City of Saints and Nirvana. . .

On the onset of winter last year we decided we should visit places that we would not in summers such as Multan. Few years back, on my transit form Rawalpindi to Karachi via train I came across this beautiful city, as 12^th of Rabi-ul-awal was around the corner the city was radiating beacon of light in dark of the night, the vision was serene and entrancing, it made me think of all the gratitude that I have for the spirituality around me. So last year in winters nearing month of Rabi-ul-Awal we decided to give it a go and it came to us that just like other cities of Pakistan, Multan has its own tourist attractions and fair share of places to visit. Multan has more to offer than it appears to be.

 History:

As it has been said in old sayings, “Multan is City of Saints Dust and Beggars”. It is famous for its unique handicrafts, shrines, sufi music, parks and other cultural manifestations. Today Multan has diverse culture both the combination of old and new Pakistani cultures.

History is really old which dates back to old Indus Valley Civilization, existed 5000 years ago. Multan name came from pre-Muslim period form an idol in Temple of the Sun God. It has faced many regimes and visits form Sufis, arranging form Great Alexander visit in 326 BC to Mughal emperors. Lastly British ruled it till independence.

Culture:

Multan is “Manchester” of Pakistan as it is rich in ethnicity like Punjabi, Balochi, Sindh and Pashtuns. No doubt the dominant religion is Islam. Most riveting aspect of culture is “Derra” namely called “Bhettak”, it’s a place where friends and neighbors will unite to talk about their day share happiness and sorrows. Multan has variety in food, due to its ethnicity ranging from fast food, Chinese and Arabic delicacies. While traditional renowned foods are Multani Mutton Chops, Multani Halwa (Sohan Halwa), Badami Kulfi, Paira, Lassi, Doli Roti and Kachori. 

 

Dominant language is “Saraiki”, the sweetest language of Pakistan and other dialects. Multan is most famous for its handcrafts i.e. Blue Pottery. The craft can be traced back to the city of Kashgar, China. Each pottery piece is hand crafted and hand painted and is extremely beautiful and durable. The art of it all is influenced by Persian art and can be seen in every piece.

At a Glance:

Our first destination on arrival was Ibn e Qasim Bagh. While visiting the place it gave us the opportunity to relive in the residues of Qasim Fort namely Multan Fort. Fort was destroyed in reign of British. 

We arrived at Walled city of Multan through Haram Gate. Walled city seemed both familiar and strange at the same time it was executing more culture and rural vibes. Making our way to the shrine nearby, was the sight of pigeons and gatekeeper of shrine feeding them adding more to the spirituality of Multan.

First shrine we visited was Shrine of Sakhi Yahya Nawab, son of Musa Pak Shaheed. The sight was eye opening and in complete contrast with Walled city hustle, it’s like shrine appeared out of nowhere, from its colorful bricked exterior to the nature vested within was a calling and temptation.

The trance was broken eventually and we came across Musafarkhana, it seemed to be the best possible place to stay in city. The three story building was made up of bricks and the windows had colorful stained glass in wood craved frames all facing the Sarafa Bazaar, a famous jewelry market.

We made our way to Chowk Bazar though Main Street under all the canopies and came across Jain Mandir, people were oblivious to its presence, to which we took the opportunity to have a look. The temple hall was empty and you could clearly see the Hindu and English scripts in the tiles telling mythical lore.

Moving ahead in bazar we finally came across the two most famous shrines of Multan. Shrine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam and Shrine of Bhahudin Zakariya. After taking riksha ride to Shrine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam, we entered the shrine, the inside of tomb was dark and cold. Man and women were praying and came forth to touch the tomb, place was filled with air of reverence.

On our way to Shrine of Bhahudin Zakariya, we visited Clock Tower “Ghanta Ghar”. We were told that it was government headquarters built in during British raj, the clock was solar powered and stopped working while ago. Now government has converted it into museum, Multan Museum. The museum had collection of postage stamps, coins and medals.

Again passing by Qasim Fort we reached our final destination, Shrine of Bhahudin Zakariya. The shrine is the home of Shah Rukn-i-Aalm’s grandfather, he was the earliest preacher of Islam. The structure was old and in contrast to Shrine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam but it significance makes up for its beauty. The design was simple it had carved wooden doors and walls were made of mud bricks.

The sun was about to set so I asked to stay for a bit before our way home, as we sat around corner. I found myself lost to emphatic sounds of Qawwali, and I knew I had eventually found what I came for, as group of men near the entrance of tomb started to sing.

 

It is my heart’s desire to visit this place again and would suggest that everyone must visit once in their life time even if it’s for the sake of delicious Sohan Halwa!!!!.  Here is something to push your over the edge.

Natural Museum on Earth, True Wonder !!!!

