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Introduction Things to see Latest Pakistan News Pakistani History the mysterious Kalash
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The word Pakistan means " Land of the Pure . " in Urdu, and Persian. It was coined in 1934 as "Pakstan" by Choudhary Rahmat Ali, who published it in the pamphlet Now or Never.It is a land rich in natural beauty and historical sites . The Indus River valley, home to one of humanity's earliest civilzations is the heartland of modern Pakistan . The country occupies 307,374 square miles, making it a little larger than Texas and has about 500 miles of coastline on the Arabian Sea .Pakistan experiences some of the most extreme weather on Earth, from 120 degrees Fahrenheight in the Sind to -55 in the noerthern mountain ranges . The population is around 160,000,000 and growing fast . Almost half the population is under 15 years of age .Pakistan is divided into 4 provinces: the North-West Frontier ( NWFP ), the Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan .
Provinces of Pakistan
The North-West Frontier (NWFP )
The North-West Frontier runs 680 miles along the border of Afghanistan. The capital of the the North-West Frontier is Peshawar, set in a fertile valley that was once the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara .The the North-West Frontier contains large semiautonomous tribal areas that are outside the control of the government . The most powerful tribal people in this area are the Pashtuns who continue to fight for an independent Pashtun nation .Peshawar is close to the important Khyber Pass .
Baluchistan
Baluchistan is the largest province of Pakistan, taking up 42% of Pakistan's total land area . Much of the area is occupied by the Makran desert ans sparesly inhabited, being only about 45 of the national total .the capital of Baluchistan is Quetta . Baluchistan is infamous for crossborder smuggling and kidnapping . Almost every man in this region carries a gun .
Punjab
Punjab province is a densely populated and fertile region . Many of Pakistan's largest cities are here : Lahore, Islamabad, rawalpindi and Multan . the name of the province comes from the word punj meaning 5 and aab meaning waters, and the Punjab is crossed by 5 major riversthat all flow into the Indus . When Pakistan became independent in 1947, Punjab's eastern portion went to India and the largest part went to Pakistan .
Sindh
Sindh province is bounded by the Thar desert to the east, mountains to the west and the Arabian sea to the south .The capital is Karachi. The historic Indus plain runs through the middle of Sindh province .
Jammu and Kashmir
Azad Kashmir is the Pakistani controlled portion of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, often simply called Kashmir . The British failed to settle the issue of who would get the state of Jammu and Kashmir , leading to the area to be desputed between India and Pakistan .
K2, called Dapsang locakky, at 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), is the second highest peak in the world. Names K2 because it it is the second major peak in the Karakoram Range .The first to climb it after many attemps were two Italians in 1954 .
Lahore Fort
Lahore is the capital of the province of Punjab and is the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi with a population of around 6 million . It is Popularly known as the Heart of Pakistan, due to it's historical importance in the creation of Pakistan, and also being the cultural, political and educational centre of the country. It is also often called Gardens of the Mughals or City of Gardens because of the heritage of the Mughal Empire. It is famous for Pakistani filmmaking called " Lollywood ' after the city .
Badshahi Mosque The Badshahi Mosque (Urdu: بادشاھ مسجد), or the 'Emperor's Mosque', was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of the city's best known landmarks, and a major tourist attraction epitomising the beauty and grandeur of the Mughal era.
Mausoleum of Ranjit Singh in Lahore
Shalimar Gardens The Shalimar Gardens (Urdu: شالیمار باغ), sometimes written Shalamar Gardens, were built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Lahore Fort Karachi
Karachi - In sindh province ,the financial capital and the largest city of Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest city with a population of almost 14 million .It was the capital city until it was replaced by Islamibad .Karachi was considered too crowded and too far away from Pakistan's ruling elite, who were mostly Punjabis .Located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, north-west of the Indus River Delta, it was the original capital of Pakistan and remains the cultural and economic hub, as well as being the largest seaport of the country
Islamabad ( the Faisal Mosque ) Islamabad (Urdu: اسلام آباد) is the capital of Pakistan, and is located in the Potohar Plateau in the northwest of the country, near the foothill of the himalayas .The city was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. The Shah Faisal Mosque (Urdu: شاه فيصل مسجد) in Islamabad, Pakistan, is one of the largest mosques in the world .
