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KARACHI
 Karachi,
the largest and the most popular city of Pakistan presents
an interesting and colorful combination of the old and
new. The narrow twisting lanes and alleys of the old
city throb with life alongside wide metallic roads and
elegant modern buildings. Within the city, talented
artisans with age-old skills produce handicrafts of
exquisite beauty.
Karachi
offers a variety of pleasant attractions: wide sunny
beaches, deep-sea fishing, yachting, golf and horseracing
all year round. It restaurants cater to a wide choice
of Pakistani and western cuisine. Its markets and bazaars
offer an endless variety of exciting shopping including
indigenous handicrafts, particularly rugs and carpets
of rare design and beauty.
Karachi's
recorded history goes back to the 18th century when
it was a small fishing village known as Kalachi-jo-Goth.
With the development of its harbor, it gradually grew
into a large city and an important center of trade and
industry. Its selection as the capital of Pakistan in
1947 added to its importance and accelerated its rate
of growth and development. Though the seat of Government
shifted to Islamabad, Karachi still remains the center
of commerce and industry.
HYDERABAD
Hyderabad,
once the capital of Sindh and now the third largest
city of Pakistan, is one of the oldest cities of the
sub-continent. Its history dates back to pre-Islamic
times, when Ganjo Taken (barren hill), a nearby hilly
tract, was used as a place of worship. The city traces
its early history to Neroon, a Hindu ruler of the area
from whom the city derived its previous name, "Neroon
Kot" (Fort of Neroon). The next important phase
of its history began when the Indus changed its course
from Khudabad.
The
monuments of the Kalhora and Talpur rulers and the bazaars
of the city are worth visiting. Stretching from Hyderabad
fort to the Market Tower is Shahi Bazaar, where well-stocked
shops are housed on both sides of a winding street,
and alongside a maze of tiny lanes that run off it.
Good buys are calico, embroidery, bracelets, lacquered
wood furniture, hand-loom cloth, "sousi" and
"ajrak", "rilli", block printed
colorful "chadars" (shawls) bangles, shoes
and glazed tiles. Hyderabad is connected with the main
cities of the country by road, rail and air links.
MOENJODARO
On
the west bank of the Indus, 350 miles from Karachi lies
Moenjodaro (Mound of the Dead), an archaeological site
which has been rated amongst the most spectacular of
the world's ancient cities. Considered one of the earliest
and most developed of urban civilizations, Moenjodaro
flourished from the third to the middle of the second
millennium B.C., when it vanished, leaving only traces
of its culture. Moenjodaro, along with Harappa - some
800 miles away - formed part of the Indus valley civilizations
and it is now generally believed that these were the
cities, referred to in the Rigveda, that were destroyed
by Aryan invaders.
The
urban planning at Moenjodaro was pragmatic and at a
high level. Its main thoroughfares were some 300 feet
wide and were crossed by straight streets that formed
blocks 400 yards in length and 200/300 yards in width.
The walls of the city's mud-brick and baked-brick houses
were designed to ensure the safety of its occupants
so that in times of earthquakes the structures collapsed
outwards. It had an elaborate covered drainage system,
soak pits for disposal bins, a state granary, a large
and imposing building that could have been a palace,
and a citadel mound with solid burnt-brick towers on
its margin. Judging from the remains, the Great Hall
was probably the most striking of its structures, comprising
an open quadrangle with verandahs of four sides, galleries
and rooms at the back, a number of halls and a large
bathing pool perhaps used for religious or ceremonial
bathing.
SUKKUR
In
upper Sindh, this is the most important town. More than
2000 years ago the town was at Armor, nine kms (6 miles)
east of the present site, but was relocated in 962 A.D.,
when owing to an earthquake, the Indus diverted its
course to its present channel. By the 13th century the
twin towns of Sukkur and Rohri were bustling river ports
that reached their zenith in the 17th century.
Worth
visiting here is the Minaret of Masum Shah. This light
house shaped brick minaret was built by Mir Muhammad
Masum, a local soldier appointed Nawab of Sukkur by
the Emperor Akbar. The tower is slightly tilted and
is 84 ft. in height, 84 ft. in circumference with an
equivalent number of steps leading up to its top. Masum
Shah is buried, along with other family members, in
a pavilion near the minaret.
THAR
The
Thar desert is located in the Tharparkar District and
is continuation of the Rajasthan arid zone. The District
derives its name from the desert it houses. Of a total
area of 28,170 sq. kms. (11,404 sq. miles) most is arid
except for the coastal belt on the south. The desert
area has a colorful heritage with its own distinct folklore,
culture, flora and fauna. Some of the major towns bordering
the desert are Naukot, Mithi, Nagar Parkar, Chachro
and Islamkot that are market centers, situated amidst
mud-and-brick houses, narrow lanes and bazaars, where
good buys are items such as tribal embroidery and silver
jewellery. Accommodation available in the town is not
recommended but the rest-houses there is a suitable
alternative, though some lack basic facilities such
as running water. August and September are the best
months for a visit as precipitation is then highest
and the area at its greenest. Also recommended is the
period from December to February when day time temperatures
are cool and the nights cold.
ROHRI
This
old town is on the other side of the Indus, opposite
Sukkur. The ancient city of Aror is a few miles to the
east, its ruins lying on the edges of a low limestone
range. Of its historical past, not much remains. Places
to visit in Rohri are : The shrine of War Mubarak (1545)
built by Mir Muhammad Kalhora. A gold and jewel encrusted
casket enshrines the hair of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.),
that is displayed to the faithful for general viewing
annually on the 2nd of March. On the outskirts of Rohri
is the SATHBHAINASTAN, the Tomb of the seven Virgin
Sisters. According to legend, vowed not to ever show
themselves to any man and had themselves locked in rooms.
When a licentious Nawab decreed that all beautiful girls
be sent to him, one legend has it, that the sisters
were swallowed up by the ground in a minor quake. Close
to the War Mubarak is the Jamia (Akbari) Mosque (1584)
built by an officer of Emperor Akbar. Having been frequently
damaged and undergone repeated repairs, little of the
original wall-tiles remain.
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