The
history of Multan
prior to the arrival of Arabs in the 8th century A.D is
obscure. Alexander is said to have passed through the
district in about 325-326 B.C, but his route cannot be
traced. It is probable that Multan was the city of Malli
which Alexander stormed and where he was wounded.
About 327 B.C. the Macedonians were ousted by Chandragupta
and the Maurya dynasty remained in power till the beginning
of the second century A.D. From 30 B.C to 470 A.D., the
Kushan dynasty ruled over the area, and from 470 A.D to 550
A.D., the White Huns are believed to have held sway.
Multan figured as the capital of an important province of
the kingdom of Sindh in the writings of the early Arab
geographers. At the time the Arabs first came to Sindh, the
country was ruled by Raja Chach, a Brahmin. Multan was
conquered by Arabs under Muhammad Bin Qasim in 712 A.D .
After defeating Raja Dahir, a descendant of Chach.
Thereafter, the town remained for the three centuries the
out post of Islam in India, under the caliph of Baghdad. It
remained nominally subject to the Lodhies, Ghaznavids and
Muhammad Ghauri upto the end of 12th century. From the
beginning of the 13th century for the next three centuries ,
the history of Multan is practically the history of the
incursions from western and central Asia.
In 1397 came the invasion by Taimur, whose troops occupied
Uch and Multan, sacked Tulamba, raided the Kohkhars of Ravi
and past across Biass to Pakpattan and Delhi. In 1528, comes
the peace full transfer of the province of Multan to the
emissaries of the Mughal Emperor Babar. Under the Mughal
Emperors, Multan enjoyed a long period of peace between
1528-1748 and was known as Dar-ul-Aman.
In 1752 Multan became a province owing allegiance to Afghan
kings. It was then ruled by Pathan governors and Daud Putra
chiefs of Bahawlpur for some time. After 1771, Multan
witnessed continued warfare between Sikhs and the Nawabs of
Multan. Between 1818 and 1845, it remained under the Sikh
rule and finally came under the British rule in 1849.
The City
Multan city has the distinction of being the birthplace of
three distinguished man in history Muhammad Tughlaq is said
to have been born in 13th century in a hamlet and the place,
which is known as “ Kotla Toleh Khan “. Emperor Bahlole
Lodhi was born in Qazian Wala Makan near Hussain Agahi.
Ahmed Shah Abdali, the first Durrani sovereign of
Afghanistan , was also born at Multan in 1722.
The city of Multan is bound on the north by the depression
lying between it and the front and on all other sides by a
brick wall. It has six gates i.e. Lohari gate, Pak gate,
Bohar gate, Delhi gate, Haram gate and Daulat gate.
The old city has narrow colorful bazaars full of local
handicrafts and narrow winding lanes. There are many places
of historical, cultural and recreational interest in the
city.
The Fort
Multan Fort was built on a mound separating it room the city
by old bed of river Ravi. Its date cannot be fixed with
accuracy. When intact, its circumference was 6,600 ft.
having 46 bastions, including two towers at each of the four
gates i.e., Delhi gate, Khizri gate, Sikhi gate and Rehri
gate. The fort was ravaged by the British to avenge the
murder of one Mr. Agnew in 1948. At present it is survived
by some parts of the old rampart and bastions besides the
shrines of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakaria and Shah Rukne-e-Alam,
an obelisk in memory of Agnew and a Hindu temple. The famous
Qasim Bagh and a stadium are located within the walls of the
fort. A panoramic view of Multan city can be had from the
highest point in the fort.
Shrines
The devastation of Khorasan and Western Iran was to the
benefit of this part of Pakistan, for it led to the setting
in this city of a large Gardezi Syeds and Qureshis from
Khwarizm, amongst whom Shiekh Bahauddin Zakaria is a famous
saint. About the same time Pir Shams Sabzawari from Sabzwar
and Kazi Qutubuddin from Kashan came to Multan. Baba Farid
Shakar Ganj was born in a village of Multan , and settled in
Pakpattan.
Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki passed through Multan to
Delhi and Syed Jalal, the spiritual leader of many families
in Multan, Muzaffargarh and Bahawalpur came to Uch.
Sultan Sikhi Sarwar’s father also emigrated form Bukhara to
Sarwar Shah Kot in Multan district. These venerable men
contributed greatly to spreading Islam in this area. The
saints and shrines of Multan have been attracting a large
number of devotees all year round.
One of the foremost scholars of Islam, Sheikh Baha-ud-din
Zakaria’s shrine is located in the fort. He was born in 1170
A.D., studied in Turan and Iran and received instructions
from Sheikh Shahab-ud-din Suharwardi at Baghdad. His
mausoleum was built by the saint himself. It was a unique
style of architecture of that period, a only other being at
Sonepat in India. It also houses the graves of most of the
eminent members of the Qureshi family, including that of
Nawab Muzaffar Khan.
The mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e –Alam, the grand son of Sheikh
Bahauddin Zakaria, this also located near the main gate of
the Multan fort. He was also a man of great religious and
political influence during the Tughlaq region and was in
Multan when it was visited by Ibn-e-Batuta. The Mausoleum
was originally built by emperor Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq but was
given up by his son Muhammad Tughlaq in favor of Shah
Rukn-e-Alam . Besides its religious importance, the
mausoleum has a unique architectural value. Its dome is
considered to be the second largest in the world. The
mausoleum has recently being given the Agha Khan award for
the best Muslim architecture. Some of the interesting
statistics of its architecture are:
(a) Total height of the road level is 150ft
(b) Total height of building is 100ft
(c) Octagonal upper structure diameter is 26ft
(d) Octagonal lower structure diameter is 52ft
(e) The dome on top has a diameter of 58ft
The mausoleum has very rich geometric pattern, calligraphy
and colorful floral, mosaic and glaze tile work. The shrine
is visited by devotees all year around.
The shrine of Hazrat Shams Sabzwari is located near Aam-khas
garden. A descended of Imam Jaffar, he was born in 1165
A.D., the saint died in 1276 A.D., and is shrine was built
by his grand son in 1330 A.D.
Other Shrines
Other shrines in Multan include those of Mohammad Yousaf
Gardezi near Bohar Gate, Musa Pak Shaheed inside the Pak
Gate, Totla Mai Haram Gate, Shah Ali Akbar, a descendant of
Shah Shams Sabzwari, in Suraj Miani and Baba Safra near
Eidgah.
Mosques of Multan
The famous mosques of Multan are Wali Mohammad Mosque in
Chowk Bazar built by Ali Mohammad Khakwani in 1758 A.D.,
Mosque Phulhatt in Chowk Bazar built by Emperor Farrukh
Siyar, Baqarabadi Mosque built by Baqar Khan in 1720 A.D.
and the beautiful Eidgah Mosque built by Nawab Abdul Samad
Khan in 1735 A.D.
Other Places
Multan has some beautiful modern buildings such as Nishtar
Medical College, University Campus, Arts Council building
with and auditorium, Multan Railway Station building the
famous Clock Tower building of the Multan Municipal
Corporation and State Bank of Pakistan etc.
There are places of recreation in Multan such as the
Stadium, the Lake Chaman zar-e-Askari and Company Bagh in
the Multan Fort, Lange Khan Garden, Aam-Khas Garden and the
parks at Bohar Gate, Chowk Shaheedan, Tabbi Sher Khan and
the Nawan Shaher in and around Multan.
Festivals, Fairs and Meals
Religious festivals in Multan are a peculiar mixture of
devotion and recreation. Multan is famous for its shrines.
Annual Urs is held on every shrine. Well known are the Urs
of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Bahauddin Zakaria, Shah Shams Sabzwari,
Shah Jamal, Sher Shah and Mela Ludden Pir, etc.
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