There are obvious choices one can have to visit before the onset of weekend like Murree, Taxila and the surroundings of Salt range. Our friends decided to do something that can be done in a day, after lazy debate one of us suggested to visit Khewra Salt mines alongside Khatas Raj. Eventually we decided only to go for Salt mines as some of were doubtful about it. It took us good two and half hours before we reached Khewra via Motorway-lilah-khewra route around ten.

History:

Slat mines are the Pakistan’s largest and world’s second largest mines. In the lore we have been told when Alexander the great visited Asia in 320BC, he stopped his army at this spot and found his horse licking rocks which led to the discovery of the rock salt.

Slat trading has been around since Mughal era it fooled Sikh regime, lastly British took over the mines in around 1849, and tour guide told us that Engineer named Dr. Warth made the min tunnel which was further developed for the extraction.

Evidence of salt trading dates back to the Mughal era, then followed by the Sikh regime. The British took over the mines in 1849. Dr Warth, a British mining engineer created the main tunnel in 1872. Then the area was further developed and more efficient means of salt extraction was initiated.

Slat reserves are 99% pure. The mines have 19 stories, eight above the ground and ten below it and tunnels length amount to 25 miles.

At a Glance:

The visiting times are around 9am to 5pm and visit can be done on day of the week even on Sunday besides Eid Holidays. It was scary for me at first to just to go in dark tunnel as I was never been to the one before, so there were two options for us either to walk or take the mini trolley trains, we decided to take the train, these trolley train seems old but was working just fine.

 It felt like heaven inside the tunnel as we have been outside and it actually felt like July, as we were enjoying the cold breeze of the tunnel we reached our destination.

The first, that we saw, was that this beautiful Mosque that was made out of salt as the salt bricks used have been of different color form transparent to light pink they were glowing beautifully due to the light setups inside it mosque seems to having a halo of light around it when seen from far. 

We find our way to Pul-e-sarat (salt bridge) , bridge was narrow walkway over 100ft- deep salt water pool, pool seemed to have been reflecting light almost creating rainbow in salt water later guide told us the water was crystal clear and all the colors reflections were due to slat at the bottom. The bridge was so narrow that tourist were being anxious about passing moreover guide introduced it such way that was to be alert about.

After passing that difficult passage way we made it alive to the Dead Ponds, they are basically slat ponds highly saturated and found if you just fall into them you cannot drown just like dead sea but we were allowed to touch the water as it was highly corrosive, so guess you cannot drown but you still might get hurt if you decided to go for it.

We decided to pay the guide so that we can visit other tombs and that is where the history was, it seems that there were few rooms established for the purpose of office during the British Regime, other than Hindu Temple, Church and Vintage train engine was still great to see.

Then, we came across Sheesh Mahal “The Palace of Mirrors” it was the discovery of the shiny slat that seemed to twinkling but there was no mirrors there though. On our way back we came across miniature salt models of Minar-e-Pakistan, Mall road of Murree and Great Wall of China.

On our way out guide told us about the underground wards that were built on trial basis for treatment of patience of respiratory diseases also there was setup of Asthma Resort for Halotherpy . One of the amazing features were the small local restaurants and refreshment centers with actual sitting area we find it very amazing and I think they were a blessing for the who just walked  into mine via tunnel it’s like around a mile into the tunnel for the actual show to begin. Anyhow, we were done we decided take a breather at this place just outside named Khewra Salt mines Tourist Resort. 

After visiting Khewra we intend to visit neighboring mines in the future, having visited we would recommend you to visit if your plan includes something different, if it’s still not convincing here is souvenir to push over the edge.

 

Now a thing like that is hard to miss. Hope to see you on same tunnels one day.

The breath-taking North

In the summer of this year, my friends & I decided to visit the Northern areas of Pakistan. We were really pumped to escape the heat as well as the hustle and bustle of Islamabad during July. It was a hot 11am when we got on our first leg of the journey on a Daewoo express bus towards Batkhela. It took us almost 5 hours to get to Batkhela where our next ride was waiting for us to take us to Timargara. The journey to Timargara was almost two more hours. When we got there, it was almost dark and we were exhausted, so we just had dinner and went to bed. The following morning we woke up to the beautiful view that the officers’ mess offered. It had a lush green lawn with the river and valley as backdrop. It was quite something.

 After taking in the view and filling our tummies, we set out for Chitral. We were told upon inquiry that Chitral was 4 hours from Timargara; this could not have been further from the truth. The road to Chitral is beautiful, with some waterfalls and the river following you along, but it is extremely bumpy. After 3 hours of travelling on that unforgiving road, we reached Lowari tunnel. Now we had two options, either take the direct route using the tunnel, or take the scenic route and go the longer way by crossing the mountain range through the Lowari Top. Without giving it a second thought, we decided to take the scenic route. In about one hour, we had reached Lowari Top where it was quite cold and dry with mountains on either side covered with snow and glaciers.