Mohenjo-daro ( English: Mound of the dead) was a city of the Indus Valley Civilization built around 2600 BCE and is located in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. This ancient five thousand year old city is the largest of Indus Valley and is widely recognized as one of the most important early cities of South Asia and the Indus Valley Civilization. Mohenjo Daro was one of the world?s first cities and contemporaneous with ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. It is sometimes referred to as "An Ancient Indus Valley Metropolis.
The nation of Pakistan has only existed since 1947, however, the history of the area occupied by present day Pakistan goes back thousands of years and is one of the cradels of civilization .
Indus Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization which flourished from about 2600 BCE to 1900 BC, and included urban centers such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (in Pakistan), marked the beginning of the urban civilization on the subcontinent. It was centred on the Indus River and its tributaries, and extended into the Ghaggar-Hakra River valley, the Ganges-Yamuna Doab,Gujarat, and northern Afghanistan.
Example of Indus Valley art :The Dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro
The civilization is noted for its cities built of brick, road-side drainage system and multi-storied houses. The streets of major cities such as Mohenjo-daro or Harappa were laid out in perfect grid patterns. The houses were protected from noise, odors, and thieves and included the world's first urban sanitation systems. The ancient Indus systems of sewerage and drainage that were developed and used in cities throughout the Indus region were far more advanced than any found in contemporary urban sites in the Middle East and even more efficient than those in some areas of Pakistan and India today. The advanced architecture of the Harappans is shown by their impressive dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick platforms and protective walls. The massive citadels of Indus cities, which protected the Harappans from floods and attackers, were larger than most Mesopotamian ziggurats.
Decline of the Indus Valley Civilization Among the settlements were the major urban centres of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, as well as Dholavira, Ganweriwala, Lothal, Kalibanga and Rakhigarhi. It is thought by some that geological disturbances and climate change, leading to a gradual deforestation may ultimately have contributed to the civilization's downfall. Around 1800 BC, signs of a gradual decline began to emerge, and by around 1700 BC, most of the cities were abandoned. However, the Indus Valley Civilization did not disappear suddenly, and many elements of the Indus Civilization can be found in later cultures. Current archaeological data suggests that material culture classified as Late Harappan may have persisted until at least c. 1000-900 BC .A possible natural reason for the IVC's decline is connected with climate change: The Indus valley climate grew significantly cooler and drier from about 1800 BC, linked to a general weaking of the monsoon at that time. Alternatively, a crucial factor may have been the disappearance of substantial portions of the Ghaggar Hakra river system. A tectonic event may have diverted the system's sources toward the Ganges PlainThe decline of the Indus Valley Civilization also included a break down of urban society in India and of the use of distinctively urban traits such as the use of writing and seals.
Arayan and later Invasions
Arayan invaders from central Asia began invading the subcontinent around 18000 BC .Following theArayans, the Persians invaded and conquered the Arayans under cyrus the great in 518 BC and Punjab became part of the Persian Empire .Alexander conquered the Persians in 327 BC and continued eastward to Punjab, where his army refused to go eastward and returned to Persia .
After Alexander, Buddhism spread in the area that would become Pakistan. Buddhist and Hindu kings ruled the area till the arrival of the armies of Islam . The first armies to reach the subcontinent were led by the Turkish sultan Mahmud .The first Mogul emperor led his army through the Khyber Pass in the early 1500s .
The British
The British conquered the Sindh in 1843 and the Punjab in 1849, but were unable to subdue the tribes of the northwest frontier . After WW2 the peolple of India and Pakistan began pressing for independence . the British made the decision to divide India, with the majority Muslim areas of East and west Pakistan divided by India . Jinnah, considered the father of Pakistan , a British educated lawyer negotiated with Britian for a Muslim nation . On August 14, 1947 Britian relinquished control over the subcontinent . For several months after indepence millions of people moved east and west as Muslims living in India left for Pakistan and Hindus and sikhs left for India . Atrocities were committed on both sides resulting in half a million people in Punjab alone losing their lives in the choas . the British failed to resolve the issue of whether India or Pakistan would rule Jammu and Kashmir, which is mostly Muslim . India and Pakistan fought their first war over the area, which lasted to 1948 . India gained control of two thirds of the area .
