Towards Pakistan Journal

8/8/2019 Towards Pakistan Journal

1/40


2/40

KISTANS FIRST ONLINE MAGAZINE ON TOURISM

ISSUE 3 V OL U ME 1 APR-JUN 2008

TowardsPakistan

Editorialear Readers,t the very outset let me thank you all for yourontinued support on the very first issue of Towardsakistan. Thanks to all my friends who linked it witheir blogs, sites, Flickr profiles and send their friends via

mail and made it so popular. My special thanks are duefew people like Naureen Bokhari of The Saturday

ost and Raza Rumi of Pak Tea Blog who went ahead inving me special space on their websites. It is

eartening to see an ever increasing list of subscribers

ager to support and encourage us by spreading theood word around.

his issue is a special one and yes a belated one asell, it was supposed to be out by January but asways one man team has issues and hence theeadline was kept pushing back due to the delay inticles and my personal assignments. But yet this issuer me is a special one as it brings forth a bouquet of ticles revealing the less explored areas of our beautifulakistan and thus leading us to places where we rarelyo.

The cover story Folk Sports of Pakistan by MonicaMichele is her experience regarding the most enthralling

olk sports of Pakistan which she photographed andxperienced in the last few months during her stay inakistan. As Towards Pakistan takes you from cities tollages to breathtaking unknown destinations, you willscover some unseen lands. It is a pleasure for any

hotographer to travel to such exotic locations. Theassion takes you there, and that is what Muhammaddeel is taking us to Karomber Lake. Here is a place so

fferent from the rest of lakes from all over Pakistan.

This place offers you a relaxed atmosphere and willelevate you to a new level in capturing the essence of the

place.

Gulraiz Ghouri one of the biggest namesin landscape photography in Pakistan isthe Person in Focus in this issue and weare honored to have his spell boundingimages in this issue which gives thisissue its true colors. Here, he talksabout his spell binding images, hisinspirations to his photography instincts.

Ali Khurshid, one of our whizkphotographers takes us through his melancholic journey of Hunza in winter. Babar Haroon Mangi has written an articleon Old historical buildings of Karachi .

I have no doubt that this issue is a path breaking one andgives Towards Pakistan its true character. It is about morethan just photographs. It is about the places, the gamesand the lives of people living in and going towards exploringthe True Pakistan. I hope that we will continue to explorePakistan and show the world that how beautiful anddifferent Pakistan is as compared to what is shown in theinternational media.

There is always a need for improvement and hence forthat I need your support and feedback as that is what willmake this magazine better. Do provide your feedback [email protected]

Adios!!

- Yasir Nisar

DERAWAR FORT . . . . . . 3

CAMEL RACE & DANCE 8

HIDDEN GEMS OF BWP 12

THE QUEEN S MASJID . 22

UCH S HARIF . . . . . . . . . 26

AAMIR YUNUS . . . . . . 32

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS 37

C OVER P HOTO : AAMIR YUNUS

BHIT S HAH . . . . . . . . 16

OLD BAZARS OF RQP 29

CHOLISTAN J EEP RALLY 39


3/40

FORTS OF PAKISTAN

olistan desert which lies at a distance of

out 100 kms from Bahawalpur is aystic place for many as this barren landntains many untold stories, mysterieshich are hitherto unknown to people andll remain so for centuries to come. A oneze at the Cholistan desert from anyrner shows the miles and miles of barrenterless landscape

story reveals that hundreds of years agore used to be a fertile green valley

hen the historical river Hakra flowedough this region. That is why this area isl known in history as Hakra valley whichwly turned into a desert when the riverkra disappeared under the sands of olistan mysteriously which not alsoected the fertile valley of Hakra whichned into a huge desert.

ue to the disappearance of Hakra River, villages slowly turned into the barren

land and people migrated and finally the life

slowly disappeared from the area. Todaythis desert holds what remains of the richhistory of the area. Derawar fort is one of the most precious jewels this desert has inits heart. Derawar Fort is a large squarefortress which is spread over an area of 16,000 square kms. The forty bastions of Derawar are visible for many miles inCholistan Desert. The walls have acircumference of 1500 meters and standup to thirty meters high.

The fort still stands in the desert with all itsstrength surviving through the centuries.Derawar fort is the identity of the old valleyof Hakra and now cholistan desert. Thefort is the garden of unknown history thegreat walls of the fort must have seen alot of wars and Armys marching through.

