TOP 18 HISTORICAL PLACES IN PAKISTAN:
Every country in the world has something unique on which they feel pride. These unique things are usually some visiting or historical places. Pakistan is one of the blessed countries which has a lot of historical places. This country has almost about 3000 years old civilization. The remnants of these ancient civilizations are still available in Pakistan. Pakistan land even before its creation was governed by many rulers whether these were Mighty Mughal kings or the Great British crown. All these rulers had not just ruled over this But also left behind things which shows the Golden eras of those empires.
The Forts of great Mughal emperors are still intact and are the site of tourist attraction. Tombs of many different religious personalities including saints are also still deviating people toward themselves.
Different mosques designed by great architects at the time of the Mughal empire also enchanting visitors towards their beauty. And this is only the trailer of infinite historical places of Pakistan which I have explained to you.
Pakistan is only 74 years old but the history buried in its land is of about many thousand years back. History lover always wishes to explore Pakistan because this land is not an ordinary land. This land is ruled by many emperors like the Mughal empire. Also, many other religions like Hindus and Sikhs have ruled their dynasties in ancient times.
If you are not interested in the history of the country and you come to Pakistan then its historical places will be going to change your mind. It is because the beauty of these historical places will fall you in love with these places. You will become keen to know that how and when these places came into being.
List of Best Historical Places in Pakistan
Pakistan is rich in historical places but we will discuss the details of the top 16 best historical places of Pakistan. We will cover all the details regarding that places. So here we start discussing out one by one.
1: BEGUM SHAHI MOSQUE
Every Mughal emperor had always tried his best to design mosques in his reign. Many of those mosques gained fame due to their architecture and history. So Begum Shahi mosque is one of them. This oldest and beautiful piece of art was designed in the era of Emperor Jahangir from 1611 to 1614. The basis of this mosque was to pay tribute to his mother, Mariam Zamani.
This mosque is considered one of the oldest masterpieces of the Mughal empire which is surviving in the city of Lahore. This small mosque is located along with the Famous Lahore fort.
The architect had done his job beautifully in designing this beautiful small mosque at that time. The famous wazir khan mosque has approximately the same design as this mosque. However, this mosque was designed about some decades before the Wazir khan mosque.
This beautiful God’s Home has about 400 different elaborated designs and distinctive structural embellishments.
Originally Mariam Zamani was a Hindu princess. She worked for increasing friendship between different religious groups. She also expands racial tolerance as she became the wife of the great Mughal emperor ‘Akbar’.
But she garnered more reputation and fame under the era of his son Jahangir. At that time she was handed over with high responsibilities and she also started trading in her kingdom.
So this mosque is always the priority of tourists to visit. And I will also suggest it to you if you are in love with the history of Pakistan.
Visiting Time: 5 AM to 8 PM
ENTRANCE is free for all the tourists. There is always a man who will tell you about the history of this historic place.
2: MOHENJO-DARO
It is the word of Sindhi language meaning ‘the mounds of the Dead’.
The tourist who is fond of historical places has always Mohenjo-Daro at the top of his list. If it is not included in the list of historical places of Pakistan then the list seems useless. As Pakistan has one of the oldest civilizations known as the Indus civilization, so mohenjo – daro is the city of that ancient civilization. UNESCO has discovered this ancient city in the 20th century in 1921. This is the site for Heritage in the world. After the depth research of archeologists on its remnants, they came up to the point that this ancient city is approximately 3000 years old. The record shows that it was planned and designed around the 2500 BC era. This beautiful heritage was undiscovered and was not included in the documents of UNESCO for about 3700 years. This ancient planned city was discovered and put into record in international historical forums in the 1920s.
History lovers and archeologists have penned that this ancient city was very developed. Mohenjo-Daro spreads over 300 hectares. Buildings and different designs show that the inhabitants of this civilization were very socially attached. They organized the city in a well social manner.
This beautiful ancient city was discovered in the Sindh province. The Mohenjo-Daro is at about 40 minutes drive from Larkana city of Sindh province. The largest river of Pakistan The River Indus shares its Right bank with this ancient site.
