Features

A land of culture, history and ancient civilization

The Jakarta Post - Sun, 21 Jan 2007 page: 13
Laura Schuurmans, Contributor, Islamabad
Through the global media, Pakistan often possesses the image of a
country with fierce-looking warlords, armed tribal men and holy
fighters that come together in the North West Frontier close to
the Afghan border.
However, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan's Minister of
Tourism Nilofar Bakhtiar wants to show another Pakistan. She's
strong, determined and independent and has a warm, cheerful and
charismatic personality.
She's ready to show the world a beautiful country with a rich
history, a marvelous culture and with ancient oriental
civilizations spread across the provinces. Pakistan is a country
full of undiscovered hidden secrets.
With the full support of President Pervez Musharraf and Prime
Minister Shaukat Aziz, she has prepared elaborate plans to open
its doors to foreign tourists and has declared this year
"Destination Pakistan 2007".
During the opening ceremony in Islamabad last month, her
fascinating speech kept the audience spellbound and her
passionate, persuasive oratory inspired me to write an authentic
story of Pakistan's as yet undiscovered beauty.
Undiscovered mountains and deserts
Pakistan is home to the fierce mountains of the Karakoram, the
Himalayas and the Hindu Kush in the north, which provide an
unspoiled panoramic view of some of the five highest peaks in the
world.
It's the picturesque land of eternal snow, of valleys with
turquoise-colored lakes and fields filled with colorful flowers.
The majestic flow of the Indus River that continually meanders
through the mountains across the country to reach the ocean and
the ruins of hundreds of Buddhist monasteries are silent
testimony to long-forgotten Buddhist empires from Central Asia.
Pakistan is the land of the legendary Karakoram Highway, the

highest road in the world, which, centuries ago, was used by

Marco Polo and other merchants as part of the Silk Road.
It followed a long and dangerous path through the deadly
mountains back and forth from Europe to China.
Pakistan is the land of the vast deserts of Cholistan and
Thar; land of nomadic tribes that travel on the back of
colorfully decorated camels, with ancient fortresses that float
like mirages in a sweeping sandy sea, and where desert foxes,
wolves and dangerous snakes come out at night to prey.
Lahore, a Persian fairytale
The capital of the Punjab province, Lahore, is situated on the
banks of the River Indus. Since time immemorial, the Indus
remained the lifeline of ancient civilizations where history,
culture, art and religion met.
Lahore is the city where Rudyard Kipling spent some important
years of his life and which inspired him to write some of his
well-known stories and poems.
A tour around the city takes you to the 17th-century Badshami
Mosque in the old quarter built by the Mughals who then ruled the
country. It's one of the most striking and largest mosques of the
orient and was built of brick and red sandstone with white marble
domes.
A large outside courtyard seats more than 60,000 worshipers.
As you enter through the immense gates of this powerful mosque
and stand beside its walls, you are taken back to the era of
Persian fairy tales.
As you leave the mosque and continue to the entrance of the
majestic and mysterious gates of the Lahore Fort, the white
marble and gilded domes of a Sikh Temple magically shine in the
sunlight; people are walking in and out, praying for love, peace
and harmony.
The Lahore Museum was built by the British in the 19th century
and exhibits many inspiring pieces, including one of the largest
known stupas of a fasting Buddha. As you continue to the romantic
gardens of love and happiness, you'll come to know that Shah
Jahan didn't only build the Taj Mahal, but also designed the
Shalimar Gardens in 1641, among the finest Persian-inspired
landscaped gems.
At night, an authentic cultural show in the old quarter
catches the eye; poets recite tales from the olden days that
touch the heart and feed the soul; young women in traditional and
colorful outfits express their dreams, passion and love through
folkloric dances, and men whirl endlessly around to the beat of
oriental music.

From a distance you hear a silent echo of galloping horses of

great rulers from the past that pass through the city one more
time. These are the horses of Genghis Khan, creator of the
powerful Mongol Empire.
A traditional bazaar offers Pashmina woolen shawls from
Kashmir, hand-knotted carpets with traditional designs from
Afghanistan and Central Asia and ethnic silver jewelry from the
northern areas.
A black cobra silently rises from its basket as a young tribal
man from Baluchistan mesmerizes the deadly snake while playing
the flute.
A few steps further down, a bright red parrot cautiously
selects a tarot card offered by his master; another tale is about
to unfold. Each and every vendor has something interesting to
sell at this bustling market.
Traveling south of Lahore
As you travel further down the Indus River you'll stop at the
ruins of Harappa, the ancient city of the Indus Valley, which is
home to one of the earliest and most developed civilizations of
the oriental world.
As you continue south and enter into the mirages of the
deserts of Cholistan, from a long distance you'll see the towers
of the Derawar Fort floating in a sandy sea.
Nomadic tribes live in traditional huts made of wooden rods
with rooftops of grass, women weave colorful tribal shawls and
men wear brightly colored turbans on their heads.
The Derawar Fort dates back to 825 A.D. and was built by
Prince Rawal around a magic tree that kept the cattle safe from
the attacks of wolves; once the cattle would move away from the
tree, the wolves killed them instantly.
And so the prince declared the tree sacred to protect the
animals and built the fort around as a sanctuary.
History of the Punjab
This is the Punjab, the richest province of Hindustan in
culture and heritage which derives its name from Panjnad, meaning
"the confluence of five rivers coming together".
It's the province where Alexander the Great crossed the mighty
Indus River and debated philosophy at the one of the world's
first universities in Taxila: an ancient Buddhist site where many
rulers came to study and which was once visited by the Christian
apostle, Thomas.

At present, the site shows the ruins of 2,500-year-old

temples, monasteries and Buddhist stupas from the Gandhara
civilization, which is a rare and unique blend of Greek and
Buddhist art.
A museum situated nearby exhibits some of these unique art
pieces.
During the British Raj, the Punjab was one of its richest
provinces, which eventually was divided between India and
Pakistan.
Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Punjab, was only a
young boy when he handed over power to Queen Victoria of England.
In return, he received a palace and education under royal
patronage in England.
Many years later, when he had grown older and wiser, painful,
unbearable realities gripped his heart and soul. He realized he
had lost everything meaningful; the respect of his people, his
beloved land and beautiful empire but also the Jewel in the Crown
of the Punjab, the famous Koh-I-Noor diamond which, to the
present day shines brightly in the crown of the British monarch.
*****
This is just the beginning of a journey into the land of
legends, mystery and romance.
In Pakistan history, culture, art and religion come together
and create a unique blend of untouched and unspoiled vistas that
have remained a hidden secret.
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