Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Indus valley civilization
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
The areas mostly forming Pakistan have been part of the world’s oldest cvilizations:
- Soan Valley Civilization (Rawalpindi @ 2.2 million years ago)
- Mehrgarh Civilization (which was present in present day Balochistan around 9000 BC)
- Indus Valley civilization (which included most of present day Pakistan around 3300 BC)
- Gandhara Civilization which was present in Northern Pakistan around 600 BC
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Nice sharings Ali. Here is the information about Rani Kot, Sindh (one of the largest forts of world)
Located about 30 km southwest of Sann (Dist. Jaamshoro), in the Kirthar Range, approximately 120 kms from Hyderabad Toll Plaza and 262 kms form Karachi. It is one of the largest forts in the world.
World’s largest Fort - Rani Kot - Sann - Dadu :: PakWheelers
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Soan Valley Civilization (Rawalpindi, Northern Punjab) is thought to be the oldest civilization of the region (maybe world) but I guess more research is needed on that. Here is an article by Ali Hassan Dani a renowned historian about the various civilizations that existed in Pakistan.
**As in many other countries of the world, man in Pakistan began with the technology of working on old stone by using quartzite and flint found in Rohri hills and stone pebbles found in the Soan Valley. The oldest stone tool in the world, going back to 2.2 million years old, has been found at Rabat, about fifteen miles away from Rawalpindi, thus breaking the African record.
The largest hand Axe has also been found in the Soan Valley. Although man is still hiding in some corner, the Soan pebble stone age culture show a link with the Hissar Culture in Central Asia. Later about fifty thousand B.C. at Sangho Cave in Mardan District man improved his technology for working on Quartz in order to chase the animal in closed valleys.** Still later he worked on micro quartz and chert or flint and produced arrows, knives, scrapers and blades and hunted the feeling deer and ibexes with bow and arrow. Such an hunting scene is well illustrated on several
rock carvings, particularly near Chilas in the Northern Areas of Pakistan along the Karakorum Highway - a style of rock art so well known in the trans- Pamir
region of Tajikistan and Kirghizstan. However, the first settled life began in the eight millennium B.C. when the first village was found at Mehergarh in the
Sibi districts of Balochistan comparable with the earliest villages of Jericho in Palestine and Jarmo in Iraq. Here their mud houses have been excavated and
agricultural land known for the cultivation of maize and wheat. Man began to live together in settled social life and used polished stone tools, made pots
and pans, beads and other ornaments. His taste for decoration developed and he began to paint his vessels, jars, bowls, drinking glasses, dishes and plates. It
was now that he discovered the advantage of using metals for his tools and other objects of daily use. For the first time in seventh millennium B.C. he learnt to
use bronze. From the first revolution in his social, cultural and economic life.
He established trade relation with the people of Turkamenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and other Arab world.
He not only specialized in painting different designs on pottery, made varieties of pots and used cotton and wool but also made terracotta figurines and imported precious stones from Afghanistan and Central Asia. This early bronze age culture spread out in the country side of Sindh,Balochistan, Punjab and North West Frontier Province.
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
:k: Interesting and it really needs to be discovered further and promoted more.
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Harrapa - Sahiwal Pakistan - Harrapan Civilisation (part of Indus Civilisation)
Its amazing to see how they store rain water.
This region seems to be the oldest regions where men lived.
More about Harrapa
Pakistan Paedia -Archaeological Treasure of Pakistan (Harappa)
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
I know we need to discover a lot about the history of Pakistan, as the area has one of the oldest civilizations of the world. It would be interesting to know more about our ancestors...
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Interesting video…
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world, some info on that…
Taxila - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
**Ancient centre of learning
****Takshashila became a noted centre of learning at least several centuries BCE, and continued to attract students from around the old world until the destruction of the city in the 5th century CE. At its height, it has been suggested that Takshashila exerted a sort of “intellectual suzerainty” over other centres of learning in India.[SUP][15][/SUP], and its primary concern was not with elementary, but higher education.**[SUP][16][/SUP] Generally, a student entered Takshashila at the age of sixteen. The Vedas and the Eighteen Silpas or Arts, which included skills such as archery, hunting, and elephant lore, were taught, in addition to its law school, medical school, and school of military science.[SUP][17][/SUP] Students came to Takshashila from far-off places such as Kashi, Kosala and Magadha, in spite of the long and arduous journey they had to undergo, on account of the excellence of the learned teachers there, all recognized as authorities on their respective subjects.[SUP][18][/SUP][SUP][19][/SUP]
[edit] Famous students and teachers
Takshashila is perhaps best known because of its association with Chanakya, also known as Kautilya, the strategist who guided Chandragupta Maurya and assisted in the founding of the Mauryan empire. The Arthashastra (Sanskrit for The knowledge of Economics) of Chanakya, is said to have been composed in Takshashila itself.[SUP][20][/SUP][SUP][21][/SUP] The Ayurvedic healer Charaka also studied at Taxila.[SUP][17][/SUP] The ancient grammarian Panini, who codified the rules that would define Classical Sanskrit, may have also been part of the community at Takshashila.[SUP][22]
[/SUP]
