The roots of the Pakistani nation can be traced back both to the great Muslim civilization which flourished between the seventh and tenth centuries in Asia and Africa and to the Indus Valley civilization, which prevailed 5000 years ago. The excavations of Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, and Soan Valley have provided evidence of the highly organized civilizations which existed around the Indus River. The Indus Valley civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and it achieved a high level of sophistication at an early stage (3000 BC) and flourished for many centuries. The ruins at Mohenjo-Daro (Sindh, Pakistan) revealed that people living there had a well-organized social and economic structure. It was a very well-planned city with proper sanitation, general civic facilities, a metric system of measurement, and many other aspects indicating that the people of the Indus Valley civilization were well ahead of other civilizations which existed at that time, both in technological crafts and the sociolegal system.
Itinerary
Indus Valley Tour: 13 Nights 14 Days
Day 01: Islamabad
Pickup from Islamabad airport (after city tour) check-in to the hotel visit Shah Faisal Mosque; this beautiful mosque was designed by a renowned Turkish architect, Vedat Dalokay and named after the King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The main courtyard has space for 40000 people. Afterward see Lok Virsa, also known as the National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage, which works towards preserving the living folk and traditional culture of Pakistan located near Shakarparian Hills.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Islamabad.
Day 02: Islamabad – Peshawar
After breakfast departure for Peshawar (approx. 02 ½ hrs. drive) en route visit of Taxila; a 45 minutes drive. Taxila represents one of the most important archaeological sites in Pakistan and was once the capital of the rich Gandharan Buddhist Civilization. Continue to visit the Site and the Museum; which has a rich collection of tools and ornaments, temple friezes and exquisite Buddha figures with Mediterranean faces on display. Continue the drive to Peshawar on arrival visit of Peshawar Museum, The Peshawar Museum is a Museum located in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Peshawar Museum is notable for its collection of Buddhist artwork dating from the ancient Gandhara Empire. Bala Hisar Fort, Qissa Khawani Bazaar, The Qissa Khwani Bazaar is a bazaar in Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. and Mohabat Khan Mosque the Mahabat Khan Mosque; sometimes spelled Mohabbat Khan Mosque, is a 17th-century Mughal-era mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. The mosque was built in 1630 and named after the Mughal governor of Peshawar, Nawab Mahabat Khan bin Ali Mardan Khan, known alternatively as Mahabat Khan and Ali Mardan Khan.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Peshawar.
Day 03: Peshawar – Islamabad – Lahore
After breakfast departure for Lahore en route visit Khewra Salt Mines; (approx. 03 ½ hrs. drive), en route suggested lunch at Bhera, Khewra Salt Mines is a salt mine located in Khewra. It attracts up to 40,000 visitors per year and is the second-largest salt mine in the world. Situated in the foothills of the Salt Range, the Khewra Salt Mines are the oldest in the sub-continent. Salt has been mined at Khewra since 320 BC, in an underground area of about 110 sq. km. Khewra salt mine has an estimated total of 220 million tons of rock salt deposits. The current production from the mine is approx. 465000 tons of salt per annum. The mine-head buildings have 17 stories, with 11 below ground. The salt mine is 945 feet above sea level and extends around 2,400 feet inside the earth from the mine mouth. There are 17 working levels and the cumulative length of all tunnels is more than 40 km. Salt occurs in the form of an irregular dome-like structure. There are seven thick salt seams with a cumulative thickness of about 150 meters. In places, the rock salt is 99% pure and the Salt is transparent, white, pink, and reddish to beef-color red. There are beautiful alternate bands of red and white color salt. Later visit of Katas Raj (approx. 1 hr. drive), is a Hindu mandir or temple complex situated in Katas village near Choa Saidan Shah in the Chakwal district of Punjab. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple has existed since the days of Mahābhārata and the Pandava brothers spent a substantial part of their exile at the site. The Pakistan Government is considering nominating the temple complex for World Heritage Site status. In 2007, it also proposed to restore the temple complex. In 2012, the temple pond is drying up due to the heavy use of groundwater for industrial purposes.
