Multan

Multan is a big city in Pakistan. It sits by the Chenab River. This city is very old. It is one of the oldest in Asia.

Many people visit the city for its holy places. These are called shrines. Some shrines have blue tiles. Others have green domes.

People call it the "City of Saints." It was a place for learning. Long ago, it was a great place for trade.

Many different groups ruled the land. Some came from far away. They helped make the city what it is today. It is a special place to see.

Multan is a large city in Pakistan. It sits in the Punjab province. The city is by the eastern bank of the Chenab River.

Multan is one of the oldest cities in Asia. Many people have lived there for a very long time. Long ago, the city was part of the Achaemenid Empire. Later, Alexander the Great led an army to its gates. He was even wounded by an arrow during a battle there.

For many years, Multan was a great place for trade. Merchants brought goods from far away. It was also a famous place for learning. Because of its many holy sites, people call it the "City of Saints."

You can see many beautiful Sufi shrines in the city. Some have bright blue tiles. Others have large green domes.

Many different groups ruled the city over time. These included the Mughal Empire and the British. Each group helped shape the city we see today.

Multan is a very large city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It sits on the eastern bank of the Chenab River. This city is the sixth-largest in the country. It also serves as a main center for its local district and division. Multan is a major hub for culture, religion, and trade in the Punjab region. It is known as one of the oldest inhabited cities in all of Asia.

The city has a very long and busy history. In the early 6th century BC, it was part of the Achaemenid Empire. Later, Alexander the Great led a campaign against the local Malli people. During this battle, Alexander was wounded by an arrow in his lung. In 712 CE, the commander Muhammad bin Qasim captured the city. By the 9th century, it became the capital of the Emirate of Multan.

Many different groups have ruled Multan over the centuries. The Ghaznavid and Delhi Sultanates held power during the medieval period. In 1445, the city became the capital of the Langah Sultanate. Later, it was a large province within the Mughal Empire. From 1818 until 1849, the Sikhs ruled the area. Finally, the British conquered the city and made it part of the British Punjab.

Multan is a famous place for spiritual life and learning. It was a great center of knowledge during Turkish-Persian rule. Many Sufi mystics came to the city in the 11th and 12th centuries. This earned Multan the special nickname "City of Saints." You can see many beautiful Sufi shrines there today. Some have blue enameled tiles, while others have large green domes.

Trade has always been a big part of life in Multan. It was one of the most important trading centers in South Asia. Merchants connected the city to Iran and Central Asia. This helped the city grow wealthy and culturally rich. The city even had an Arabic nickname, "Frontier House of Gold." This name showed how important its economy was to the world.

Multan is a major city located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It sits on the eastern bank of the Chenab River. The city is the sixth-largest in Pakistan today. It serves as the administrative headquarters for its own district and division. Multan is a vital cultural, religious, and economic hub for the entire Punjab region. It is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in all of Asia.

The origins of the city's name are not fully understood by historians. An ancient name for the area was Malli-istan. This name likely came from the Malli tribe that lived there. Some suggest the name relates to a deity from the ancient Multan Sun Temple. Others believe it comes from the Old Persian word "mulastāna," meaning frontier land. Another theory links it to the Sanskrit word "mūlasthāna." The region has deep roots in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Archaeological sites nearby date back to the early Harappan period between 3000 BC and 2800 BC.

Multan has experienced many waves of conquest and rule. In the early 6th century BC, it was part of the Achaemenid Empire. During the Mallian campaign in 326 BCE, Alexander the Great besieged the city. The Malli people gathered an army of 90,000 to fight the 50,000 Greeks. During the siege of the citadel, Alexander was wounded by an arrow in his lung. The battle took place at a site known as "Khooni Burj." Later, the Umayyad commander Muhammad bin Qasim captured the city in 712 CE. In the 9th century, Multan became the capital of the Emirate of Multan.

Different dynasties shaped the city during the medieval era. The Ghaznavid and Delhi Sultanates ruled the region for a time. In 1445, Multan became the capital of the Langah Sultanate. It was also a major province, known as Multan Subah, under the Mughal Empire. From 1818 to 1849, the Sikhs held power in the city. Eventually, the British conquered the area and included it in the British Punjab. Throughout these changes, the city remained a massive trading center. It maintained strong economic ties to Iran and Central Asia.

The city became a center of spirituality and learning. During Turkish-Persian rule, it attracted many Sufi mystics. This led to the city earning the nickname "City of Saints." Many famous Sufi shrines are located in Multan and the nearby city of Uch. These shrines often feature unique architectural styles. For example, the tomb of Shah Gardez from the 1150s uses blue enameled tiles. The shrine of Shamsuddin Sabzwari from 1330 has a unique green dome.

Multan was also a center of great wealth due to trade and religion. In the 10th century, the Multan Sun Temple was a major economic force. It provided up to 30% of the state's total tax revenues. Because of this wealth, the city had the Arabic nickname "Faraj Bayt al-Dhahab," or "Frontier House of Gold." Central Asian caravans from Islamic Khorasan would assemble here to trade. The city's merchants were culturally prepared for this because they often spoke both Arabic and Persian.

The history of the city shows how different religions and cultures interacted. In the 10th century, the Qarmatian Ismailis ruled the city. They destroyed the Sun Temple and replaced its mosque with an Ismaili congregational mosque. Later, Mahmud of Ghazni led expeditions to suppress Ismailism and restore Sunni rule. These conflicts changed the religious landscape of the region. Despite these shifts, the city remained a place of pilgrimage. It continues to be a significant site for spiritual study and historical interest today.