6000 years ago conveys starting fromMaloha (now known as Multan) and

Text by Zagham IslamPhotos by Zagham Islam & Yousaf Fayyaz

Derawar Fort:- a missing page from history

Zagham Islam is an enthusiasamateur photographer frRahim Yar Khan currworking in Karachi. Zagloves to explore and his interlies mainly in photographing architecture and wildernessthe lands. He has an expertphotoshop and loves to play images in that.


4/40

arapa Pass through Chotalmoon (now know as Sindh)nd Magan (now know as Makran) use to travel toGYPET and IRAQ. Those convoys must have restednder the great walls of derawar as the fort is right iniddle of Monjodaro and Harapa.

he history of Derawar Fort is still unknown about variousuestions like who build this fort in first place and whouled the fort in early days of its existence. The fortmained in the hands of the royal family of Jaisalmer until

aptured and completely rebuilt by the Nawabs of ahawalpur in 1733. In 1747, the fort slipped from theands of the Abbasis owing to Bahawal Khansreoccupations at Shikarpur. Nawab Mubarak Khan took e stronghold back in 1804. It was ruled by the Abbasi

uler of Bhawalpur. During the Abbasi Rule the fort wastally rebuild with solid walls and a human chain was form

om Uch Sharif to Derawar and the bricks were broughtthe Derawar Fort.

erawar Fort was very important because of its strategiccation. Its location in the middle of the Desert and non

vailability of water made this fort very secure fromrategic point of view. There is a huge water reserve one front side of the fort near its main gate where the rainater from surrounding areas is collected. There was

nother water reserve inside the fort which was built in aery strategic way. If the fort was attacked by outsiders

owards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com


5/40


6/40

There are different sections insidethe fort for army, royal familyand the servants of royal family.In the middle of the fort is ahuge ground having two canonsand around these canons onecan see the peaces of old canonballs made of stone and metalskittered all around the ground.

On the west side of this groundthere are special undergroundrooms for the Ameer of

Bhawalpur there are stairs and railtrack going down from a smallroom on the Ground. Inside theroom there is a cart which usesto move on the track hundredsof feet, inside the ground the cartwas pulled using a metal chain.The Ameer of Bahawalpur usedto rest inside his undergroundquarters during summer in order

to stay away from the scorchinheat of the desert. There arespecial wind shafts from theroom to the top to keep throoms ventilated and they werdesigned in such a way that theunderground rooms were alwaycool even in the scorching heat othe desert.

The Abbasi masque right besidthe fort is beautifully build usinmarble mosque was built by th

Abbasi ruler Nawab Bahawal Khin 1839 is the exact replica of thMoti Mosque Delhi the MosquThe mosque is still used fprayers and comparatively verwell preserved. It gives a newdimension to the age oarchitecture of brick wallDerawar Fort.


7/40

photo: Zagham Islam


8/40

Camel Race and Dance

wards Pakistanw.towardspakistan.com

oming out of the labyrinths of Derawar fortsungeon I checked the time once again to seehen we are heading to the arena where a matchDesi wrestling was scheduled at

pm. Dr Zaheer Sattar (Zeedoc) was sittingmfortably waiting for his IR shot to finish and

agham Islam (Dark Side) and Bashir were admiringe brick work.

nally we moved out the fort while taking a couplemore shots at the entrance when we spotted a

rcle of spectators. It was surely the wrestlingntest that ended in no more then 15 minutes anden we saw people rushing to their vehicles. It was

bvious that camel race was to start someplaceithout an announcement like the desi wrestling. Alle telephone calls by Zegham to the eventanager and information we got from the touristformation desk at the fort led to one conclusionat events would happen at an unknown place and

n-scheduled time around 10 kms away fromerawar Fort. Our team of five rushed to the card we were soon at the tail end of long line of hicles chasing each other in the middle of

owhere of the cholistan desert. It proved to be aild goose chase that ended when we saw

veryone turning in the opposite direction but soone lost the sight of everyone.

fter asking several passersby we arrived at a placehere some event was about to be held. Peopleere gathering there and vehicles were arriving

Text by Kami SyedPhotos by Dr. Zaheer Sattar


9/40wards Pakistan

ww.towardspakistan.com

rom all directions. We stayed their for someminutes until somebody drew a white line with that....... for camel race ??? but where are thecamels? somebody murmured .......... its theinish point :) somebody else murmured in satire !