After the visit drive to Lahore approx. 04 hrs. drives. Overnight stay at a hotel in Lahore.
Day 04: Lahore
After breakfast proceed to visit Badshahi Mosque, or the ‘Emperor’s Mosque’, which was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore. It is one of the city’s best-known landmarks, and a major tourist attraction epitomizing the beauty and grandeur of the Mughal era. Capable of accommodating over 55,000 worshipers, it is the second largest mosque in Pakistan, after the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. The architecture and design of the Badshahi Masjid is closely related to the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, which was built in 1648 by Aurangzeb’s father and predecessor, Emperor Shah Jahan. Continue for the Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila, located in the northwestern corner of the Walled City of Lahore. The trapezoidal composition is spread over 20 hectares. Origins of the fort go as far back as antiquity; however, the existing base structure was built during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar (1556-1605), and was regularly upgraded by subsequent rulers. Thus the fort manifests the rich traditions of the entire Mughal architecture. Some of the famous sites inside the fort include Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate, Naulakha Pavilion, and Moti Masjid. In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Shalimar Gardens (Lahore).
After lunch visit of Wahga (Pak-India) border to watch the flag-lowering ceremony between Pakistan and India Wagah, the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Amritsar, India and Lahore. Wahga itself is a village where the controversial Radcliffe Line was drawn. The village was unified before partition in 1947. Today, the eastern half of the village remains in India whilst the other half is in Pakistan. The Wagah border is a ceremonial border where each evening, there is a ceremony called the ‘lowering of the flags’. At that time there is a very energetic and thrilling parade done by Border Security Force (B.S.F), Indian and Pakistan Rangers soldiers.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Lahore.
Day 05: Lahore
After breakfast proceed to enjoy the beautifully laid out Shalimar Gardens the Shalimar Garden is a Persian garden and was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Construction began in 1641 A.D. and was completed the following year. The project management was carried out under the superintendence of Khalilullah Khan, a noble of Shah Jahan’s court, in cooperation with Ali Mardan Khan and Mulla Alaul Maulk Tuni. Continue visiting the Tomb of Jahangir the mausoleum built for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who ruled from 1605 to 1627. His son Shah Jahan built the mausoleum 10 years after his father’s death. It is sited in an attractive walled garden and has four 30-meter-high minarets. The interior is embellished with frescoes and pietra dura inlay and colored marble.
Continue visiting of Lahore Museum, established in 1894 and one of the major museums of South Asia. Rudyard Kipling’s father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the famous curators of the museum, and the novel Kim was set in the vicinity of the Lahore Museum. It is located opposite the old University Hall, a Mughal-style building on the Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam. The Museum contains some fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh doorways and woodwork and contains a large collection of paintings dating back to the Mughal, Sikh and British eras.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Lahore.
Day 06: Lahore – Harappa – Multan
After breakfast departure of Harappa (approx. 04 hrs drive), Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about 24 km west of Sahiwal. At the height of the Indus civilization, between 2600–1900 BC, Harappa was one of a handful of central places for thousands of cities and towns covering a million square kilometers (about 385,000 square miles) of territory in South Asia. Other central places include Mohenjo-Daro, Rakhigarhi, and Dholavira, all with areas over 100 hectares (250 acres) in their heyday later city tour of Multan with Ghanta Ghar Chowk, Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium and Mausoleum of Shah Ali Akbar Later visit of famous shrines of Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria Multani, Shah Rukne Alam and Hazrat Shams Sabzwari Multan has more tombs of saints and Sufis gathered at one place than anywhere else on earth and is probably one of the oldest surviving cities in South West Asia.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Multan.
Day 07: Multan – Bahawalpur
After breakfast visit, The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam located in Multan, Pakistan, is the mausoleum of the Sufi saint Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh. The shrine is considered to be the earliest example of Tughluq architecture and is one of the most impressive shrines in the Indian subcontinent.
