Sights of Pakistan: list, photos

In South Asia, between India in the east and Afghanistan in the west, the modern state of Pakistan is located. The sights of this country are very diverse. These are fortresses and mosques, the ruins of ancient cities, interesting museums and numerous natural objects. Pakistan is still poorly studied by tourists, but from this it becomes even more attractive and colorful.

General information about the country

Pakistan is an Asian state that gained independence in 1947. His name is artificial, he was offered by an Arab student at Cambridge University.

Modern Pakistan is a federation of four provinces. At the head of the country is the president, who must necessarily be a Muslim. The state religion is Sunni Islam. Pakistan has the sixth largest armed forces in the world. The army, by the way, has great authority in the political arena in the state, which was formed during several wars with India and other regional conflicts.

In Pakistan today there are about 200 million people. The largest cities are Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad. The capital city is Islamabad.

Modern Pakistan is an industrial and agrarian power, in the structure of whose economy agriculture occupies an important place. Hydropower and light industry are also very developed here. The basis of Pakistani culture is rich Muslim traditions. True, it was influenced by the era of age-old British rule.

Pakistan: 9 interesting facts

About Pakistan, many of us know almost nothing. We bring to your attention nine facts about this country, which can not but surprise:

• Pakistan is the world's leader in the production of bagpipes and soccer balls.
• The most popular sports here are cricket and field hockey.
• In the south, Pakistan has a fairly wide outlet to the Arabian Sea, but almost all the beaches here are dirty, sparsely populated and not well-groomed.
• Pakistan is one of the most faithful countries in the world (the number of Muslims here exceeds 96%).
• In this country it is difficult to meet on the streets of female people (women leave the house extremely rarely, and then only accompanied by men).
• In Pakistan, Facebook and YouTube are banned, but access to pornographic sites is not limited.
• The state is very strict: in the local cities you will not find street music, dances and other noisy entertainment.
• Entry into Pakistan is forbidden to those tourists who have ever visited Israel.
• In the country, "pigeon mail" is very well established, however, the birds do not deliver letters, but drugs.

Pakistan, attractions: photos and a list of the most visited places

The number of travelers who want to visit this little-known country is growing every year. And this is not surprising. Coloring, deep traditions, delicious cuisine and various attractions of Pakistan attract tourists who are already fed up with traditional European routes.

Numerous monuments of history and architecture are located in the largest cities of the country - Karachi and Lahore. Listed below are the most visited sights of Pakistan (the list includes the 10 most popular tourist destinations):

• Lahore Fort.
• Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro.
• Mausoleum of the Jinn.
• Shalimar Gardens.
• The Faisal Mosque.
• Badshahi Mosque.
• Fortress Balti.
• Lake Hannah.
• The palace of Nur-Mahal.
• Freer Hall Cathedral.

The Jinnah Mausoleum in Karachi

The mausoleum of Jinnah, perhaps, can be called one of the main symbols of the Pakistani people. After all, it was built in honor of Mohammed Ali Jinn, the father of the Pakistani statehood. It was thanks to his efforts and unique political flair that this state appeared. The mausoleum is a massive building of white marble with the height of 43 meters. Inside it, the founder of the nation is buried. Every day hundreds of Pakistanis come to Jinnah's grave.

What other attractions of Pakistan can be distinguished?

Mohenjo-Daro - "dead city" in the province of Sindh

Mohenjo-Daro is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Literally this name is translated as "hill of the dead". Mohenjo-Daro are the remnants of the ancient city of the Indian civilization, which was founded 2,500 years before our era. The perimeter of the ancient city reaches five kilometers.

Why Mohenjo-Daro ceased to exist, no one knows for sure. Archaeologists have established that the city was abandoned sharply by its inhabitants. In this regard, scientists began to put forward different theories of his death. According to one of them, the reason for the desolation of the city was the invasion of the Aryans, according to another - Mohenjo-Daro was emptied due to frequent floods. There are also fantastic hypotheses, up to and including the landing of alien ships on this site .

The Faisal Mosque

The sights of Pakistan are, first of all, beautiful mosques. One of them is in Islamabad. This is the Faisal Mosque, which is ranked among the largest in the world. Outwardly the building resembles a huge tent, which can accommodate up to 300 thousand people!

The construction of the mosque lasted ten years under the leadership of the Turkish architect, but with the funds of Saudi Arabia. Named a shrine in honor of King Faisal of the sponsoring state of construction. The Faisal Mosque is especially picturesque at night, when its walls and minarets are buried in bright lights.

Fortress Balti

Sights of Pakistan are not only mausoleums and mosques. So, in the city of Karimabad the monumental fortress of Baltit has been preserved. It was built in the eighth century. The fort is a three-story structure on top of a hill. On the first floor there were warehouses of arms and ammunition, on the second one there was a point of observation. On the third floor there were rooms for rest, as well as reception of foreign delegations.

In the 1990s, work began on the restoration of the fort. Today, this monument is a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO Heritage List.

Lahore (Pakistan): sights and historical monuments of the city

Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan, the first mention of which dates back to the tenth century. It is located in the north-eastern part of the country, almost at the border with India. In the urban metropolitan area of Lahore, according to estimates of demographers, almost 10 million people live. The city has a number of interesting sights and historical monuments. Among them are two UNESCO World Heritage sites. These are the gardens of Shalimakh and the Badshahi mosque. In addition, tourists here are attracted by the Weapons Museum, Jallo Nature Park and other interesting places.

The grandiose Badshahi Mosque was built in the 17th century and can accommodate up to 50,000 believers. The building has eight minarets, the highest of them reach a height of 62 meters. The size of the courtyard of the shrine is 159 by 527 meters. The scale of the building is really impressive - it is the second largest mosque in the state of Pakistan.

What to see in the mosque? There is a small museum here, which is known for its valuable Islamic relics. In particular, in the Badshahi mosque you can see the first sura of the Koran, the turban of Muhammad, as well as the impression of his foot.

The second most famous sight of Lahore is Shalihami Gardens. They were erected in 1642 at the direction of Emperor Shah Jahan. The gardens are located on three terraces and are decorated with ponds, waterfalls and mosaic elements. Another outstanding historical and architectural monument in the city is the Lahore Fort built in the middle of the 17th century. Inside the fortress, masterpieces of Mughal architecture-the Pearl Mosque and the Mirror Palace-have been preserved. When they were built, an exotic material was used - Aleppo glass.

Finally…

A curious, unusual and very ambiguous country is Pakistan. Many call it an artificial state formation. Indeed, this power appeared on the world map only in 1947 due to the collapse of the British Empire. The knowledge about modern Pakistan among the earthlings is extremely scarce, although tourists and travelers are interested in it more and more.

The main attractions of Pakistan are the Lahorsk Fort, the Nur-Mahal Palace, the Faisal and Badshahi Mosques, the Balty Fortress. In addition, there are many interesting natural sites. For example, Lake Hannah or a safari park in Karachi attracts a large number of tourists every year.