So we ran towards the car once more to holdposition at a decent spot. Soon a police mobilearrived to inform us to relocate ourselves toanother position as we were told you are standingight in the center of the race trek. Oh we really

are? And hence we moved to another directionollowing the instruction of authorities. We got

shifted like that 3 times until we got to a spot where

we could see camels some 300 yards away.Television camera crew also looked confused abouthe event and direction of the camels race.

We had our cameras ready and knew it is going tobe a few second timeframe to get the shots.Anticipation was building up with all the uncertaintyn the air, which way the camel will run, which way

will we run and how many seconds we will have toescape a camels stampede. Finally the camels took off with a signal of a bell or a whistle? or a gun

shot? who knows as the only sense working at that time wasthe sight and my eye squeezed into the viewfinder.

Finally when the camels were close enough we came to knowthat we were standing right in the mid of the track. The armyof camels was leaping right toward us leaving a dust stormbehind them and a mob of crazy motorcyclist and jeeps werecheering and hooting for their camels and at the same timescaring them off to run faster. The camel jockeys mountedbehind the hump had their hands raised like the wings of an

aeroplane and were kicking and screaming with great energy. Icouldnt hear anything, all I knew I didnt lift my finger up untilthe camels were dangerously close and it was time to retreataside.

The roaring crowed passed leaving a storm of dust behind. Asthe dust settled down we had nothing in sight, just a desertand illusion like feeling that we actually did witness a camel racesomewhere in the Cholistan desert.

We rushed to the finishing point. Reza Gilani spotted usshouting you missed it guys ....... a camel race just finished!. One of us replied, Oh did we? We were there in the mid of the track !!! oh then its us who missed it replied Gilani !


10/40hoto: Dr. Zaheer Sattar


11/40


12/40

wards Pakistanww.towardspakistan.com

oor Mehal is one of the hidden gems of

hawalpur, since not many know about it and itst open to public. It is currently in possession of my and is used as state guest house and forlding state durbars and meetings with foreignlegations. Not being open to public is the reasonhy Noor Mahal is still in perfect shape. Even theerior Victorian furniture is still in great shape.

u can however visit the place if you have an armyative and even then an army personal will followu everywhere in the palace while you are there.

pon entering the palace you still get the aroma of awab rule and the legacy. The construction of Noorlace was undertaken by Nawab Subah Sadiq theurth, who was also known as the Shan Jahan of hawalpur for his passion of constructing beautifulildings. Mr. Hennan; an Englishman who was thete engineer designed the building. Foundation of

oor Palace was laid in 1872. The map and coins of

Noor Mehal The hidden gem in Bahawalpur the state were buried in its foundation as good omen.

Most of the material and furniture was imported fromEngland and Italy and construction of the palace wascompleted in 1875 at a cost of Rs. 1.2 Million. NoorPalace has a covered area of 44,600 square feet. Ithas 32 rooms including 14 in basement, 6 Verandasand 5 domes.

The design encompasses features of Corinthian andIslamic styles of architecture with a tinge of subcontinental style. Corinthian touch is visible in thecolumns, balustrade, pediments and the vaultedceiling of Durbar Hall. The Islamic style is evident in

Text by Usman Ahmad Malik Photos by Yusaf Fayyaz & Usman Ahmad Malik

Usman Is a software engineer byprofession and loves doingphotography and exploring newplaces as a hobby. His majorinterests in photography are Macroand Architectural and loves doingexperimentation in different aspectsof photography.

hoto: Yousaf Fayyaz


13/40


14/40

five domes whereas, the angularptical shapes are a stroke of continent style. Nawab Muhammad

hawal Khan the fifth, added a mosquehe palace in 1906 at the cost of Rs.000. The design is based on thesque of Aitcheson College.

he palace was originally built foridential purposes, according to

mors when the Nawabs Begam camehe palace, she saw a graveyard out of of the windows and decided that she

nt stay here.

1956, When Bahawalpur State wasrged into Pakistan, the building wasen over by the Auqaf department.e palace was leased to Army in 1971o later acquired it in 1997 for a sum

119 million.

he building was later declared aProtected Monument in September01 by the Department of Archeology,vernment of Pakistan.

