Multan monuments( Image From Dawn.com)

Multan is one of the oldest cities in the Asian subcontinent. It was the capital of the Trigarta Empire at the time of the Mahabharata war, ruled by the Katoch Dynasty. Multan has had various names over the years, originally Kashtpur ( Kashyapapura) then Hanspur ( Hamsapura), Bagpur ( Vegapura), Sanb or Sanahpur ( Sambapura). Its current name is derived from the Sanskrit name Mulasthana (also Mitrasthana) named after a sun temple. Multan has frequently been a site of conflict due to its location on a major invasion route between South Asia and Central Asia.

It is believed to have been visited by Alexander the Great In the mid-5th century, the city was attacked by a group of nomads led by Toraman. In the 8th century, Multan was conquered along with Sindh by the army of Muhammad bin Qasim from the local ruler Chach. Following bin Qasim’s conquest, the city was securely under Muslim rule, although it was in effect an independent state and most of the subjects were non-Muslim.

Multan is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province. Multan District has a population of over 3.8 million (according to 1998 census) and the city itself is the sixth largest within the boundaries of Pakistan. It is situated on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country.

Multan is known as the City of Sufis due to the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and ornate tombs.

The Federal Archeology Department announced that 52 monuments of Multan will be preserved and rehabilitated on the pattern Morocco’s city Fez.

The preservation will be done as per prime minister’s five years special development package for Multan which he announced in 2008. Sources said a PC-II for survey, documentation and feasibility studies to upgrade the monuments had been prepared.

Sources said institutions were carrying out systematic and scientific studies of the cultural heritage of Multan. Studies will focus on the identification of structures that can be preserved apart from those that have already been declared protected under laws.

The documentation will include photographic and graphic data, architectural drawings and history of interventions, geo-technical studies of all monuments, including the causes of deteriorations. Studies will also include proposals to remove encroachments and shabby structures in the vicinity of the monuments.

The monuments to be preserved, restored and upgraded are:

• Nawab Ali Muhammad Khan mosque,
• Sakhi Yahya Nawab mosque,
• The shrine of Hazrat Musa Pak Shaheed,
• A mosque complex at Uch Gilanian,
• Musa Pak Shaheed mosque,
• Tomb of Pir Luddan Kuddan, Khuni Burj,
• The shrine of Hazrat Yahya Nawab,
• The shrine of Hazrat Inayat Wilayat,
• Hazrat Inayat Wilayat mosque,
• Mandar of Niamat Bai,
• Tarkhana Wali Masjid-1,
• Tarkhana Wali Masjid-2,
• Mandar Shah Majeed,
• Jain Mandar,
• Mandar Gopal,
• The tomb of Shah Yousaf Gardez,
• Dharamshala Dayal Singh,
• The shrine of Hazrat Shah Dana Shaheed,
• The shrine of Nawab Saeed Qureshi,
• The tomb of Mian Dalail,
• The tomb of Darbar Shah Bukhari,
• The shrine of Hazrat Bibi Pak Damna,
• The shrine of Khwaja Awais Khagga,
• Surj Kund temple,
• The tomb of Allah Dad Gurmani,
• Tomb of Shah Ali Mardan,
• Khuddaka mosque,
• Wazir Khan Mosque
• The tomb of Mai Mehrban,
• The tomb of Shah Hussain Sadozai,
• Sawi Masjid and graves,
• Faseel in the Walled City,
• Dorkha mosque,
• A mosque near the tomb of Hazrat Ali Akbar at Suraj Miani,
• The tomb of Shah Ali Akbar,
• The tomb of Shah Ali Akbar’s mother,
• The tomb of Shah Shamas Sabzawari,
• The shrine of Hafiz Jamal,
• Hafiz Jamal mosque,
• Barood Khana (Niggar Khana),
• Patrick Alexander and William Anderson memorials,
• Perhalad temple,
• The shrine of Hazrat Shah Rukn-i-Alam
• The shrine of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya,
• The shrine of Hazrat Shah Rukn-i-Alam,
• The shrine of Hazrat Musa Pak Shaheed
• The shrine of Hazrat Hamid Shah Gilani