The ancient city of Multan is the 6th largest city of Pakistan.  The city has been remembered in the history with several names such as City of Gold, City of Peace and lately City of Saints & Mausoleums, which is still the identity of this city.  It is located on the eastern side of River Chenab and a bit far on west River Sutlej course its way. Being only major city in that area makes it most heart and financial hub of southern Punjab.  Some 400 km from Lahore and 1000 km from Karachi, Multan almost lies at the centre of the Pakistan.

Name:	Multan
Province:	Punjab
District:	City District of Multan
Area:	3721 sq. km
Elevation:	216 m AMSL
Population:	4,000,000 (1998 est.)
Density:	838 Persons/sq. km
Calling Code:	061
Time Zone:	PST
Mayor:	Mian Faisal Mukhtar
City Website:	N/A

Contents Geography Economy Culture and Demography Government History Sites of Intrest Development Problems

GEOGRAPHY
Multan is basically flat plain and is extremely ideal for agriculture.  Various canals from river Sutlej & river Chenab pass through Multan & its adjoining districts making this area heaven of fertile land for agriculture. Adding to it in summer the extreme hot weather can reach above 50°C which are the ideal conditions for mango, citrus & cotton productions. Alongwith these many other crops are ideal for these areas. The temperatures in winter can drop upto 1°C.  Average rainfall is approx 178.5 mm, (7 inches).  About 2000 acres of land is under forest in this rich agriculture area.

On its North East is the city of Sahiwal; south east is another major agricultural district of Bahawalpur, which lies on the banks of River Sutlej and on the south side is district Rahim Yar Khan. On the West side across River Chenab lies district Muzaffargarh mainly famous for its mangoes. Being main strength Rivers & canals makes this whole area extremely rich in agriculture.

From September til February Multan enjoys low temperature weather and this perhaps is a very good time to visit Multan.  As a tourist’s perspective wildlife includes Fox, Jackal and wild boar etc. Amongst birds are grey and black partridges, sand grouse visiting the district in winter, quail, plover and pigeons are common. 

Being centrally located in the country, Multan enjoys good road, air and rail connection with all the major cities.  A good wide 4-lane national highway is connecting it to Lahore & Karachi. A new 6-lane motorway is being built between Faisalabad & Multan, which will reduce time for travel time between Islamabad-Faisalabad & Lahore–Faisalabad and giving links to many other cities as well.  Multan airport also enjoys good regular connection with all major cities of Pakistan.  Multan also enjoys good & regular rail connection.

ECONOMY

Multan Statebank

The unique & beautiful multistory building of State bank of Pakistan in the centre of Multan shows the worth and important role played by Multan in Pakistan’s growing economy.

Multan is a versatile city with economy base ranging from rich heritage artifacts to modern day industry. Multan’s vast economy is based on industry which includes Sugar & flour mills, foundries, fertilizer factories, power plants in Kot Addu & Muzaffargarh, Textile & weaving & dyeing industry, & most importantly agriculture. 

Agriculture is unquestionably important major factor in Multan’s economy. While main crops remain mangoes, citrus, sugarcane, cotton, and wheat others includes rice, maize, tobacco, vetch, lentils and oil seeds. A lots of fruit forms also grow fruit crops, which include dates, pears, bananas and guavas.  Potatoes, Onion and Cauliflower are the main vegetables grown in the district.  History once called it "city of Gold” & today it is called a cotton mine with 35,000 power looms manufacturing exported cotton goods.

Its extremely talented artisans are known for their handmade beautiful blue pottery, ceramics, camel skin lamps, wooden crafts, furniture, metal handicrafts, multani khussa (embroidered leather shoes) & hand embroidered cloths, which makes the strong cottage industry of Multan adding to national exchequer. 

The City of Multan

CULTURE AND DEMOGRAPHY
Although located in Punjab, the majority of Multan's residents are ethnic Siraiki then Punjabi. Ethnic make up comes like 85% seraiki & 15% Punjabi. Majority speaks Seraiki language & then comes Punjabi language.  Urdu being the national language is widely spoken and understood by all.

Multan has produced country’s many popluar poets such as Arsh Siddiqi, Sahir Bukhari Raziuddin Razi, Ghazala Khakwani, and Riffat Abbass & urdu spy novelist Muzhar Kaleem comes from Multan. The city since ages has been under the influence of saints and their beautiful numerous Mausoleums with unique & fantastic looking tombs are still a source of mysticism & spiritualism not for the local people but for the visitors from all over the country & worldwide.  Multan is the city of hardworking & praiseworthy people. One can call it city of calligraphers, writers & poets.

