Traveling in Pakistan? Is it possible? Really can! But first, read this first so you can get an idea. Since there isn’t much information about tourism in this country, I’ll just make a list, okay?
Islamabad
Hearing the name of the country of Pakistan, maybe we will imagine the capital is in disarray. But make no mistake, Islamabad is completely different! The city is spacious, modern and very green. Pakistan has deliberately moved its capital from overcrowded Karachi to the purpose-built Islamabad. Be Islamabad as the administrative capital where the center of government and embassies are located, while Karachi is more as the financial capital where the business center is. By the way , Islamabad means “Islamic city”. Century from Urdu means “city”, so it is common in Pakistan to have city names ending in “century”, for example Abbottabad and Eminabad.
Some of the places that must be visited are;
Faisal Mosque – named Fasial because this mosque was donated by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. The architecture is unique because the mosque is not dome-shaped but resembles a Bedouin tent. Can accommodate 10,000 devotees, this mosque was once the largest mosque in the world until 1993. The large white mosque situated on a hill makes it a landmark of Islamabad.
Pakistan Monument – This is the Monas of Pakistan, but not in the form of a tower but four giant flower petals representing the four provinces of Pakistan. Due to its high altitude, this reddish colored monument can be seen from all over the city. Still one complex, there is a good museum that describes the history of the formation of the state of Pakistan. A walk around the Shakarparian park is also comfortable and you can see the city from the top of the hill.
Lok Virsa Museum – Pakistani culture with its various tribes is on display in this expansive ethnological museum. It’s interesting to see the colorful traditional clothes, the folk tales whose contents are mostly about love stories are not approved, and even though the country is Islamic but the empowerment of women is so good that there is a special display of the achievements of Pakistani women from singers to climbers of Mount Everest.
Taxila – About an hour from Islamabad, there is a very impressive archaeological site. There are only ruins that still exist since the 6th century BC, it deserves to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This ancient city is only mentioned in the stories of Mahabharata and Ramayana where it is called the beautiful city that Barata discovered. In the Jataka scriptures of Buddhism it is mentioned that Taxila was the capital of the Gandhara Kingdom. This is where the oldest university in the world is located, a 1st century Buddhist teaching site whose ruins can be seen. Even Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, once preached there.
Lahore
Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, is called the cultural capital of Pakistan, perhaps because there are three sites that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Maybe it’s because the good food comes from here, or because the people are pretty. This city is a bit unkempt, but the buildings are a lot of former British heritage that makes it beautiful. Lahore was occupied by the Mughal Empire in the 16-18th century whose buildings were inside the Walled City.
Well, this is partly an interesting place to visit;
Lahore Fort – This fort complex covering an area of more than 20 hectares has 21 buildings. The thing that made me gape the most was the Sheesh Mahal or “Palace of Mirrors” which was built by Shah Jahan in the 16th century. This palace was specially built for his wife Mumtaz Mahal because of his love. Well, this King also built the Taj Mahal for his wife’s grave. Do you remember? The tomb is fine, let alone the house! The walls are made of marble and decorated with small glass all the way to the ceiling. The adjoining building is the Naulakha Pavilion, the wife’s summer home whose marble walls are decorated with precious stones. Other buildings are also beautiful, such as Alamgiri Gate and Moti Masjid.
Lahore Museum – Occupies a reddish building in the Indo-Mughal architectural style built in 1865, which is famous for containing Buddhist artworks from the Indo-Greek period and the Gandhara Empire. The most sought after statue of visitors is The Fasting Buddha, which was made in the 2nd century BC. His father Rudyard Kipling, the famous British writer, was the museum’s first curator.
Wagah Border – Every afternoon around 5 o’clock, people flock to this Pakistan-India border. The point is “just” to watch the flag lowering ceremony, but the fun is asking for forgiveness! On the Pakistan side there are hundreds of people sitting on the terraces, on the Indian side there are about 3000 people sitting in half the stadium. It started with a parade of Pakistani troops who were all almost two meters tall with their feet up as high as possible, then the audience chanted, “ Allahu Akbar! Pakistan Zindabad !”, until finally meeting with Indian troops at the border fence to lower the flag together. It’s funny and exciting to see the feud and unity of these two countries!
Khewra Salt Mine – A three hour drive from Lahore is a vast salt mine. This is where the SJW-style hit salt called “Himalayan Salt” comes from. This pink salt is mined from the bowels of the earth up to seven floors down. The entry also has to take a train in the dark. The scenery is actually so beautiful because some of the stones are shaped and given light from inside. In this cave also provided several rooms for asthma treatment because it is believed that asthma can be cured by inhaling mining salt. Surprisingly, local people themselves do not use this salt except for lamp decoration. This salt is actually exported to developed countries where packaging is madeIt’s cool, it’s said to be healthier than regular salt, and it’s very expensive. Even though until now there is no scientific evidence that mining salt is healthier. It was even more painful when I saw the old men of the mining workers hauling stones that were so heavy.
Katas Raj Temples – Not far from Khewra, there is a Hindu temple mentioned in the Mahabharata where the Pandavas once lived during their exile. The water in its sacred pond is believed to have come from the tears of Lord Shiva who wept when his wife, Sati, died.
