Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Sargodha City of Pakistan

Sargodha (Urdu: سرگودھا) is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.

Sargodha is located in the northeast of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries. Sargodha is one of the few planned cities in Pakistan, the other four being Gwadar, Jauharabad, Faisalabad and Islamabad.

Pakistan's largest airbase, PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Base Sargodha), is situated in Sarghoda and hosts the headquarters of the Pakistan Air Force's Central Air Command. The airbase is also home to the Combat Commanders School (CCS), formerly the Fighter Leader's School, an elite training facility for training Pakistan Air Force pilots in fighter tactics and weapons.

History:

The term Sargodha has its origins in the words Sar, meaning pond, and Godha, meaning sadhu.

Sargodha was a small town at the beginning of the British Empire but, due to its geographical location, the British Royal Air Force built an airport there. It took on greater importance after the Independence of Pakistan for the Pakistan Air Force. Shahpur, which is now a tehsil of Sargodha District, was the district at that time. Most parts of the tehsil Sillanwali and Kirana Hillsregion were part of Jhang district and were included later during the British Raj in the Sargodha district. Many writers have come from Sargodha, including Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Wazir Ali Agha, Anwar Sadid, Wasi Shah, Moeen Nizami, Abdulqadir Hassan, Zaheer Ud Din Zaheer, Dr. Prince Sajjad (London, UK),Dr. Muhammad Nawaz (Sweden/Norway), and Haroon-ur-Rashid. Singers who hail from Sargodha District include Maloko, Muratab Ali, and Ali Arshad. Sargodha division has also shown talent in sports. The cricket legends Imran Khan, Misbahulhaq, Samiullah Niazi (all from Mianwali), Muhammad Hafeez, Naved Latif (from Sargodha), Shafqat and Muhammad Shabbir, Olympians from hockey, are from Sargodha division.

The 1965 war with India on September 6, 1965 meant the city was a prime target for India, due to the city's close proximity to the neighbouring rival. The citizens of Sargodha supported the Pakistan Army against the advancing of the Indian Army into Pakistan. In 1966, recognising this bravery, the Government of Pakistan awarded the city of Sargodha as well as Sialkot and Lahore with the award of Hilal-E-Istaqlal. The city also has a Pakistan Air Force base within its city. The PAF Base Sargodha now known as PAF Base Mushaf, named after the late Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, a former Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. The strategic location of the base has allowed the Air Force to carry out experimental work within the city. Sial Shareef is the most famous and blessed place of Sargogha. People all over the country and world come to Sial Shareef to gain spiritual education and for religious education. Khawja Muhammad Qamar Ud Din Sialvi was a the greatest saint, religious scholar of Sial Shareef (Sargodha). He took an active part in the Muslim League movement to gain Pakistan. He was entitled Sheikh Ul Islam by the Government of Pakistan.

The city of Sargodha was awarded with the name of "city of eagles".

Economy:

Sargodha is largely an agricultural and industrial city. The vast fields in the city have allowed the farmers to develop a range of crops and animal breeding programs. Some of the main crops include citrus, wheat, rice, and sugar cane, which are exported to the other cities as well as internationally. Citrus fruits such as oranges (locally known as kinnows), guavas and mangoes are the main fruits grown in the district. Jaman, pears, dates, pomegranates, phalsa and almonds are also grown in minor quantities. Turnips, onions, cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes are the main vegetables grown in the district. The main livestock for the city include goats, sheep, buffaloes and cattle.

Even with agricultural goods being the major income generator for the city as well as the district, the economy and industry has been diversifying itself to generate more demand for other goods which can be manufactured and produced in the city. Other industrial markets include: beverages, manufacture of diesel engines, foundry products, glass products, leather footwear, oil mills, pesticides, insecticides, poultry feed, plastics, readymade garments, tanning and textiles.

A Quick Visit to Sargodha:

Sargodha is commonly known as City of Eagles

Sargodha Road

Pakistan Air Force Collage

PAF Public School

Sargodha University

University of Sargodha

Punjab Collage Sargodha

Sargodha National Public Senior Secondary School, Jail Road.