: Usman Ahmed Malik photo: Usman Ahmed Malik

photo: Usman Ahmed Malik

photo: Usman Ahmed Malik


15/40


16/40

BHIT SHAH

alk not with your feet, yet t sit quite content,

alk with your heart, that journey may soon end.

(Bhitai)

ysticism has always been a partSindhs strong cultural

ritage, in other words Sindhisown as the Land of the Saints.

mong these saints is Shahdul Latif Bhittai.

he Symphonies of

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai was knownto be among the greatest sufi poetsof all times. He not only preachedSufism to people but gave themlessons in humanity too. Born in1689 CE and raised in one of thewell off families of Sindh, Shah wasalways inclined towards God andthis was the reason that in his lastdays he abandoned all his materialwealth and chose to stay at BhitShah which eventually became hisfinal resting place.

Shah poetry and Surs were knowto be impressionist, many whwander took spiritual guidancthrough his poetry. If one looks atShahs poetry one can see that thepoet was heavily influenced by th

teachings of the Holy Quran. Apafrom writing inspirational poetShah also incorporated grearomances of the history like Sassi Punnhu and Sohni Mahiwal in hwork. Situated at about 32 miles north ofHyderabad and 2 miles east of the

Text by Zohra A. Allana

pooZo

aAAana


17/40

ational Highway in the Hala TalukaHyderabad District Bhit Shah is the

ace if one wants to experiencefism in its true colors. Once you


reach there, on the outside steps of the shrine you see many stalls whichsell Ajraks (Traditional SindhiShawls) along with ornaments andflower petals. These things are

bought by visitors and toffered at the shrine to shorespect for the saint.

The Entrance gate welcoyou with open arms. surface of the Entrance framed with calligrainscription. It is also ri

decorated with composite tiof floral motifs. As one stepsfurther, one observes that thshrine is composed of two melements used in the IslamArchitecture, i.e. Calligraand Arabesque. It is msurprising that none of the tiare from the nearby tile makicentre, Hala. The tileinstead brought from Na

and Multan which is appfrom the floral characteriand rich in blue pigmentatiHowever tiles from Hala yellow and red tint too. Italso interesting to see combination of all kind of work ranging from glazed tto mosaic work, Calligraphywonderful jhalis.

The courtyard is spacious. Smusic players are found to playing tremendous sufi tuon Sitars in the inner courtyaSufi music is played everydaythe year here. The music is moving that it can transceone above daily life. Thmagicians only play Sbhitais Surs.

You are the Beloved, yoare the physician, you alone are painmedicine, within me are arches oinnumerable kinds, Lord! heal thou my afflictedmind. (Bhitai)


18/40wards Pakistan

ww.towardspakistan.com

The powBhitais poetry can be felthe music they play. Thowho are unfamiliar with local language can aenjoy the music. They sifrom the depths of thhearts make the listenfloat between the lengand breadth of sereni

These devoted musicare a tourist attraction anthey indisputably are one the best sufi music player In the inner courtyard onone can see the mosaic tiwork on the walls alwith the blue glazed ti

Devotees who come to phomage would sit dothere to enjoy the music lay down to rest. This isplace that has surpassed aformalities. As one steps into immediate boundary of tmausoleum where grave of Shah Abdul L

Bhitai is situated one fiout the beautiful crown asheadstone placed on it. Fsome perhaps this is tbest display of art in whole shrine. The gralies in a beautifully carwooden chamber. One csee many devotees hepraying and paying respeand offering

petals. This however more of a social cultural ritual than of Islamic origin. The shrinethe best place to obserthe simple nature and riin Sindhi culture attire the people. It might besurprise for tourists to sa totally oppoatmosphere here

photo:Farock


19/40


mpared to the urbanestyle of Pakistan. Thisll not only be a journeya shrine but also to thest which for the localople is still present.

he inner surface of theme is also decoratedth floral motifs rich inany colours. The Archespporting the dome arenamented with splendidosaic works made of rrors is another touristraction.

he beautiful aura of theace is a mixture of rious influences of themous Sindhdynasties.The shrine was builtitially by the Kalhoras photo: Zohra A. Allana


20/40

and was later maintained abeautified by the Talpur Mirs. Tbeautiful blue glazed tile mosqadjacent to it enhances the beautof the place. Apart from visiting the shrthe tourist can also check out BhShah cultural centre which ahas an auditorium, a library and museum dedicated to the sainthese landmarks are situated the same village. Also, on main highway there is a ShAbdul Latif Memorial Cwhere there is a vast treasure othe Shahs poetry and teachings. Faith has no boundaries, Faith hno color. Interestingly believare seen to be tying ribbons othe Mannat Trees. This accoto them will fulfill their wisPeople are also found to distributing sweets here. Whatever the believers believe now, Shah Abdul Latif Bhipursuit was mere eternal truth. Where shall I take my camel, All is light...Inside there is Kak, mountain and valley, The lord and the Lord: there is nothing but the Lord.

