By Ansa Razzaq

The name Pakistan means “land of the pure” in Urdu and Persian. The name was suggested by Chaudhry Rehmat Ali. Pakistan officially the Islamic republic of Pakistan is a part of South Asia and considered 33rdlargest and 6th populous country. It has diverse geography. Pakistan is a declared nuclear power and has the best armed forces in the world. At the same time it is the land of many historic cities and sites where thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. Following are some of them which hold worldwide recognition and attraction.

1-Lahore Fort and Shalimar Garden

These historic sites were built in Lahore, which in itself is a historic city for being a seat of learning during the British Raj and capital of Punjab during the Sikh era under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1642 Shalimar garden has enchanting lawns and fountains.

2-Faisal Mosque

When different project design was chosen from traditional mosque by Turkish artist Vedat Dalokay, many raised their eyebrows. Construction started in 1976 and completed in ten years. The mosque is named after Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi king who suggested the idea and largely financed its construction. It covers a large area with a capacity of 100,000 worshippers.

3-Minar e Pakistan

The Minar e Pakistan is situated in a large park, quite famous among lahoris. The Minar e Pakistan is a 62-meter-high minaret with symbols standing for the history of Pakistan. It was completed in 8 years. It has a shape of five pointed stars, which comprises of four platforms.

4-Wazir Khan Mosque

The old Lahore is a historical section which is protected by walls and entered through 13 gates. Mosque can be reached through Delhi gate. It was named after the governor who passed its construction orders it is one of the most beautiful mosque in Pakistan with four minarets and five turnip shaped domes with still today a unique feature among mosques worldwide.

5-Rohtas Fort

This fort is an example of Islamic military architecture and artistic traditions from sub-continent and India. It was built on a small hill next to Kahan River. This fort was built by Sher Shah Suri. And its name was derived from Rohtasgarh.

6-Badshahi Mosque

 The mosque was instructed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and second largest mosque after Faisal mosque, that accommodate over 100,000 worshippers. This piece of architecture is located opposite to Lahore fort. The Mosque also house a small museum containing relics of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Hazrat Ali (AS), and his daughter Hazrat Fatimah (RA).

7-Tomb of Jahangir

This mausoleum is in Shahdara Bagh in Lahore along the bank of River Ravi. the tomb was built for Mughal. The tomb took ten years to build. This was the favorite place for Jahangir and his wife Noor Jahan when they lived in this city

8-Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam

This is the mausoleum of Sufi Saint Sheikh Ruin-ud-Din Abel Fateh. This was built in the pre-Mughal style. This tomb is in the southwest side of Multan. This tomb is entirely built of red bricks. It has one hemispherical dome.

9-Khewra Salt Range

Located in Khewra, north of Pind Dadan Khan. It is the world’s largest salt range. total reserve of salt is 82 million tons to 600 million tons and contain few amount of trace elements. It is also known as Himalayan salt and appears in red, pink, off white and transparent.

 Published in Young Nation Magazine on September 2, 2017