Sargodha Remount Depot

Sargodha Medical Collage

Sargodha Railway Station

Sargodha Mandi

Orange Famous Fruit of Sargodha

Field of Rice

Field of Wheat

Wheat Product Ready

Mangoes

Sugarcane

Friday, November 19, 2010

Multan City of Pakistan

Multan (Punjabi/Urdu: ملتان, from ancient Sanskrit: Moolasthan) is a city in thePunjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province. Multan District has a population of over 4.5 million— It is situated on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about 562 km (349 mi) from Islamabad, 356 km (221 mi) from Lahore. & 966 km (600 mi) from Karachi.
Multan is known as the City of Sufis or City of Saints due to the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and ornate tombs. It is located in a bend created by five rivers of the Punjab province. The Sutlej Riverseparates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The city has grown to become an influential political and economical center for the country, with a dry port and excellent transport links. Multan is famous for its crops: wheat, cotton and sugar cane as well as mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranates.

Culture:

Multan is locally known as the 'City of Saints, Sufis and Beggars'. It is one of the main cities in the Southern Punjab province of Pakistan. The city has been a focal point for many religions, in particular becoming a central abode for Sufism, the mystical side of Islam. The city has attracted Sufi saints from far places of the globe. Today, Multan is known as the 'City of Sufis'. It is one of the oldest cities in South Asia, with many tombs, shrines, temples, cathedrals and mausoleums, as well as a historical fort. Today Multan is a combination of old and the new Pakistan culture. There is a big hustle bustle in the old city and comfort of a five star hotel and fine dining in the new. The old city has a various bazaars selling mystical artifacts, perfumes to arts and crafts. There are also elaborately decorated shrines of the Sufi saints, tombs of various travellers and important people within the old city of Multan.

The prime attractions of Multan are its mausoleums of Sufi saints. The Mausoleum of Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya, as well as the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam are the prime attractions of the city. Their lofty domes of are visible, from miles and dominate the skyline of Multan. Another popular shrine is the Mausoleum of Shams-ud-Din, commonly known as Shah Shamsuddin Sabzwari is located about half a mile to the east of the Multan Fort, on the high bank of the old bed of the Ravi River.

Another famous and beautiful mausoleum of a warrior sufi saint and poet Hazrat Hafiz Muhammad Jamal Multani (1747-1811 AD) is situated near Aam Khas garden outside Daulat Gate, Multan.

There are also a number of other mausoleums located within the city which gather a great deal of attention. The Nuagaza tombs are shrines to martyrs and warriors who fought in wars centuries ago some dating back 1,300 years ago. The Multan Museum located within the city has a vast collection of coins, medals, postage stamps of the former State of Bahawalpur, manuscripts, documented inscriptions, wood carvings, camel-skin paintings, historical models and stone carvings of the Islamic and Pre-Islamic periods.

Multan also has a number of old mosques which were once considered as the jewels of the city. Some have been dated back to a few thousand years and have been recognized as some of the oldest mosques within South East Asia. The legend goes that the first mosque ever built in Multan was the Jamia Mosque which was constructed on the orders of General Mohammed Qasim, who conquered Multan in 712AD. Ruins of this mosque were visible till 1954 at Qasim Bella however due to repeated floods, the structure was lost. Sawi Mosque is supposed to be the oldest mosque which still exists today though in deteriorating state, there are glazed blue tiles from the era in which it was built which dates the mosque to several centuries ago. The second oldest mosque within Multan is Mohammad Khan Wali Mosque. It is an excellent condition, situated in the busiest Chowck Bazar of the city. It was built by Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan Khakwani, in 1757 when he was the governor of Multan in the time of Alamgir II. The mosque is provided with a reservoir for the ablutions, baths, and a large hall for prayers.

Multan is another Pakistani city that loves cricket. The city government inaugurated a new multi-purpose stadium replacing Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium which was the lone stadium used for football and cricket matches. The inauguration of the new stadium has allowed the city to offer Test day/night matches as well as other national sports such as hockey, badminton and football. The stadium is home to the Multan Cricket Association. Other sports grounds include Divisional Sports Ground and the Pakistan Cricket Board owned Government College Cricket Ground.

A visit to Multan: