NATHIAGALI

Nathiagali, clad in Pine, Walnut and Oak Maple trees,

is the most picturesque hill station in the Pakistan. From Nathiagali one take many short strolls through the pine forests.

Those who are more adventurous can take a longer trek to climb the top of Mukshpuri, which is 2800 meters high.

The real enthusiasts can walk up a track starting from the Governor’s House to the top of Miranjani Hill (2960 meters high), a beautiful trek that takes 6 to 7 hours both ways.

MURREE HILLS

Murree is great city of Pakistan. People from all over the country come here to see its beauti, specially in the season of Summer. Its situated near capital city of Islamabad.



Murree is a hill station, full of natural ceneries, greenary. It is a cold city, even sometimes with in summer one need to use blanket. Famous places are Mall and Kashmir Point.



There are some other places in the sorrounding to view, including Bhorban, Nathya Gali, Ghora Gali, Ayubia, Pathreyata etc. I think everybody should visit Murree to see the natural beauti of Pakistan.

SHALIMAR GARDEN,LAHORE

Built in 16th Century by Shahjehan the greatest patron of Architecture It was used as the Royal pleasure Garden by the Moghuls during 16th to 19th century. In 1818 It saw its worst days when it was destroyed by the Sikh ruler Ranjit sing and was used as stable. During English times (1842- 1947) It regained its value as the Garden and was open to Public. After English the Garden was restored by the Pakistan Government and it in use today as popular hang out site.

The Garden had beautiful fountains run with the help of camels now runs occasionally withth electric motors. It has a huge fortification wall around it built during Moghul times.

NATIONAL MONUMENT

National Monument or Pakistan Monument is built on the West View Point of Shakar Parrian Hills. The monument can be viewd from all vantage points of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It is designed by an eminent architect Mr. Arif Masoud, and was completed in March 2007. The Monument has been designed to reflect the culture and civilization of the country and also depicts the story of Pakistan Movement and it is dedicated to the people of Pakistan who sacrificed their today for a better tomorrow. It gives a beautiful view of the city at night.

HARAPPA

The Harappa site was first briefly excavated by Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1872-73, two decades after brick robbers carried off the visible remains of the city. He found an Indus seal of unknown origin.



The first extensive excavations at Harappa were started by Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni in 1920. His work and contemporaneous excavations at Mohenjo-daro first brought to the world's attention the existence of the forgotten Indus Valley civilization as the earliest urban culture in the Indian subcontinent.



His work was followed later in the decade by that of Madho Sarup Vats, also of the Archaeological Survery of India. M.S. Vats first excavated the "Granary," and published the results of his and Sahni's excavations in 1940. Excavations by other archaeologists continued in the 1930's, and in 1946 Sir Mortimer Wheeler excavated the so-called fortification walls and found the first pre-Indus Valley civilization (Kot Dijian) deposits.



After independence, Harappa was excavated by Mohammed Rafique Mughal of the Archaeological Survey of Pakistan in 1966. In 1986, the first systematic, multi-disciplinary excavations of an Indus Valley city were begun by the Harappa Archaeological Project (HARP), under the direction of George F. Dales and J. Mark Kenoyer. These excavations, now also co-directed by Richard H. Meadow, have continued almost every year since then.

There is an enormous amount still to be learned about the site, most of which remains unexcavated. The earliest deposits on the site go back to 3300 B.C. and the area seems to have been continuosly inhabited ever since. Archaeologists think that ancient Harappa was the urban center dominating the upper Indus region, much like Mohenjo-daro dominated the lower Indus Valley and Ganweriwala might have been the urban center for what is now Rajasthan.

NOOR MAHAL,BHAWALPUR

The Noor Mahal (Urdu: نور محل)is a palace built in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. It was built in 1872 like an Italian chateau on neoclassical lines, at a time when modernism had set in.

A Night view of the Noor Mahal BahawalpurThere are various stories regarding its construction. According to one belief, Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan IV had the palace made for his wife. However, she was there for one night, only as she happened to see the adjoining graveyard from her balcony, and refused to spend another night there and so it remained unused during his reign.



Noor Mehal is one of the hidden gems of Bahawalpur, since not many know about it and its not open to public. It is currently in possession of Army and is used as state guest house and for holding state durbars and meetings with foreign delegations. Not being open to public is the reason why Noor Mahal is still in perfect shape. Even the interior Victorian furniture is still in great shape.



You can however visit the place if you have an army relative and even then an army personal will follow you everywhere in the palace while you are there.



Upon entering the palace you still get the aroma of Nawab rule and the legacy. The construction of Noor palace was undertaken by Nawab Subah Sadiq the fourth, who was also known as the Shan Jahan of Bahawalpur for his passion of constructing beautiful buildings. Mr. Hennan; an Englishman who was the state engineer designed the building. Foundation of Noor Palace was laid in 1872. The map and coins of the state were buried in its foundation as good omen. Most of the material and furniture was imported from England and Italy and construction of the palace was completed in 1875 at a cost of Rs. 1.2 Million. Noor Palace has a covered area of 44,600 square feet. It has 32 rooms including 14 in basement, 6 Verandas and 5 domes.



The design encompasses features of Corinthian and Islamic styles of architecture with a tinge of sub continental style. Corinthian touch is visible in the columns,balustrade,pediments and the vaulted ceiling of Durbar Hall. The Islamic style is evident in the five domes whereas, the angular elliptical shapes are a stroke of subcontinent style. Nawab Muhammad Behawal Khan the fifth, added a mosque to the palace in 1906 at the cost of Rs. 20,000. The design is based on the mosque of Aitcheson College.



The palace was originally built for residential purposes, according to rumors when the nawab’s begam came to the palace, she saw a graveyard out of one of the windows and decided that she won't stay here.



In 1956, When Bahawalpur State was merged into Pakistan, the building was taken over by the Auqaf department. The palace was leased to Army in 1971 who later acquired it in 1997 for a sum of 119 million.



The building was later declared a “Protected Monument” in September 2001 by the Department of Archeology, Government of Pakistan and it is now open for general visitors, students trips and other interested persons.

HIRAN MINAR

The Hiran Minar, built during the reign of Jahangir & Shah JahanHiran Minar is set in peaceful environs near Lahore in Sheikhupura, Pakistan. It was constructed by Emperor Jahangir as a monument to Mansraj, one of his pet deer.



The structure consists of a large, almost-square water tank with an octagonal pavilion in its center, built during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan; a causeway with its own gateway connects the pavilion with the mainland and a 100-foot (30 m)-high minar, or minaret.



At the center of each side of the tank, a brick ramp slopes down to the water, providing access for royal animals and wild game. The minar itself was built by Emperor Jahangir in 1606 to honor the memory of a pet hunting antelope named Mansraj.



Unique features of this particular complex are the antelope's grave and the distinctive water collection system. At each corner of the tank (approximately 750 by 895 feet (273 m) in size), is a small, square building and a subsurface water collection system which supplied the tank; only one of these water systems is extensively exposed today.



Another special feature of Hiran Minar is its location and environment: the top of the minar is perhaps the best place in the province of Punjab to get a feel for the broader landscape and its relationship to a Mughal site.



Looking north from the top of the minar, one can see a patch of forest which is similar to the scrub forest vegetation of Mughal times, while to the west are extensively-irrigated fields, a product of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but similar in size and appearance to the well-irrigated fields of the Mughal period.