(Bhi


21/40

Zohra A. Allana

Zohra works for the Affairs programming of and is a hobbist photogra

Flickr Name:Zo~Flickr Address:

http://www.flickr.com/phoPhotos Contributed by:

Wajiha MahmoodFlickr name : Blue dreamFlickr Address:w w w. f l i c k r . c o m / p hbluedreamsonly

Muhammad Muzzamil ah

Flickr Name: SOUL MAK

Abdul QadirFlickr name: ~FurSidFlickr Address:http://flickr.com/photos/fu


Although the architectureShah Abdul Latif Bhshrine is of diffeinfluences; the aura created mainly by devotees and the sufi muplayers which makes place a glorious excepti

This is a must visit for aesthetics of a Sindhi cSufi culture.


22/40ards Pakistan

w.towardspakistan.com

was precisely 12 o clock on a crispny afternoon of December 30th, 2006

I walked through the gate of thisgnificent Mughal edifice for the firste. As I stepped into the emptyrtyard of the mosque, I was takenck by the unsurpassing calmness andnse of serenity that pervaded every

ner of this house of worship. Inside, theosphere was of sharp contrast to thetle and bustle of the old cityounding this ancient mosque.

yam Zamani Mosque is among thertliest Mughal monuments and theiest extant Mughal mosque in Lahore.its name suggests, it was built by

peror Jahangirs mother, who carriedtitle of Maryam-uz-Zamani or Mary of

Age. Maryam-uz-Zamani was

Photos by Nauman KhawajaText by Reza NoorTHE QUEENS MASJID

daughter of the famous Raja of Amber, BihariMal, and sister of Raja Bhagwant Das, whowas a grandee at Akbars court. Tuckedaway across the road from the easternfortification of Shahi Qila (Lahore Fort), themosque was completed in the year 1023 AH(approximately 1614 AD), about three yearsafter the death of Maryam-uz-Zamani.

Through its history, the mosque has cometo be known by a number of other namesincluding Begam Shahi Masjid (Royal LadysMosque) and Barudkhana wali Masjid(Gunpowder Mosque).

Although, easily approachable from thestreet opposite Akbari Gateway of the fort, Itook a much more interesting route to it byentering the old city from the Kashmiri Gateand walking the streets in front of KhushalSingh and Teja Singh Havelis before making

my way over to this remarkamosque. The lofty aiwan gateway, the mosques north entrance, providaccess to the courtyard (128' x 82'), few feet below the adjacent road levOnce boasting three lofty entrances (onorth, south and east facades), thmosque today is hemmed in by laconstructions, almost entirely concealithis jewel like edifice.

This mosque is well known for its doudomes with which the prayer chambis crowned, and the exquisite frespaintings on its interior surface. Tmosque covers an area of 135 feet b127 feet. Constructed of brick masonand rendered with plaster, it is a massivstructure representing a transitionphase of architecture between the Lod


23/40


d the Mughal periods. This mosque isd to have been the inspiration for the

mous Wazir Khan Mosque, also inhore.

pent at most about 15 minutes at thesque taking photographs and admiringskill of craftsmen who painstakingly

ish its interior with beautiful frescos andometrical patterns. I wished that Iuld have stayed longer butortunately, I was on a whirlwind tour of torical attractions in Lahore and did notve time to spend more than 15-20nutes at each attraction.

e courtyard was originally enclosed byisters consisting of rows of rooms onnorth and south, some portions of

ich still exist. On the eastern edge along

the gate is a platform, on which stands anenclosure consisting of an octagonaldomed tomb and some other moderngraves.