 It was at the top that we saw a “Welcome to Chitral” sign board. After seeing that and due to the fact that the aforementioned 4 hours had passed, we thought that we were almost there. So, we decided to give our packed lunch to the locals and some guards at the top, thinking that we would have lunch in Chitral. This was the biggest mistake we could have made. Little did we know that we had barely entered the district Chitral and that the city was still 4 hours away. Yes, 4 hours! We were only still halfway through our journey. Unsurprisingly, the next 4 hours to Chitral were torture. The bad road, the hunger, the regret of giving our food away and the never-ending journey finally came to an end when we reached Chitral mess at 8pm. We were completely worn out by then and decided to go straight to bed to rejuvenate for next day.

In the morning, we were up and energized to move forward, but it turned out that we would actually be moving backwards towards Kailaash, which was 2.5 hours away. Kailaash is a beautiful region/village, which is a trio of tribes with a very unique culture. The people have their distinct rituals and clothing, and they are non-muslims. Everything about the village astonished us. From the mess on the river that had gorgeous hand-carved interior to the beautiful houses to the striking clothes of the locals to their open graveyard. We even met a woman who had been part of one of Junaid Jamshed’s music videos in the nineties. She was running a souvenir shop now.

 

Kailaash was an experience. We got to visit one or two of their houses as well as local praying areas. After that, we decided to head back. The road to Kailaash and back is extremely dangerous as it is unpaved, very bumpy and very narrow.

 There are several times when passengers have to get off of the jeep because the angle can get very steep sideways. Anyways we made it back to Chitral before dark and decided to explore it a little. We were invited by a local to his house and we accepted happily. In his house he had grown peaches and some very rare breeds of cherry, which tasted heavenly. He even served us a local Chitrali chicken filled homemade bread. Night had fallen when we got back to our rooms.

The very next day we were up early in the morning to leave for Shandur. It was going to be a long 6 hour journey but we were enthusiastic because Shandur was absolutely the highlight of my trip and we knew it would be worth it. Our first stop was Mastuj which took us 4 hours to get to. We stopped there for some tea and pakoras and to change vehicles. We hired a local jeep with a Chitrali driver to take us to Shandur. There was no paved road but the route was absolutely stunning. We came across a valley which was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen.

It was a wide valley with some very green patches and beautiful trees. As we started to climb, the temperature started to drop too. It was noon when we got to Shandur and the weather was really chilly. We were not expecting it to be so cold so we quickly put on our hoodies and jackets. We stopped at Shandur hut which is basically a guest house of Army.

Shandur is actually home to the World’s highest polo ground, and it is one of the most breath-taking yet tranquil places I have ever experienced. It hosts a polo festival every year which many people from around the World come to see.

Just picture yourself there, a cold wind blowing, nobody else for miles and all you can hear is the cattle In the distance, munching on some grass. Also, Shandur was surrounded by snowy and dry mountains, a lake and long green plains.

Shandur is located at an altitude of 12,200 feet. Even at noon, the temperature was well below freezing. And eventhough we had booked rooms there, we were not prepared to spend the night there. Therefore, we sadly decided to leave Shandur, and spend the night in Phunder, which was the next city but still 3 hours away. The journey to Phunder was amazing. It was full of long green plains filled with all sorts of cattle. I have never seen so many cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep together. Oh and there were one or two donkeys as well.

It was past sunset when we entered phunder so we just had lunch and got some shut-eye. In the morning, our ride to Gilgit was waiting for us. But before that we decided to explore the city we had stayed the night in. And that is when we realized that Phunder had one of the most beautiful views ever. It had a lake, a river with teal water and a beautiful valley, all in one.

We left for gilgit and we were in the city after 3 hours. Gilgit was hot and sunny compared to Shandur and Phunder. We had a lot planned for the next few days but we decided to turn it down a notch because we had been travelling a lot. So we decided to roam around the city. We explored the local bazar, went to the river bank, had dinner at the mess which was the first time in days that we had gotten internet.

We were well rested the next morning and ready to travel again. So our journey to Naltar began. This was the first time that we got on the mighty Karakorum Highway or KKH. It is a very well made road that goes all the way to the Pakistan-China border at Khunjerab.

The drive to Naltar was almost 3.5 hours. There were patches on the way that gave a very desert-y look, but Naltar was nothing like it. It is a stunningly scenic ski resort which is covered in clouds all summer. It has beautiful lakes as well. It was cold there and so we decided to eat some fried chicken from the mess there.

