Dr. Charles Metelka - University of Wisconsin-Stout

variety of the famed Gandhara sculpture and endless images of Buddha, in stone and
stucco and numerous panels depicting all the important stages of the great sage's life.
The history of Buddhist past is also preserved in Taxila museum with the famous
monuments of its past.
Apart from this, the other important tourists sites abound in northern Punjab are
Salt range, Kallar Kahar, Katas temple, Khewra salt mines and numerous dams and
lakes - Tarbela dam, Mangla dam and khanpur dam as well as forts along the Grand
trunk road from Rawalpindi to Lahore which include Rothas fort, Rawat fort and
Attock fort. In the southern region ofPunjab lies vast stretch ofplains and Cholistan
desert that consists of ancient cities of Harrapa and Uch Sharif that dates back to 500 BC
and other places of interest are Multan and Bahawalpur.
Multan
Multan also known as 'City ofPirs (saints) and Shrines' is a prosperous historic
city of bazaars, mosques, shrines and superbly designed tombs. It is also a city of dust,
summer heat and beggars and has a long history from conquest of Alexander the Great
to 641 AD invasion by Xuang Tzang who found it 'agreeable and prosperous' followed
Mohammad Bin Qasim who obviously agreed, he was the next ruler of Multan in 712
AD. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded in it in 1006 followed by Timurlane in 1398. In the 16th
century it was the Moghuls tum, followed by the Sikhs in 1752 and the British in
1849. The old city has narrow colorful bazaars full of local handicrafts and narrow
winding lanes along with sites such as the Multan fort and numerous Muslim saints
shrines located within the old city (Pakistan tourism and travel guide, n.d)
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