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The country is a unity of an infinite variety
of terrains, climates, races, cultures, arts, crafts, fauna and flora. Its
society, though inherently conservative, is hospitable with open arms for
the visitors. All that nature has bestowed upon mankind can be found in
Pakistan: majestic peaks,verdant valleys, magnificent rivers and quiet sandy
beaches
The country possesses a diverse variety of tourist attractions to tempt the visitor. If you move to the North of Pakistan, the sky high mountain ranges beckon you to relax beneath their lofty snow-capped peaks beside calm cool lakes surrounded by fruit-laden orchards. Historians and archaeologists can also track the threads of ancient
history through the world's finest preserved artifacts of the Gandhara
Civilization. Buddhism left apriceless legacy of architecture and sculptures
in the form of stupas, statues, monasteries and numerous rock carvings spread
all over the area.
Come to the South of the country and you will experience the extensive
flat plains of the Indus River, one of the world's great rivers stretching
2,880 km from its source in Tibet to its mouth in the Arabian Sea. The Indus
makes a tortuous journey through the rough mountain ranges of the Himalayas
and Karakorams before emerging onto the Punjab plains where it is joined by
five major tributaries that give their name to Punjab, 'five waters'.Through
the ages, the Indus has been both a source of fertility and a cause of destruction. The Indus Civilization flourished along the Indus sometime between 3,000 and 1,500 BC. Mohan'jo-Daro in Sindh and Harapa in Punjab , wide and narrow streets, a large stategranary, high-class residential quarters and a citadel mound, all capped by the ruins of a 2nd century Buddhist stupa, clearly show the high standards or town planning by theIndus Civilization.The building structure in Mohan'jo Daro is extraordinary. Brickwork is abundant and is a hallmark of Harappan city buildings. The remains of the 'great bath' or Royal Bath (12m x 7m x 3m) show a flight of steps on each side and a beautiful made brick-lined sluice through which the water was drained away. This great bath may have been used for the ritual bathing. The remains at the residential site show that almost every house had a bathroom.The Indus and Harappan people used a pictographic script whose meaning still remains a mystery. Some 3,500 specimens of this scripts survive on stamp seals carved on stone, or represented through molded terracotta. The most interesting feature of the Indus Civilization is the complete absence of any evidence of warfare. No weapons have ever been found, nor evidence of a warrior class. Today, all the archaeological treasures excavated from Mohan-jo-Daro are on display in the museum near the excavated site. There is elegant jewellery,impressive seals with minutely detailed representations of enormous animals,delightful toys and tools, ladies ornaments and a good collection of various figures,including a beautiful dancing girl. Mohan-jo-Daro is easily reached by PIA's daily Boeing and Fokker flight, which takes 50 minutes from Karachi. You can take a day trip from Karachi and return on an early evening flight. For more information and assistance to plan your trip, please contact your nearest PIA office |
Moenjodaro ILLUSTRATION by an ARTIST
Moenjodaro ILLUSTRATION by an ARTIST
Statues that found from the Ruins
A Body that found from the Ruins
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