Every year local and foreign tourists visit this masterpiece of ancient Indus civilization.
The times for visitors are different for summer and winter
Summer timings: 8 30AM to 7 PM
Winter timings: 9 00 AM to 7 PM
The government of Pakistan has put entrance tickets for visiting this ancient site.
*Foreigners should pay 300 rupees
* Local visitors should pay 20 rupees
3: ROHTAS FORT :
As we have discussed that the land of our beloved country has seen many rulers governing over it. This fort is also the consequence of one of that Brave rulers. That brave ruler was Sher-shah Suri. His real name was Farid khan, he rules during the reign of Mughal emperor Humayun and dethrones him in 1938. No doubt he ruled for a very short span but he started the construction of this fort in 1541.
This fort is the best example of architectural designs. This is a historical military masterpiece. It was completed in about 8 years. In 1997, UNESCO give this fort a site of world heritage.
The covered area of the fort is about 70 hectares. This fort is comprised of walls that are about 4 kilometers long. This beautiful military architect has about 12 gates and 68 rampart towers. This great military Fort had a capacity of about 30,000 men army.
The researchers have confirmed that this fort is on the top of the list of fortresses present in south Asia. This top ranking is due to its largest area. It is an elegant and formidable fort.
The location of this fort is about 15 kilometers far from the city of Jehlum. It is a 2 hours drive from Islamabad and about 4 hours drive from Lahore.
It is opened for visitors from
9 AM to 5 PM
Visitors have free access to enter this beautiful Fort.
4: TAXILA CITY:
As we have already discussed that Pakistan is one of the blessed countries which has many oldest civilizations. So one from these old civilizations is ‘Taxila city’. This oldest civilization is also about 5000 years old. Historians considered it as the 1000 BC era’s work. However, some archeologists have found that some remnants of this civilized city are as ancient as 3360 Before Christ. The city shows ruin Buddhism religion. Alexander, the Great, has chosen this city to enter this region.
This beautiful heritage is located along the G. T road.
UNESCO has given Taxila city, the status of a world heritage site in 1980. In 2006, Taxila was given the status of the top tourist visiting point in Pakistan.
The ruins of Taxila city show that its inhabitants were very social and were keen to get an education. This fact was proved when the archeologists find the ruins of Ancient Taxila university. This was the hallmark of the history of education. So it goes without saying that this university is the ancient and the oldest in the world.
This Taxila city has not only one tourist point but it is spread over a big area. Many ancient and historic structures depict the golden era of this city. The structures include monasteries, caves, and stupas. The government of Pakistan has designed a museum which is located in this city. This museum has a lot of things and interesting information regarding this ancient Taxila civilization.
This ancient city is located near to our beautiful capital Islamabad. Due to its nearness to the capital, this historic place is always the site of attraction and popular among tourists. Usually, people from Islamabad come here on a day trip.
The ruins of the city are free all the time. However, the museum is opened to the public only from
9 AM TO 5 PM
Foreign visitors have to pay 200 rupees for visiting museums while local visitors have to pay 20 rupees.
5: WAZIR KHAN MOSQUE:
Mughal emperors had designed many Forts and palaces but mosques were at the top of the list. Lahore was one of the best centers of the mughal empire during the reign of a few emperors. Lahore is rich in historical places. One of these places is the historic beautiful mosque known as ‘Wazir khan mosque’. The mosque has structural and architectural similarities with the begum shahi mosque. But Wazir khan mosque has a large area and has more interactive colors.
This mosque was designed on the order of the mughal emperor ‘Shah Jahan’. The construction of this mosque was started in 1634 and ended in 1641. Shah Jahan gave this responsibility to the Shaikh Ilm-Ud-Din Ansari. He was the viceroy of Punjab at that time. If you are keen to observe this beautiful architecture then you will notice that this mosque is intricated with colorful tiles and pieces of a glass mirror. Every little space of this mosque has tile work.
This masterpiece is located near the Delhi gate of the walled city of Lahore. It is a few meters steps away from Delhi gate.
* Visitors are allowed to visit it from
5 AM TO 8 PM
It is free for all types of visitors.
6: KATASRAJ TEMPLES:
Well, Pakistan is a Muslim state. And it sounds odd that there were Hindu temples. As we have discussed earlier that this land is ruled by many empires. one of these empires also belonged to Hinduism.
Katasraj temples are interlinked to each other through different streets forming a large complex.
This beautiful temple is situated in Dulmial named village near Kalar kahar in the province of Punjab. These enchanting temples were designed in about the 7th century CE.
These beautiful temples are located in mountains about 2000 feet high. These are near to the ‘Tilla jogian’ which is another spot for Hindus for religious purposes.
The temples are surrounded by a beautiful lake which enhanced their beauty. According to Hindus, this lake was created due to the tears of Lord Shiva. His tears were in memory of his wife’s ‘sati’.
This is the holy place for Hindus. The famous poem of Hinduism called MAHABHARATA has also explained these temples. Another folklore is that the Hindu god Krishna had established this temple.
The lake of this temple is about 2 kanals and 15 marlas. It is about 20 feet deep.
It is sad to see that these temples are not in their complete forms. This is because of fights between Hindus and Muslims after the partition of British India. Now it is even less in its original structure.
As we know every historical place in Pakistan is speaking about its era. This beautiful Katasraj temple is explaining the harsh and bitter history of British India.
The site of these temples is situated in Katas. It is also near beautiful Hill Station Kalar kahar. Katasraj temples are about a 2 hours drive from Islamabad and 4 Hours drive from Lahore.
*Visitors are allowed to visit it from
7 AM TO 8 PM
*it costs freely for all kinds of visitors.
7 LAHORE FORT:
Whenever we discuss Lahore historical places, the place always tops is the Lahore fort. Whenever any non-lahori come to Lahore he or she has the first choice to visit Lahore fort.
In Urdu, we say it as Shahi Qila. This beautiful fort is in the walled city of Lahore.
This fort has a covered area of about 20 hectares. 21 monuments are present in this fort. All these monuments belong to the emperor Akbar’s era.
Fort has also the epic picture wall made by using different colored stones and mirrors in a mosaic manner.
This fort was always the center of many Mughal kings. ‘Shah Jahan gives fort beauty by different marbles and other designs. He designed a ‘SHEESH MAHAL’which was designed by using beautiful mirrors and tiles. Its Almigiri Gate was designed by the Mughal emperor ‘Aurangzeb Alamgir’.
This fort was not only the residence for musilim rulers but also became the home of Sikh’s king Ranjit Singh.
UNESCO has placed it as a site of World Heritage in 1981.
*This fort is opened for visitors from
8 AM TO 7 PM
* The ticket for visiting the fort is 500 rupees for foreigners and 30 rupees for local visitors.
8: KOT DIJI
We know Pakistan is rich in Forts. Every fort has its importance and history. All are unique from one another. Among them, Kot diji is also a famous fort in Pakistan.
This beautiful Fort is considered the newest one of all other fortresses. It was designed and built-in 1785 and its construction ended in 1795. It was designed on the order of Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur.
Historians believe and archeologists have confirmed that this fort is lying above the old civilization known as the ancient Kot Diji civilization.
This civilization is older than Harappa and Indus civilizations. It is about 3300 Before the christ era.
This fort has also attractions for tourists. But other forts have more fame than it has.
The fort and the remnants of old civilization are located in the city khairpur of Sindh province. It is at a 24 km distance from Khair Pur.
*visitors are allowed to visit at any time.
*The visit is free of cost for all kinds of visitors.
9 TAKHT- E- BAHI :
The literal meaning of Takht-e-bahi is ‘Throne of water spring’.
Another masterpiece located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is Takht-e-bahi. Like Hindus and Sikhs temples, Buddhist places are also found in Pakistan speaking as the past era of Buddhism.
This is found in Mardan as an archeological site. It is the Buddhist monastery of the indo-Parthian eras.
It dates back to the 1st century CE. This civilization was destroyed in the 7th century.
It is also known as world heritage site by UNESCO.
Archeologists have found its ruin in 4 areas which are of different stupas, chambers of monasteries.
Stupas cluster situated in the courtyard is the first area known as Stupa court. Then the second area is monastic chambers which are in the form of cells surrounding the central courtyard. The third area is the temple complex which is the same as the stupa court containing different stupas. The last fourth area is the Tantric area which was used for prayers and meditations. This area is made of small cells with openings.
*visitors are allowed to visit it from
9 AM TO 7 PM
* Entrance is free for all visitors
10 HIRAN MINAR:
This is a tomb and has some differences from other tombs and forts. We have seen that many forts in our country are mostly designed as tributes to saints. But this tomb is a bit different in the sense that this was designed for an animal.
We also called it ‘Dear Tower’.
This beautiful Hiran Minar is located in the city sheikhupura, Northwest of the Bustling city Lahore.
History shows that this tomb was built by the Mughal emperor Jahangir not for his own but for his Pet called ANTELOPE also known as mansraj.
He was the emperor who had a great love for nature. Hiran Minar is the living example of his love for nature. The main purpose of this tomb was to get comfortable and enjoy nature.
This beautiful Hiran Minar is complex. This complex has 4 minrates with each 30 feet long. The beauty of this Hiran Minar is further increased by the large pool and the pavilion.
The Hiran Minar is located near the sheikhupura fort, which was the monument of 17th century.
It is less than a 1-hour drive from Lahore via the M2 motorway.
*visitors are allowed to visit it from
8 AM TO 9 PM
*it has free entrance for all visitors.
11 RANIKOT FORT:
This fort is also among the top Fortresses of Pakistan. It is also called the ‘Great wall of Sindh. This is a beautiful Fort with a wall similar to the great wall of china. This also belongs to one of the dynasties which ruled over the subcontinent.
As many forts have unknown origins and history, this fort has also an unknown identity of its beginning.
Some archeologists and historians believe that its construction was started in the 17th century. During the Talpur dynasty, they reconstruct this fort in 1812. Talpur dynasty was one of the dynasties ruled over Sindh.
This fort is at a distance of 90 km away from Hyderabad, the city of Sindh. The small Sindhi town ‘Sann’is close to this fort.
* fort is opened all the times’ for visitors
* Government of Pakistan has allowed visitors to enter it free of cost.
12: NAGARPARKAR JAIN TEMPLES :
Pakistan has culture blends with different religions. Jainism is one of them. These are the temples that are holy and sacred places for Jains. These temples are located close to the Indian border. These are located in a deserted area of Sindh. This is a complex of the Jain temples which were built in different centuries especially from the 12th to 15th centuries.
This ancient religion had its main holy center located in nagarparkar. This is the epicenter of Jainism for many centuries. These temples are beautiful and have their uniqueness.
The designs and structures of these temples depict the art and architecture of jains. It also shows the architecture of the region surrounding it. The best example of this architecture is the nearest Pink Granite kanjhoor mountains. These mountains were once the site of attraction and glory in the country.
Thus complex of temples has about 14 temples. The most beautiful is the Gori temple.
This region has not only temples but also has an ancient mosque called Bhodesar Mosque. In 1505, this mosque was completed. This mosque has the almost the same structure as of Jain temples. The mosque central dome has the same shape as of Jain temples.
Due to the low density of visitors at this site, the mosque and temples are still in good condition. As these temples are closely related to the Indian border, which results in a difficult time visiting these temples. Occasionally thus complaint is from foreign visitors.
As this is a deserted area so the only route that leads to Jain temples is about 150 km away from the town ‘Mithi’.
* Visitors are allowed to visit it any time
* No tickets or entry fee is applicable.
13 HARAPPA :
As the matter of civilization is discussed in the world. Historians always give the name of the Indus Civilization along with other oldest and famous civilizations.
Indus civilization has many cities as we discussed some of them. One of the famous cities of the Indus civilization was Harappa. That is why some historians name the Indus civilization as Harappan civilization.
This city had a capacity of 23000 inhabitants.
This was a great city area-wise approximately spread over 150 hectares in its golden time which was from 2600 BC to 1900 BC.
The remnants of the city show that this city was working in Bronze Age.