The courtyard must have been pavedwith brick tiles in usual Mughal fashion, butit has now been completely re-laid inmodern marble tiles. Similar staircases onthe northeast and southeast corners ledto the roof of the rooms but only tracesof them remain. The main prayer hall of the mosque is an oblong structuremeasuring internally 130 feet from southto north and 34 feet from eat to west.High domes sit atop its five compartmentswhich are divided by heavy engagedarches supported by massive jambs. Thecentral double dome is the highest of thefive, placed on a high, round neck (11

feet 1 inch). The double dome consists otwo shells, the inner one being of stuccoA wooden frame connects the two shelfor reinforcement. The outer shell (3 feet inches thick) has a small arched openinto the west. The front openings of thchambers, five in number, possess foucentral arches, the central one being thehighest, with a high parapet and projected frame. The whole outer surfacof the front has been treated with thiclime plaster, creating decorative archepanels in recess.

Inside the prayer chamber, there is a seriesof high, deep arched recesses set in all fivcompartments on the west. The centramihrab has an engrailed arch treatespecially with profuse stucco ornamenwhich are geometric, floral, a


24/40

riptional. The half-domed niche of the central arched openinghe mihrab has been filled with low stalactites.

he four corners of the prayer chamber are placed small,are pavilions (6 feet 10 inches) with four arched openingsounded by cupolas placed on octagonal drums. Originally,upolas were crowned with a low cresting and finials, like thebigger domes over the main prayer chamber.

mosque stands out for its unique fresco decoration, withch the whole interior surface of the prayer chamber is replete.paintings are unrivalled for their delicacy, liveliness, perfectionechnique, and variety of subject. The endless variety of metric, floral, and inscriptional designs spread over the interior

ace in a subtle colour scheme is not seen elsewhere. Theace has been divided into various panels of different shapesdimensions according to the space available, and all thets, niches, squinches, arches, dome interiors, and apex arered with these paintings.

squinches have been provided with low stalactites paintedsmall flower twigs, while the adjoining areas are divided intoed panels which have bold interwoven floral patterns. Somehe borders of the panels have geometric schemes of

oration. The patterns have been mainly created by carvinghtly incised lines in white. The interior of the dome has similarly

been divided into honeycombed geometric patterns, filled withdelicate floral tracery. The small space in between is filledelegantly with stars which bear some of the attributes of Allahdone in Naskh characters.

The superb combination of colours is also noteworthy. Shadesof green, ochre, red, blue, yellow, and black have been usedwith subtlety. The mosque possesses several inscriptions, bothQuranic and non-Quranic, executed exclusively in plaster in highand bold relief, a characteristic first met with here among thehistoric Mughal monuments of Lahore. The inscription over theentrance gate is in Nastaliq characters, and that on the facade of the prayer chamber is in Naskh-Suls.

As Mughal power in Lahore dwindled, and the city came to beruled by the Sikhs, the mosque remained abandoned for sometime until Ranjit Singh came to power and appropriated it intogovernment property, utilizing it as a gunpowder factory. It wasbecause of this, the mosque became known as Barudkhana WaliMasjid. It was not until 1850 that the mosque was restored tothe Muslims of Lahore who were able to rehabilitate it with theircontributions.

To this day, I am still perplexed by the thought that having livedin Lahore for so many years, why I hadnt heard of this statelypearl before. Though, it seems to be happening a lot recently as

p h o

t o :

R e z a

N o o r


25/40

I am now realizing that when I lived in Lahore, I did not reallytake the time or make an effort to admire the beauty andhistory around me. Let this be my advice to those who readthis: if you take nothing else from this article just rememberto take some time out of your busy lives and enjoy thebeauty and hisory that surrounds you, and do whateverpart you can to preserve them for the world and our futuregenerations. So, take your camera, or your canvas, or thatwriting pad and go out and regale the world with theuniqueness of your land.

Reza Noor is originally from Lahore butcurrently living in Edmonton, Canada.Presently, he is in medical school but apartfrom medicine, he has a deep interest inhistory and particularly the history of mybirth city of Lahore. He has working over

gathering historcial information aboutvarious historical sites and buildings inLahore and has already has a website forthat purpose.

Nauman Khawaja is a self employed amatephotographer from Lahore. He started seriouphotography about 2 years back after beinpersuaded by my old friend Naeem Rash(also an active Flickr member). His minterests include nature, architectural anstreet photography and he uses a Nikon D-5with Nikkor 18~200 mm VR, Nikkor 70~3mm and Sigma 10~20 mm lenses.