GOVERNMENT
The Local Government Plan 2000 asks for the establishment of a City District Government to respond to the specific needs of the cities & districts of Pakistan.

City District have three tiers:
City District Government (CDG)
Town Municipal Administration (TMA)
Union Councils Administration (UCA)

There are 6 (six) towns fall under the jurisdiction of City district government Multan.
These 6 Towns in City Districts have a total of 129 union councils as under:

• Bosan Town with 24 union councils
• Jalalpur Pirwala Town with 15 Union Councils
• Mumtazabad Town with 24 Union Councils
• Shah Rukan-e-Alam Town with 25 Union Councils
• Shershah Town with 24 Union Councils
• Shujabad Town with 17 Union Councils

These authorities report to the CDGK and are responsible for infrastructure and spatial planning, development facilitation, and municipal services (water, sanitation, solid waste, repairing roads, parks, street lights, and traffic engineering), with some functions being retained by the CDG.

The UC Nazim heads the union administration and is responsible for facilitating the CDG to plan and execute municipal services, as well as for informing higher authorities about public concerns and complaints.

HISTORY

Shah Rukhn-I-Alam Mausoleum

“Mai-us-than: or “Mul-asthan” both of these believed to be the old names of Multan.

Multan’s history can be traced back to the visit of Alexander the Great, who traveled through mostly today’s Pakistan.   Alexander the Great who entered subcontinent from the northern route via Swat reached Indus via Attock.  On his way he was halted & had to fight many rulers like Raja Porus etc. The Mallois of Mullisthan (Multan) were the last to inflict heavy losses to his army.  Although Multan was conquered by Alexander the Great in 326 BC, he got wounded in the battle and died at Babylon, while returning home with his army.  The visit of Alexander hence This undoubtedly makes it the subcontinent’s oldest city. 

Multan later believed to be attacked by nomads knows as Epthalite (White Huns) lead by Torman.  Like Alexander, Torman faced resistance but eventually conquered Multan. After Epthalite (White Huns) left Multan it came under the Hindu rule. 
During this period it was visited by couple of historians and travelers, one Chinese historian Hiuen Tsang in his history book has mentioned about rich fertile land of Multan, prevailing well established Hindu rule & their grand temples.

Multan is referenced as a city where first Muslim’s arrived in subcontinent. Although Muslims believed to have visited Multan in 664 AD, yet the most prominent warrior in the history is Muhammad Bin Qasim.  Muhammad Bin Qasim in 721 AD invaded this part of the subcontinent and extended Umayyad rule to Indus valley.

Muhammed Bin Qasim had to face the strong Hindu ruler Raja Dahir with whom fighting continued for a week. Muhammed Bin Qasim succeded in conquering the city.   Hence Multan became the first city in subcontinent to be under the rule of a muslim.  This was start of arrival of Muslim Scholars & saints from middle east & Persia prominently.

The next was the historical arrival of Mahmood Ghaznavi. Mahmood Ghaznavi defeated Ismailis & Carmathians in Multan & present day sindh. The Ghaznavid rule in Eleventh century ushered in an era of Muslim rule over the subcontinent.  Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakaria's was among the first prominent scholars alongwith other other saints in 12th early century to arrive and stay in Multan. His Mausoleum built by himself is still present at the Multan Fort.

Later Multan stayed under the control of Mughals & Tughlaq’s.  Amir Taimur was another prominent ruler who conquered Multan in 1397 AD.  It is believed that during his period Multan’s heritage, architecture & prosperity grew.  Most Mausoleums in Multan belong to the era of Amir Taimur. As the Muslim rule over subcontinent expanded, Multan started playing the role as a transit route between Kandhar & subcontinent.  It stayed under different Muslims rulers of subcontinent, and became one of the important biggest cities of southern part of subcontinent covering parts of today’s Sindh & Blauchistan.

In coming centuries Muslim rule continued and at one stage Multan was called as a City of Gold or Meadows of Gold.   Lately Multan came under different prominent rulers Mahmood Ghouri, Ahmad Shah Abdali, Sultan Subuktgeen and Shahabudin Ghauri etc.  These afghan rulers didn’t had the best control of area.  The rulers kept changing now and then.

As the Mughal empire grew, alongwith came the most peaceful era for Multan, which was under the Mughal empire. Peace & prosperity came to the region, with agriculture & commerce thrive. Multan was now the hub of then South Punjab. Such was the era for Multan that it was remembered as Darul-Aman i.e. city of peace.  After the demise of Mughals in 1750, it came under the afghan rulers briefly. 