In the Hindu Kush near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan is an area called Kafiristan, meaning " Land of the Nonbelivers ." The people there have resisted efforts to convert them to Islam. Fewer than 2,000 remain in remote mountain vallies. the orgins of the Kalash is a mystery, some consider them to be the descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the great .
Pakistan International Airlines Official languages : Urdu, English Other Languages :Punjabi, Sindhi Religion : Muslim 97% (77% Sunni, 20% Shia ) GDP $282 billion ( 2000 ) GDP per capita $2,000 Inustries : textiles, food procesing, clothing, seafood exports $8.6 billion Imports $9.6 billion
The Karachi Stock Exchange or KSE is a stock exchange located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1947, it is Pakistan's largest and oldest stock exchange, with many Pakistani as well as overseas listings.in 2002 it was declared as the “Best Performing Stock Market of the World” by “Business Week”. As of December 20, 2007, 671 companies were listed with the market capitalization of Rs. 4364.312 billion (US $ 73 Billion) having listed capital of Rs. 717.3 billion (US $ 12 billion). Some Pakistanis stocks you can buy as ADRs on the American stock exchanges are : Hub Power, Lucky Cement, United Bank and Pakistan Telecommunications . You can learn more at adrbnymellon.com Pakistan’s stock market offers some of Asia’s best bargains after political turmoil drove the benchmark index 22 percent lower, Credit Suisse Group said. The plunge has left the Karachi Stock Exchange 100 Index 29 percent cheaper than regional peers, in relation to estimated earnings for 2009, Credit Suisse’s Farid Khan said in a note today. His stock picks include Engro Chemical Pakistan Ltd., the nation’s second-largest urea maker, and Pakistan State Oil Co., the country’s largest fuel supplier. Keep an eye on the KSE 100 Index daily to determine the strength of the Pakistani economy. This index is similar to the Standard and Poor's and NASDAQ indexes because it collects the nation's top-performing stocks as indicators of a robust economy. You should consider changing your investments only if there is significant movement by multiple members of the KSE.
Pakistani food is similar to the food of northern India with a Muslim influence .Pakistani cuisine is based on curry or spicy masala sauces that go with chicken , lamb and shrimp. Lentil stew ( dhal ) is also popular .Pakistani meals usually include breads such as roti, puri, halwa and nan . Many kitchens have a clay oven called a tandoor used to make tandoor chicken .the most common sweet is called a bafi made of dried milk and shahi turkay, fried bread cooking in cream , sweetened with syrup and topped with nuts . The most popular drink is tea, drunk very strong and very sweet . A drink made from yogurt called lassi is also popular .
Trucks, called lorries in Pakistan are wildly decorated .Owners cover their vehicles decorations.
As the film industry is known in India as ' Bollywood', in Pakistan it is known as ' Lollywood ' (Urdu: لالیوڈ) .Also known as Urdu cinema . Movies are advertised on large hand-painted billboards, some are as large as 5 thousand feet, as big as a football field ! A character painted purple or greens means that person is a villian , heros often in white .This is a disappearing art as more and more computer printed billboards are used .
Lollywood is based in the city of Lahore, hence the name Lollywood . In September, 1965, following the war between India and Pakistan, all Indian films were taken off the screen from cinemas in Pakistan and a complete ban was imposed on the Indian films .This ban still exists .However the CDs of Indian films are easily available in Pakistan.The Pakistan Film Industry ranks among the top ten film producing nations of the world with an average of 80 full length feature films per year.
Famous Pakistani movies
Teri Yaad
On August 8, 1948, the first Pakistani feature film, Teri Yaad ( Memories) appeared .
Armaan ( ambition ) 1966
The plot of Armaan involves Najma (Zeba) , introduced as an orphaned child raised by her rich relatives in Murree (Beautiful Kashmiri Town - North of Pakistan) where she is treated like a lesser mortal than her two cousin sisters .The story then moves on to Nasir (Waheed Murad) playing a rich spoilt bachelor from Karachi, his dad gets fed up of his only sons antics, decides its time he put his foot down,and picks a girl for him from Murree which just happens to be Najmas cousin sister Seema (this Seema happens to have a deep dark secret!). The inevitable happens Nasir and Najma meet in peculiar circumstances and fall in love.
Dosti ( friendship ) 1971
Maula Jatt 1979
One of the most popular films in the history Pakistani cinema. It is a Punjabi film starring legendary actor Sultan Rahi in the lead role and with Aseia and Mustafa Qureshi as the villain Noori Nuth.
