaukhandi tombs are remarkable for the elaborate and exquisite stone carving. [nggallery id=76] The style of architecture is typical only to the region of Sindh, and unique in that it is found nowhere else in the Islamic world. Generally, the elements are attributed to Jokhio (also spelt […]
One of the largest necropolises in the world, with a diameter of approximately 8km. Makli Hill is supposed to be the burial place of some 125,000 local rulers, Sufi saints and others. It is located on the outskirts of Thatta, the capital of lower Sind until the seventeenth century, in what is the southeastern province of present-day Pakistan. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List […]
Malam Jabba (also Maalam Jabba, Urdu: مالم جبہ) is a Hill Station in the Karakoram mountain range nearly 40 km from Saidu Sharif in Swat Valley, Peshawar, Pakistan. It is 314 km from Islamabad and 51 km from Saidu Sharif Airport. [nggallery id=84] Malam Jabba is home to the only ski resort in Pakistan.The area also contains two Buddhist stupas and six monasteries that are scattered around the resort. The presence of the monuments at […]
Naran Valley (Urdu: وادی ناران) is located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Kunhar River, swollen by glacier melt, meanders its way through the Naran Valley. Makra Peak, Malka Parbat,Lalazar and Saiful Muluk are the main attractions. [nggallery id=95]
The Thar Desert (Rajasthani: थार मरुधर, Hindi:थार मरुस्थल, Urdu (Urdu: تھر صحرا ) is a large, arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent and forms a natural boundary running along the border between India and Pakistan. With an area of more than 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi),[1] it is the world’s 9th largest subtropical desert. [nggallery id=96] In Pakistan, the desert covers eastern Sindh province and the southeastern portion of […]
Desert (Urdu: صحرائے چولستان, also locally known as Rohi) sprawls thirty kilometers from Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan and covers an area of 26,300 km². It adjoins the Thar Desert extending over to Sindh and into India. [nggallery id=97] The word Cholistan is derived from the Turkish word Chol, which means Desert. Cholistan thus means Land of the Desert. The people of Cholistan lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from […]
The Trango Towers are a group of dramatic granite spires located on the north side of theBaltoro Glacier, in Baltistan, a district of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan (formerlyNorthern Areas). They are part of the Baltoro Muztagh, a subrange of the Karakoram range. The Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and most challenging rock climbing in the world. The highest point in the group is the summit of Great Trango Tower at […]
The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila (Punjabi, Urdu: شاہی قلعہ) is citadel of the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern corner of the Walled City of Lahore. The trapezoidal composition is spread over 20 hectares. [nggallery id=99] 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 […]
The term mud volcano or mud dome are used to refer to formations created by geo-excreted liquids and gases, although there are several different processes which may cause such activity. Hot water mixes with mud and surface deposits. Mud volcanoes are associated with subduction zones and about 700 have been identified. Temperatures are much cooler in these processes than found […]
Ranikot Fort Sindhi: رني ڪوٽ in Sindh, Pakistan, is the world’s largest fort with a circumference of approximately 26 km or 16 miles. Since 1993, it has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [nggallery id=101] It has an approximate diameter of 6 km. Its walls are on the average 6 meters high and are made of gypsum and lime cut sandstone and total […]
A desert 10,000m above the sea level. At Skardu, (Urdu: سکردو, Hindi: स्कर्दू, Balti: སྐརདུ་་ from Tibetan (Balti): skar rdo སྐར་རྡོ་ – “star stone, meteorite”), is the main town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan’s Gilgit Baltistan. [nggallery id=102] This is one of the most beautiful tourists attraction of Northern areas of Pakistan. There are huge sand plains […]
Chitral or Chetrar (Urdu: چترال) (Khowar:چھترار) (Persian: چیترال), translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River (also called Chitral River), in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, 25,289 […]
Shangrila Lake or Lower Kachura Lake is a part of the Shangrila resort located at a drive of about 20 minutes from Skardu (nearly 2,500 m or 8,200 feet) town. [nggallery id=104] It is a popular tourist destination, and has a unique restaurant that is built on the fuselage of an aircraft that had crashed nearby. Shangrila was established in 1983 with the […]
About all I knew when I set out to visit the Cave City was that there is a place in Balochistan with cave houses — a mountain, isolated from civilisation, with lots and lots of caves. Returning by road from Quetta to Karachi, I was struck with the realisation that the Cave City was likely […]
Saidpur is a Mughal-era village on the slopes of the Margalla Hills and located off the Hill Road to the east of Daman-e-Koh in Islamabad. The village has the footprints of various civilizations, including Gandhara, Greek, Buddhist, Mughal, Ashoka and the colonial periods, and now serving as a popular recreational spot for both local and […]