After Mughal’s decline Multan had started loosing its importance as a trade route. The focus was now Lahore for western intruders as it was now fast becoming the new trade corridor.  Under western Afghan rulers, Multan remained ignored. Later growing Sikh influence on west part of subcontinent reached Multan and they ultimately attacked and plundered Multan to its worst, possibly the worst era for Multan. The prosperity era of Multan was undoubtedly finished. Sikhs ruled the city for sometime but eventually defeated by British in 1849. With this it came under British rule and slowly Multan totally lost its importance. After independence Multan became part of the Punjab province. Though in shambles, Multan slowly rebuilt itself & revived its heritage. It earned its name in agriculture & textile industry.

Multan Clock Tower

SITES OF INTEREST
Being one of the most ancient cities of subcontinent Multan is full of historical sites. Today the city is alive & leaves its mark to the visitors.  With its great heritage, unique architecture, fort, citadel, magnificent mausoleums, exquisite mosques, delightful city gates, superb clock house and newly constructed landmarks like the State bank of Pakistan & other new monuments, visitors easily fell in love with this great city.  It is regularly visited by lots of tourist all over the country.  Mostly famous for its historical Mausoleums, it has many other interesting places. 

General:

• Arts Council building
• The Multan Municipal Corporation Clock Tower
• Mohallah Qadeerabad

Colonial Buildings:

• Memorial Obelisk
• Temples
• Sun Mandir
• Suraj Kund

Forts:

• Multan Fort
• Fort Munro
  

Mausoleums:

• Mausoleum of Hazrat Baha-ud-Din Zakaria
• Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-i-Alam
• Mausoleum of Shah Shams Sabzwari
• Mausoleum of Shah Gardez
• Mausoleum of Musa Pak Shaheed
• Mausoleum of Bibi Pak Daman  
• Mausoleum of Hazrat Sher Shah Syed
• Mausoleum of Hazrat Makhdoom Abdul Rashid Haqqani
• Shrine of Shahadna Shahaid
• Totla Mai
• Mausoleum of Shah Ali Akbar
• Baba Safra
• Manka

Museums:

• Multan Museum

Gardens:

• Lake Chamanzar-e-Askari and Company Bagh  
• Qasim Bagh in the Multan Fort
• Langer Khan Garden
• Aam-Khas Garden and the parks at Bohar gate
• Cantonment garden  

Mosques:

• Jamia Mosque
• Sawi Mosque
• Mosque Ali Muhammad Khan
• Mosque Phool Hattan Wali
• Eid Gah Mosque

Sports Grounds:

• Multan Cricket Stadium
• Qasim Bagh Stadium
• Divisional Sports Ground

DEVELOPMENT

A New Housing Scheme

Since Multan is a major city in south Punjab it attracts lots of people from nearby cities and districts. The city needs constant attention and continuous civic development. During last decade lots of development work has been done.  This includes an overhead bridge near state bank building, metallization of all roads and dual carriageway link with National Highway N-5.

Present government of Punjab has earmarked huge amount of sum for rural development.

The major projects includes, brick-lining of water courses in south Punjab, a boat bridge at Aimenwala Pattan in Jalalpur Pirwala. It is also constructing 201 bed Multan Institute of Cardiology (MIC), a new burn unit, establishment of a nursing college in Multan. 

The dual carriageways of Sher Shah Road and Bosan Road are under construction.

A new 300-bed district headquarter hospital has been proposed and hopefully construction would start soon.  As a second phase Multan Industrial Estate in being expanded.

The prominent educations institutes in Multan are Bahauddin Zakariya University formely known as Multan University, Government College, Government Science College, Nishtar Medical College, Punjab College, Government Degree College  & Government Islamia High School.

The N-5 connecting Multan with Lahore

PROBLEMS
One writer says that last thing on the minds of city planners is preservation of Multan's old and legendary heritage. Historic buildings are disappearing slowly without regret, monuments are suffering.  A World Bank report says that there are 131 sites which should be protected, however only 24 of them have this status. Multan has been declared by UNESCO the “World City Of Heritage”.

• City is expanding without any planning.
• The services of the Corporation and other city development agencies are barely visible in the city.
• Multan Development Authority, since inception, has hardly been able to do any thing evident in 362 square kilometers area of jurisdiction.
• Overflowing sewerage
  
• Bad water supply system
  

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