The city culture was most relevant to the most famous culture of that time known as ‘Mehrgarh’.
The reason for the flourishing of this city at that time was that Harappans were very social. They developed many systems at that time such as the writing system, different urban centers, and a variety of social and economic systems. Harappans were famous for trading. They trade cotton clothes and textiles. They also trade agricultural goods. Mostly their trade partners were ancient Mesopotamia.
It is located near the Sahiwal city at a distance of 24 kilometers.
*No time limit is given by the government, visitors can visit it any time
* without any fee you can visit this masterpiece.
14: MAKLI NECROPOLIS
As we have discussed many tombs and forts. This is also the hallmark famous in Pakistan. Archeologists have named it the world’s biggest funerary site.
This beautiful complex of tombs is situated near the ‘Thatta’. There are about 500 000 different tombs. All this occupies an area of about 10 kilometers. The tombs present in it are about 400 years old. Different scholars, royal members, and Sufi saints are buried here.
Sheikh Jamali, a Sufi saint established this Makli as a gathering point for many Sufi saints. He was buried here. In about the 14th century, Jam Tamachi, Trakhan ruler was the follower of sheikh jamali. Due to in love and respect for his mentor Jam tamachi wished to bury with his leader. Along with jam tamachi was many of his soldiers and friends were also buried there. So the tradition began from there.
The site got more fame and rose during the era of the Samma dynasty. And in this Makli, its famous tomb was built during the reign of the mughal empire.
UNESCO has given Makli Necropolis the status of World Heritage site in 1981.
This beautiful masterpiece is 2 hours drive away from Karachi and Hyderabad.
* it is always opened for its visitors
* No tickets have been imposed for visiting it.
15: TOMB OF JAHANGIR :
The Mughal empire has given so many palaces and forts to the land of Pakistan. And from these Lahore has gained most of them. This beautiful masterpiece was designed for the Mughal king Jahangir.
This beautiful tomb was completed in about the span of 10 years. Its construction ended in 1637.
Beautiful marbles and different floral designs were designed on all of its 4 walls. Its beauty is further increased by the stunning greenery of the beautiful garden surrounding it.
This region of Lahore had always faced floods. So these floods had given great losses to the tomb. But due to the good quality material used in the tomb, this tomb withstands the havocs of the flood even though it is 400 years old.
This beautiful architect is located in Shahdara Lahore. The Mausoleum of Jahangir’s son Shah Jahan is located along with River Ravi.
It will need hardly 30 to 40 minutes from the main city Lahore to reach the Tomb of Jahangir.
*it is opened for public form
9 AM TO 7 PM
*No tickets are applied to get entry into the tomb.
16 BALTIT FORT :
It seems like all monuments are just limited to the Punjab and Sindh. But that’s not true. Some of the best monuments are also part of different hill stations located in the Northern areas.
This beautiful different-styled fort is located in Karimabad, of Hunza city. This masterpiece was designed in 8th CE. This was the residence of the Mir of Hunza till 1945.
This Royal fort was architectured based on Tibetian designs. It is lying on the top of mountains and presents the site for getting a beautiful view of the Valley. This fort looks elegant in the snow. Many Hunza people enjoy its beauty.
The tourists who are keen to explore Hunza, they always destined toward it and visit its interiors.
This fort is within walking distance from Karimabad.
*visitors have to visit it from
9 AM TO 7: 30 PM
*it is free for local visitors but government charges 500 rupees from foreigners.
17 NOOR MAHAL :
Pakistan’s land had seen many empires, kingdoms, dynasties, and many estates. One of these estates was The Bahawalpur estate.As different kings had ruled their empires same as the Bahawalpur estate was governed by the Nawabs. Every king and ruler had shown interest in constructing different monuments and palaces in his time of the ruling. The same was the case of Nawabs of Bahawalpur. They created this beautiful palace to show their estate wellness.
This beautiful palace is the living example of handmade Buildings. The Nawab ordered its construction in 1872. It took three years to complete the construction of this beautiful palace. The construction of this beautiful heritage had demanded the expenses of about 1.2 million rupees of that time. This was a really large amount of that era.