Later departure for Uch Sharif (approx 02 hrs drive) Uch, frequently referred to as Uuch Sharīf, is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan’s Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexander the Great during his invasion of the Indus Valley.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Bahawalpur.
Day 08: Bahawalpur
After breakfast visit to Derawar Fort (approx. 02 hrs. drive) is a large square fortress in Pakistan near Bahawalpur. The forty bastions of Derawar are visible for many miles in the Cholistan Desert. The walls have a circumference of 1500 meters and stand up to thirty meters high. Enjoy a Camel Safari and witness the traditional local dance.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Bahawalpur.
Day 09: Bahawalpur – Sukkur
After breakfast departure for Sukkur (approx. 06 hrs drive). En-route visit of Kot Diji Fort the Kot Diji Fort, formally known as Fort Ahmadabad, is an 18th-century Talpur-era fort located in the town of Kot Diji in Khairpur District, Pakistan, later visit Seven Sisters Story (Sateen Jo Aastan at Rohri) There were seven sisters living in their big house in Rohri at the bank of river Indus. From the beginning those seven sisters were always doing Parda (preventing to seen by a man) so any male couldn’t see them, it is also said that those seven sisters were extremely beautiful Afterwards visit Sadh Belo or Sat, is an island in the Indus River near Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan that is famous for its highly revered Dharmic Shrines. The temples are associated with the syncretic Udasi movement, which had and maintains close associations with Sikhism. The later departure of Larkana (approx. 01 hr drive).
Overnight stay at Hotel in Sukkur.
Day 10: Sukkur – Mohenjo-Daro
After breakfast departure for Mohenjo Daro (Mound of Death) (approx 02 hrs drive), Mohenjo Daro was built around 2600 BC and abandoned around 1900 BC. It was rediscovered in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India. He was led to a mound by a Buddhist monk, who believed it to be a stupa. In the 1930s, massive excavations were conducted under the leadership of John Marshall, K. N. Dikshit, Ernest Mackay, and others. John Marshall’s car, which was used by the site directors, is still in the Mohenjo-Daro museum, showing their struggle and dedication to Mohenjo-Daro. Further excavations were carried out in 1945 by Ahmad Hasan Dani and Mortimer Wheeler.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Larkahana.
Day 11: Larkhana – Sehwan – Hyderabad
After breakfast departure for Hyderabad en route visit Hazrat Usman Marwandi, popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, was a scholar, Sufi saint, and religious poet of the Indian subcontinent. He is revered and respected by both Muslims and Hindus in the region since he preached religious tolerance between the faiths.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Hyderabad.
Day 12: Hyderabad – Thatta – Karachi
After breakfast departure for Karachi (approx. 4hrs drive). En route, Shah Jehan Mosque was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan between 1644 and 1647 and is one of Pakistan’s most magnificent examples of Mughal architecture.
Visit Zero Carbon Resort, Makli, one of the largest necropolises in the world, with a diameter of approximately 8 kilometers. Makli Hill is supposed to be the burial place of some 125,000 Sufi saints. Legends abound about its inception, but it is generally believed that the cemetery grew around the shrine of the fourteenth-century Sufi, Hamad Jamali. The tombs and gravestones spread over the cemetery are material documents marking the social and political history of Sindh. The Imperial mausoleums are divided into two major groups, those from the Samma (1352–1520) and Tarkhan (1556–1592) periods. The tomb of the Samma king, Jam Nizam al-Din (reigned 1461–1509), is an impressive square structure built of sandstone and decorated with floral and geometric medallions. Similar to this is the mausoleum of Isa Khan Tarkhan II (d. 1651), a two-story stone building with majestic cupolas and balconies. In contrast to the syncretic architecture of these two monuments, which integrate Hindu and Islamic motifs, are mausoleums that clearly show the Central Asian roots of the later dynasty. An example is the tomb of Jan Beg Tarkhan (d. 1600), a typical octagonal brick structure whose dome is covered in blue and turquoise glazed tiles. Today, Makli Hill is a United Nations World Heritage Site that is visited by both pilgrims and tourists.