The institution is very significant in Buddhist tradition since it is believed[SUP]citation needed][/SUP] that the Mahāyāna branch of Buddhism took shape there. Jivaka, the court physician of the Magadha emperor Bimbisara who once cured the Buddha, and the enlightened ruler of Kosala, Prasenajit, are some important personalities mentioned in Pali texts who studied at Takshashila.[SUP][23][/SUP]
[edit] Nature of education
By some accounts, Taxilla was considered to be amongst the earliest universities in the world.[SUP][6][/SUP][SUP][24][/SUP][SUP][25][/SUP][SUP][26][/SUP][SUP][27][/SUP] Others do not consider it a university in the modern sense, in that the teachers living there may not have had official membership of particular colleges, and there did not seem to have existed purpose-built lecture halls and residential quarters in Takshashila,[SUP][28][/SUP][SUP][29][/SUP][SUP][30][/SUP] in contrast to the later Nalanda University.[SUP][30][/SUP][SUP][31][/SUP][SUP][32]
[/SUP]
No external authorities like kings or local leaders subjected the scholastic activities at Takshashila to their control. Each teacher formed his own institution, enjoying complete autonomy in work, teaching as many students as he liked and teaching subjects he liked without conforming to any centralized syllabus. Study terminated when the teacher was satisfied with the student’s level of achievement. In general, specialisation in a subject took around eight years, though this could be lengthened or shortened in accordance with the intellectual abilities and dedication of the student in question. In most cases the “schools” were located within the teachers’ private houses, and at times students were advised to quit their studies if they were unable to fit into the social, intellectual and moral atmosphere there.[SUP][33][/SUP]
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Its a pity that thousands year ago, a city (Moen Jo Daro)was so well planned and in this modern era of technology a new city (Larkana) - the city of Prime Minister is full of garbage and lacking basic necessities like sewerage.
People have developed and raised their status and we lost our glory 
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Lahore fort
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Pakistani historical places during British era
Old pictures of historical places of Lahore.
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Its a pity that thousands year ago, a city (Moen Jo Daro)was so well planned and in this modern era of technology a new city (Larkana) - the city of Prime Minister is full of garbage and lacking basic necessities like sewerage.
People have developed and raised their status and we lost our glory :(
The same is true for the sites in Harrapa and Taxila as well. I have stayed in Taxila for around 5 years, and I have seen most of these ruins (Sirkap, Jaulian, Taxila University & Mohra Moradu). Those settlements were quite advanced and planned as well, and now the situation of Taxila wouldnt be much different as compared to Larkana although its less than 50 kms from Islamabad. Unfortunately at the moment the Pakistan we have is mostly Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and maybe Faisalabad.
The problem that we have had since the inception of Pakistan is lack of leadership and once that is sorted out inshaAllah the situation might improve.
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
The same is true for the sites in Harrapa and Taxila as well. I have stayed in Taxila for around 5 years, and I have seen most of these ruins (Sirkap, Jaulian, Taxila University & Mohra Moradu). Those settlements were quite advanced and planned as well, and now the situation of Taxila wouldnt be much different as compared to Larkana although its less than 50 kms from Islamabad. Unfortunately at the moment the Pakistan we have is mostly Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and maybe Faisalabad.
The problem that we have had since the inception of Pakistan is lack of leadership and once that is sorted out inshaAllah the situation might improve.
The existing rulers own civilization when they want to play emotional cards. They and their children even don't know the language of the land. During 2010 floods, Moen Jo Daro was at stake, but all they were caring for was their few thousand acres agricultural lands, which provide them tax free revenue. :(
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
The existing rulers own civilization when they want to play emotional cards. They and their children even don't know the language of the land. During 2010 floods, Moen Jo Daro was at stake, but all they were caring for was their few thousand acres agricultural lands, which provide them tax free revenue. :(
Thats sad, the countries who remember their history march ahead. The countries like Australia and Canada have buildings not dating more than 2-300 years ago and they look after them. We have thousands of years old civilizations, and we dont look after them. Most of the discoveries of Indus Valley and Gandhara Civilization were done by the Brits.
The people of Pakistan are quite talented as observed by their work in foreign countries, they just need to be directed in the right direction within the country to take the country forward.
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Multan is probably the oldest city of Pakistan. It was a famous city of the region. There is a famous saying in Sindhi ‘Andhun Multan Ladho - Blinds reached /found Multan’ meaning thereby the city and its location was prominent in the region. The affiliation of sufi saints like Bahaudin Zakaria and others made it famous all around. Four things i.e. 'Garma (Severe summer/ hot weather), Gaur (Graveyards), Gada (Beggars), Gard (Dust) of Multan are famous todate, and Multani sohan halwa 
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
yep love Multani sohan halwa :p
Re: Historical Places of the Subcontinent
Taxila also had a teacher named Chankya/Kautilya:k:. There was another university in the modern day Bihar called Nalanda, traditional seat of Buddhist learning, India is reviving that, and soon that university will be operational and start inducting students. Even though a big section of historian believes, that Harrapa was pre-Aryan invasion civilization, it matches with various Hindu religious etiquette like Harrpan seal of Lord Pashupati, another name of Lord Shiv, Fire altars, dancing girl culture of Aryans. Great architectural design of Indus valley civilization and in Later harrapan phase excavation prove that civilization reached it peak.