Shani 1989
Pakistan's first science fiction film. A man, Shani (Played by Sheri Malik), is killed by an evil land-lord. After his death, an alien comes to earth. When that alien learns about shaani, it disguises itself like him and seeks revenge with the land-lord and in the meantime falling in love with the real shaani's love interest
Mujhe Chand Chahiye
Stars included Moammar Rana, Atiqa Odho, Javed Sheikh and Reema. The movie's story revolved around the life of a divorced woman (Atiqa Odho) and her musician son (Shaan) who fantasises about a model(Noor).
Jinnah 1998
A film about the life of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.Stars Christopher Lee as Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
Tere Pyar Mein 2000
The story is about a young Indian sikh girl played a Zara Sheikh who goes to Pakistan for pilgrim with her father. She falls in love with a Pakistani boy named Ali who is a banker (Shaan) and also her dad's friend's son.It launched the career of Zara Sheikh in Lollywood.
Pakistani Actors and Actresses
Actors
Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad (October 2, 1938 - November 23, 1983) Best known for the romantic film Armaan. He was the first Rock n' Roll dancing star in South Asia. He was also known as the "chocolate hero".He died in 1983 after a road accident .
Sultan Muhammad
Sultan Muhammad, star of Maula Jatt who made over 700 films and was murdered in 1996 during a roadside robbery .
Actresses
Atiqa Odho (Urdu: عتیقہ اوڈھو) is a famous Pakistani television and film actress who has acted in numerous film and television productions. She debuted in Anwar Maqsood's Sitara aur Mehrunissa while later chose to move to the film world starring in a string of hits which included Jo Darr Gya Woh Marr Gya, Mummy and Mujhe Chand Chahiye.While working as a make-up artist for various advertising agencies in Karachi she was discovered by the very renowned and senior television personality, Anwar Maqsood.Atiqa Odho has conducted recently an interesting interview with prime minister Shaukat Aziz. The interview was one of the products of Odho corporation telecast by GEO News channel of Pakistan on the evening of 10 May 2008.
Noor
Pakistani movie actress, was originally a model and appeared in a dozen TV ads and commercials including the famous Dalda, Sultan and notably BioAmla hair oil commercials which made her a much recognised face in the fashion and entertainment world in Pakistan. She had many affairs and scandals within and outside the film industry. She had a long and well-publicised battle with her parents concerning a marriage issue.
Zara Sheikh
(born May 7, 1978 in Lahore, Pakistan) is a famous Pakistani model and actress. Zara Sheikh is a successful model who was well known in the world of fashion well before she made her debut in feature films.
Anjuman
She was one of the most successful Punjabi film heroines of Pakistan during the 1980s, a female actoin heronie in many films
Vaneeza Ahmed
Vaneeza Ahmad is a Pakistani model and actress. She is Pakistan's ultimate'supermodel' a term she has disparaged in the past as she has said models in Pakistan don't exactly "live supermodel lives or have superpowers."Vaneeza made her acting debut in Jamal Shah's controversial saga 'Kal'and has since acted in Marina Khan's Tum Hi Tau Ho,'Janey Anjaney' and 'Tum Say Mil Ker'; 'Armaan'; and'Talaash.' Vaneeza famously acted as the adult Dina in 'Jinnah', Jamil Dehlavi's 1998 biopic of the Mohammed Ali Jinnah
Saima
Saima is an actress from Multan
Reema Khan
Reema Khan (born October 27, 1971) popularly known as Reema is a Pakistani film actress. She debuted as an actress in the film Bulandi, directed by Mohammad Javed Fazil in 1990, opposite Shaan
Some of the more popular sports in Pakistan are cricket , field hockey, polo, snooker and squash. There are also traditional games like Kabaddi , where wo teams of seven players . The teams take turns sending a "raider" across to the opposite team's half, where the goal is to tag or wrestle ("confine") members of the opposite team before returning to the home half. Tagged members are "out" and are sent off the field.