Nawab had ordered most of the furniture of this beautiful palace imported from foreign countries like England and Italy. The palace is not only attractive externally through its exteriors but also stuns its visitors interiorly with different elegant designs and paintings.
The Mahal occupies a covered area of about 4,140 square meters which is about 4,460 square feet. The mahal is comprised of 6 verandas and 5 beautiful domes. Two domes on left two corners and two on the right two corners while the fifth one is in the center of the front wall. This big palace has approximately 32 rooms. Few of these rooms are in the basement of the palace.
In 1906, when the era of fifth Nawab Muhammad Bahawal khan came he added a beautiful mosque on the side of this palace. This beautiful mosque had cost 20,000 rupees of that time. Which was not an ordinary amount.
We have seen that mostly old palaces and forts are not in good conditions because of the lack of interest of the government in these historical places. But in 2001, the Pakistani government of that time took a great step and added this beautiful palace in the ‘protected Monument’ of Pakistan. This work was done by Government’s archeology department. And now this place is used as a tourist point.
The mahal had almost all the things and furniture of its great Nawabs. These things include different old military uniforms and the swords of that time, the currency notes of that time, and old gold coins. The mahal has also saved the written forms of the laws made by Nawabs of that time. The Nawabs were also fond of playing pianos this was confirmed by the Old piano present in the Mahal. Nawabs of Bahawalpur had also an interest in paintings and their pictures. This was depicted by the different paintings and designs presented in the long wall of Mahal.
The Mahal is opened for the general public
* visitors can visit it from
9 AM TO 8 PM
Especially its night view is so charming and stunning.
* Foreign visitors have to pay 500 rupees to enter this palace while Pakistanis have to pay 50 rupees as an entry fee.
18: MINAR-E-PAKISTAN :
Pakistan has different monuments which depict the beautiful history of Pakistan.
As our beloved country is the reward of our ancestors’ sacrifices. So for remembrance of their sacrifices so it was designed by the Government of Pakistan. It is a tribute to the real founders of Pakistan.
This beautiful tower is designed at Lahore’s center near the Badshahi Mosque in Greater Iqbal Park which was originally known as Minto park.
This elegant tower is developed at the location where Pakistan Resolution originally ‘Lahore Resolution’ was passed by the politicians of All India Muslim League in Minto park Lahore. This resolution was passed on 23rd March 1940.
So in 1960, the Government of Pakistan decided to lay the foundation of the tower in memory of this history-making resolution.
This tower took 8 years to complete its construction. Its inauguration was held on 21 October 1968.
The government of Pakistan hired an architect from Russia. His name was Nasreddin Murat Khan. He was one of the famous architects of Pakistan. Minar-e-Pakistan was completed in about 7,058, 000 rupees of that time.
Minar-e-Pakistan is designed like a flower. It is 62 meters high in its base. However, the total altitude of this attractive tower is approximately 70 meters. And its diameter measures about 9.75 meters. It looks like the flower because its base is designed like the petals of flower. Each petal has a height of about 9 meters. The whole tower is designed by using white color marbles. The marbles of the petals have written work on them. That written work is the original Words of the Lahore Resolution. It is written in Urdu, English, and Bengali. The text of the Delhi Resolution is also written on petals. This Delhi resolution was held on 9 April 1946. Allah’s 99 names and Quranic verses are also part of these inscriptions. National Anthem was also inscribed along with other inscriptions.
The tower has also provided visitors to climb up by using stairs and elevators to take the panoramic view of beautiful Lahore.
*visitors can visit it according to the timings of Greater Iqbal Park Which are
8 AM TO 9 PM
* for climbing up the tower the Government has imposed a ticket of 50 rupees for local visitors and 300 for foreigners.
Conclusion:
These are the only few sites that we have discussed. Originally Pakistan has a treasure of historical places which are attracting tourists all over the world. I hope this article has increased your curiosity to visit these beautiful monuments of Pakistan. And also helps you guys in enhancing your knowledge about these places. If you like it then kindly share it with your friends and family. Go and explore these beautiful heritages.