Afterward proceed to Bhambore, which are the ruins of an ancient port city of Debal from the 7th century located at the base of the river Indus. Bhambore’s population was mainly Hindu with a minority of Buddhists. It is largely known for the ruins of a castle built by Muhammad Bin Qasim. Bhambore signifies the trading links between the Arab and South Asian nations of its times. The reason for the new city of Bhambore was that a few pirates had kidnapped a ship and a plea was filed with the Arab rulers in Baghdad (a major economic and military power then) in the region to rescue them. When diplomacy failed to release those people, an expedition was sent to the area under command of Muhammad Bin Qasim. With superior military might and planning, he was able to make an amphibious landing and established his presence here. One of the reasons cited for the success of this expedition is the unhappiness of the Buddhist population and it is believed they helped the coming invaders.
Chaukhandi Tombs, are attributed to the Jokhio and Baloch tribes and were built between the 15th and 18th centuries The Chaukhandi tombs are remarkable for the elaborate and exquisite carving; the style of architecture is not only typical to the region of Sindh but unique in the sense that it is nowhere else to be found in the Islamic world. In the early 20th century scholars were attracted by these particular types of graveyards in Sindh and Baluchistan with their orientation from South to North. These graves are constructed in buff sandstone. Their carved decoration presents exquisite craftsmanship. These tombs are embellished with geometrical hoard and motifs with figural representations such as mounted horsemen, hunting scenes, arms, jewelry, etc. On arrival transfer to the hotel.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Karachi.
Day 13: Karachi
After breakfast proceed to visit the historical building and the most revered premises in Karachi, the Mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam M. A. Jinnah. Built entirely of white marble, its impressive dome, North African arches, magnificent crystal chandeliers of Chinese origin, copper grills, silver grave railing and changing of the guards lend it an air of serenity and solemnity.
Later visit of National Museum of Pakistan, which contains an important collection of items relating to Pakistan’s ancient heritage. Well-arranged galleries display Indus Civilization, Gandhara sculptures, Islamic art, miniature paintings ancient coins and manuscripts all Documenting Pakistan’s history. An interesting ethnological gallery can be seen as well. Continue to visit the State Bank of Pakistan Museum & Art Gallery a museum that was established in 2004 to introduce the first Monetary Museum of Pakistan. The current State Bank of Pakistan Museum & Art Gallery building, which was previously the Imperial Bank of India, is a Greeco Roman building in Jodhpuri Red Sandstone constructed in the 1920s by the British government. In 2004, the State Bank of Pakistan decided to readopt this building as a museum, and work on the projects started in 2006 was devoted to the conservation of the building and acquisition of the collection
Later visit to Mohatta Palace, admired for its lively Mughal air, and also known as Qasr-e-Fatima because of its association with Fatima Jinnah, the sister of M.A. Jinnah. Fatima Jinnah lived in this house from 1964 until her death in 1967. Mohatta Palace was built in the late 1920‟s and has been recently refurbished in 1927, Shiv Rattan Mohatta, a successful Marwari entrepreneur, commissioned a palatial house in the affluent seaside neighborhood of Clifton. Mohatta had made his fortune as a ship handler and trader. The architect commissioned for his palace, Ahmed Hussein Agha, was one of the first Muslim architects of India and had come from Jaipur to take up an assignment as chief surveyor for the Karachi Municipality. Ahmed Hussein Agha designed a number of buildings in Karachi but Mohatta Palace was to prove the coup de maitre of his professional career. Working in a Mughal revival style with a combination of locally available yellow Gizri and pink stone from Jodhpur, he sought to recreate the Anglo-Mughal palaces of the Rajput princes.
Overnight Stay at a hotel in Karachi.
Day 14: Departure
After breakfast drop at Karachi airport.