 We spent some time there, exploring the area and then decided to head back to Gilgit for the day. On the way back, one of the tyres of our jeep got punctured by a sharp stone. We did not have a spare either and the nearest tyre shop was miles away. So we had to call Gilgit to get another car come all the way to pick us up. We got back to our beautiful guest house which even had a cage full of white rabbits. We spent the night there and slept on time because the next day was going to be a long one.

The next morning we set out for Hunza and the newly formed Atabad Lake. It took us almost 4 hours to get to Hunza. Hunza was gorgeous. It was a very homey place with restaurants and friendly locals all around. The famous eagle’s nest is one of the most Instagram-worthy spots in the region. You get to see the whole valley and it is even more magical at sunrise.

We had lunch at a local restaurant. We kept it simple and ordered mix vegetables. It was served with thin rotis which were delicious. After lunch we visited Altit and Baltit forts and moved on towards Atabad lake. It took us roughly 2 hours to get there. Atabad lake is a new lake which was formed as a result of a mountain breaking apart and blocking the river. It was tragic as it caused many villages to drown, but the lake is really mesmerizing. 

We spent some time at the lake and prepared ourselves for the long journey back to Gilgit. We were out of energy and slept like babies when we finally reached back. We had an early flight back to Islamabad the next morning so we were up at 8 and ready to head to the airport.

We were both sad and happy to be heading home. It was a hectic yet wonderful 7 days and we could not have been more thankful to have visited all the beautiful places we had witnessed. As our plane took off, we got ready to get back to our normal life back home because the flight was only 40 minutes long.

Peshawar: Always a Delight

 Peshawar a city that is always a delight to visit . It is the capital of the Province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, located in the north-west of Pakistan. A city rich in culture and history is mainly remembered due to the “Khyber pass” and Bala hisar fort . ‘City of flowers’ with no flowers in it , the city only had ‘blood ,sweat and tears in the last few decades  but times have now changed. Initially the perception about KPK and mainly Peshawar is quite far from what is depicted or portrayed in the media.. Once you cross the checkpoints, you enter a cantonment, and the beauty of a Cantt area is that it is the same everywhere, so that is one part of all Pakistani cities I have already seen.

The best part of traveling is that you get to meet new people and you get to taste new food . People and food are the two things that you would definitely fall in love with while visiting Peshawar. Just this 3hrs drive from Rawalpindi, the drive to Peshawar is quite scenic and pleasing, and within no time you reach the city. Your arrival in the city is welcomed by the Fort Bala Hisar. The Fort is closed off to civilians, and along with all the important buildings that follow, was very heavily guarded. So there’s this famous “KarKhanoo market” near haytabad. Hayatabad is basically the F-6 of Peshawar ,A posh area with big and beautiful house. The market is a few min drive from their and is  located right on the border of KPK and FATA. As the Afghan border is quit near so one used to find quite good quality stuff in the market. The market is quite diverse and to your luck you can find a ps4 or an original 511 backpack from gun cleaning kits to brand new lcds , from rifle scopes to star bucks coffee, you just need to explore and try to blend in the culture .Shalwar Kameez is a must if you want to visit Peshawar and the bargaining is crazy , you can get Randolph shades in just 400rs . So as usual me and a couple of friends decided to visit the city it was not only the market that we were interested in  it’s the foods as well , The perfectly cooked chapli kebabs and roasted meat is always worth the trip. Pro tip always keep a pushto speaking friend as it helps a lot with language .

The prestigious Islamia College, founded in 1913, is well worth a look for its grand Victorian stye and clock tower. The green surroundings and contemplative atmosphere make it a real treat for the eyes. Inside the college premises is a white masjid; beautiful and peaceful beyond words. The grand architecture demands attentive viewing. And yes this is the same isamic university that is printed on the back of 1000rs note.

Nowhere else in the world is there a collection of Gandharan art more extensive than that of the Peshawar Museum. Based in the mid city the museum is an haven for archeologist and people of might have slight interest in history .

Namak Mandi is bright and luminous, with bulbs hanging over every shop. Inside the open restaurants, you’ll see waiters with a cloth on their shoulders, delicately holding the plates of salad, naan and cooked meat, and memorizing long lists of customers’ orders. Not long ago, some of the restaurants had charpoys set outside, with tables between them. Customers would get cozy in the charpoys, rest their backs against a support, and enjoy their freshly served meal. With the passage of time, the charpoys have been replaced with plastic and wooden chairs, but fortunately the authentic taste of the food remains intact. Most restaurants have a vast menu that includes,chapli kebab, kabuli pula, dum pukht and a variety of meat-heavy dishes, but the two main items that have earned Namak Mandi its repute are tikkay and mutton karahi . Displayed on the outside are hanging, skinned whole lambs, goats, . These skinned animals are cut into smaller pieces on the spot, before being tossed into a karahi or put on a skewer. The karhai is customarily followed by steaming cups of green tea with either honey or lemongrass.