MULTAN

Multan

Multan
Clockwise from top: Multan Fort, Rukn-e-Alam, Shahi Eid Ghah Mosque, Multan Museum, Multan Clock Tower and State Bank of Pakistan Nickname(s): The City of Sufis, The City of Saints, The City of Tombs,Madinah-Tul-Oleyah Multan Location in Pakistan Country Pakistan
Region Punjab District Multan District Autonomous towns 6 Union councils 4 Government- Nazim --- Naib nazim Multan City is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about 562 km (349 mi) from Islamabad, 356 km (221 mi) from Lahore and 966 km (600 mi) from Karachi. Multan District has a population of over 4.5 million.[citation needed.

Multan is known as the City of Sufis or City of Saints and Madinah-Tul-Oleyah due to the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and ornate tombs. It is located in a bend created by five rivers of the Punjab province. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The city has grown to become an influential political and economical center for the country, with a dry port and excellent transport links. Multan is famous for its crops: wheat, cotton and sugar cane as well as mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranates.

Multan, being an historic city, attracts a number of tourists every year. When the first settlements established themselves in Multan, access to the city was through a circular road around the rampart that gave access to the city through thirteen gates and even now some of the imposing structures of these gates are still visible and well preserved. The Old City has narrow, colorful bazaars full of local handicrafts and narrow winding lanes. There are many places of historical, cultural and recreational interest in the city. In the bazaars of the Old City one still comes across tiny shops where craftsmen can be seen busily turning out masterpieces in copper, brass, silver as well as textiles in the traditional fashion.

The numerous Sufi shrines within the old city offer impressive examples of workmanship and architecture. The Shams-e Tabriz shrine is built almost entirely of sky-blue engraved glazed bricks. That of Shah Rukn-e Alam (Tughlaq period) has one of the biggest domes in Asia. The shrine of Sheikh Yusuf Gardez is a masterpiece of the Multani style. Other shrines include the Pahladpuri Temple and the Idgah Mosque (1735).

Shah Shams Tabrez
The mausoleum of Shams-ud-Din, commonly known as Shah Shams Tabrez is located about half a mile to the east of the Fort Site, on the high bank of the old bed of the river Ravi. He passed away in 1276 AD and the shrine was built by his grandson in 1 330 AD It was rebuilt by one of his followers in 171 8 AD The Tomb is square, 30 feet in height surmounted by a hemispherical dome. It is decorated with ornamental glazed tiles.

Nishtar Medical College
Nishtar Medical College is a medical school located in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is named after Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, a celebrated companion of Father of the Nation Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the then Governor of Punjab. It is one of the premier medical schools of the country. The majority of the degrees it awards are in the fields of Medicine (MBBS) and Dentistry (BDS).

The idea of establishing a medical teaching institution in Multan was first put forward by Dr. M. J. Bhutta in 1945. At that time, there was only one medical college in Punjab: King Edward Medical College in Lahore. The Muslim students ratio in KEMC was very low and after the formation of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, the majority of doctors left for India, while few Muslim immigrants were of the profession. This vacuum in the availability of medical doctors necessitated more medical colleges in the newly formed Muslim state.

On this basis, Dr. Mohammed Jamaal Bhutta and Col. Dr. Mallick were of the view that Punjab urgently required to meet the immediate needs of the province. The Government of Punjab took this situation seriously and authorized the Governor of Punjab, Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar, to make a historic announcement establishing a modern medical college and hospital in Multan.