Cricket has a huge following and based on attendance figures at games, is the most popular sport in the country.Pakistan won the Cricket World Cup in 1992, defeating England and were runners up in 2007 World Twenty20.Famous cricket players from Pakistan include Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, and Imran Khan. In field hockey, the Pakistan men's team has won three gold medals at the Olympics and lifted the Hockey World Cup four times. It has also won the most number of Asian gold medals and is the only Asian team to have won the prestigious Champions Trophy with three titles. It has been consistently ranked amongst the top teams in the world. Notable players include Sohail Abbas, Mohammed Saqlain and Waseem Ahmad.
Nazia Hassan Abrar-ul-Haq Until the early 80s, the popular music of Pakistan consisted almost entirely of songs from Indian and Pakistani films ung by local artist .In 1980 13 year old Nazia Hassan revolutionizrd Pakistani music by combining Eastern and Western styles .One of the most popular rock bans in south Asia is the Karschi based band called Junoon ( Passion ). 2 of the members are Muslims from Pakistan and the third is an Irish Catholic from New York . Other famous bands are the Vital Signs band, Yatagaan band and Scratch . Some famous singers are :Alamgir, Muhammad Ali Sheiki , Nazia Hassan and Abrar-ul-Haq . Traditional Pakistani Musical Instruments sitar Tabla Harmonium
Ghazal music ( "the mortal cry of a gazelle") In poetry, the ghazal (Persian: غزل; Turkish gazel) is a poetic form consisting of couplets which share a rhyme and a refrain.Ghazals are traditionally expressions of love, separation and loneliness, for which the gazelle is an appropriate image. A ghazal can thus be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 10th century Persian verse. It is derived from the Persian qasida.
The arts and crafts of modern Pakistan are heavily influenced by the Mogul period . Modern Pakistani jewelry continues to reflect ancient styles, handmade jewelry is especially popular among tribal women . Artisans around Hyperbad are famous for their ceramic tiles used for mosques and paper thin pottery is also well known .
Pakistan has been weaving Oriental Rugs since the late 1940's. Today, Pakistan looms are most known for 16/18 quality Persian weave, tribal rugs using Caucasian designs, Agra & Peshawar rugs. Pakistani 16/18 quality rugs offer very fine wools and incorporates modern decorative colors into traditional Persian floral designs.
After an Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan, just the night before Eid comes, everyone gets ready for Eid. In the night known as Chand Raat, girls put henna on their hands. Most people have parties at their house. People go out for the last minute shopping for gifts and sweets that will be given to friends and families. Even outside at the malls and the plazas, there are many colourful lights. There are large crowds in the city center to celebrate the beginning of Eid. The two Eids, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha commemorate the passing of the month of fasting, Ramadan, and the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael for God. During these days there are national holidays and many festivals and events take place to celebrate Eid. As Pakistan is a Muslim state, there are three days off for all businesses and Government offices. On Eid ul-Fitr, money is given for charity and as gifts to young children.
Milaad un Nabi is a known religious festival which is celebrated in many parts of Pakistan. The Milaad is the celebration for the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Jashn-e-Baharan also referred to as Basant is a pre-Islamic Punjabi festival that marks the coming of spring. Celebrations in Pakistan are centered in Lahore and people from all over the country and abroad come to the city for the annual festivities. Kite flying competitions take place all over the city's rooftops during Basant. The fertile province of Punjab was intimately tied via its agriculture to the different seasons of the year. The arrival of Spring was an important event for all farmers and was welcomed with a celebration, hence the origins of Jashn (celebration) Baharan (spring).
This festival is like Norouz of Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. In Northern Pakistan (Chitral, Gilgit and Baltistan) Norouz is celebrated as a socio-religious festival. It is also celebrated with much fervour in Balochistan and in the urban centres of Karachi and Lahore. The day coincides with the Spring Equinox on March 21, but the celebration continues for weeks. In Baltistan, the main feature of Norouz is gifting of coloured eggs to friends and polo matches. While in Balochistan, the festival is marked with outdoor feasts, and the traditional jumping over a fire to wash away sins and usher in a fresh start. The origins of this festival are pre-Islamic and date back to when Pakistan was part of the Achaemenid/Persian empire for several thousand years.
Wikipedia Pakistan entry Government of Pakistan Offical website Indus Valley Civilization LonelyPlanet.com on Pakistan Jang.com.pk Pakistani English Newspaper English-Urdu Dictionary U.S. State Dept Travel warnings Pakistan Pakistan Cricket News Pakistan International Airlines pics of Lollywood celebs Lollywood news watch Lollywood movies |
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