26/40Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

UCH SHARIF TEXT & PHOTOS BY ENGINEER JUNAID RASHID

u choose to visit some destinations but sometinations choose you to be the visitor. This is well

plied to the historically unparalleled city of Uch sharif.s ancient city is located 75 Km west of Bahawalpur, on

joining of Chenab and Indus River near Punjnad. They way to reach the city is probably to reach Ahmedr (East) where public transport for Uch is available.

h is considered to be a very old town. It is believedt the city was founded in 500 BC. Some historiansieve that Uch was there even before the advent of

kramjit when Jains and Buddhists ruled over the area.the time of invasion by Alexander the Great, Uch was

der Hindu rule. Some historians believe that MithankotChacharan Sharif was the settlement of Alexandrianded by Alexander the Great, while others name Uch.

h is also known as Alexandria at the Head of thenjab or Askalanda. It was an important center indieval India, as an early stronghold of the Delhitanate in the 13th century Muslim invasion of India. In

0, Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the city and duringMuslim period Uch was one of the centers of Islamic

dies of South Asia.

he city is located at a height as compared to therounding topography hence the name Uch, which isd to refer to such a place by locals. Many other

mes and myths about the city exist. Uch has attractedhuge number of Sufi saints since 13 th centaury AD.e graves and tombs of many of saints exist in Uch atsent. Some of the relatively less visited sites in Uch


27/40

owards Pakistanww.towardspakistan.com

the tombs of Musa Pak shaheed, Sadr ud Din Rajanal, Salah ud Din abu Hanifa and Hazrat Jahaniyanangast. The famous shrines of Bibi Jiwandi, Hazrat Baha Haleem and Ustad Nuria are the main attraction of the

y. All these three tombs are situated close to each other,a part of Uch known as Uch Bukhari. The other portion of

y is called Uch Gilani. Masijd ul Hajaat and the mosqueacent to the tomb of BahaAlHaleem are some of the

well known mosques of the city. In fact, these tombs,mosques and graveyards cover a significantly huge areaof the city.

The main and famous 3 shrines were damaged by floodin Chenab River. The tombs of aha Al-Haleem and UstadNuria are badly destroyed. However, half of the tomb of Bibi Jiwandi remains and gives a full look when viewed


28/40

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

from east. The sight of all thesbuildings still grabs the attentioof the viewer. Another threposed to these tombs is thvisitors and residents, causinharm to the monuments. Havina look at the graves in tgraveyard nearby reveals thstory itself. Devotees consider an honor for them to have brick from the tomb in their owgrave. To them, its a way associating themselves with thehonorable saint. Though trestoration techniques arensophisticated in Pakistan, let msay that I have seen the hugamount of effort done here bGovernment (and I was a bsurprised and happy)...Uch unlike any other city, its differen

Various attempts are being madby different institutes aorganization for the restoration othese monuments. Differesenior architects from CRC aNCA have worked over thmonuments and proposarchitectural plans of restoratioElderly people of the area whave seen the tomb is sombetter shape than toda

Moreover, National ArcheologDepartment declared themonuments as NatioHeritage. This did not stoppthese monuments from fallinbut a watchman was given in mi80s who stays there and lookafter these buildings. As Uch isfar flung place, only a fofficials visit this place because lack of facilities and intereDifferent other monuments the area which lie undMehkama-e-Oqaf and are much better shape than thesones. Those include Jalal-ud-dBukhari, Jahaniya Jahan GhaRajan Qattal and some othSufias of the area.


29/40

Old Bazars of RawalpindiText & Photos by Imran Maskeen

R awalpindi is also known as Pindi orthe city or rains. It is located in Punjab(the province of Pakistan), 275km fromLahore and 177Km from Peshawar, with thepopulation of over 2 million people.

Lets share the brief history of the city first. In1847 British Army took the control of the cityfrom Sikhs when it was prominent because of the trade. They have used it as a cantonment.

1947 city has been given the same privilegeas Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force haschosen it for there Head Quarters. Over theyears, Rawalpindi has retained its traditionalflavour.

However some modern residential areas and

Imran Maskeen is an InteAuditor by profession andbeen doing Photograhy sFeb 2007 and uses Cambody 30D with few lenses. Han Art loving, creative, posand loves to explore the wby travelling lonely.


30/40

buildings have come up all over thtown since the creation of PakistanPakistans new capital, Islamabadbeing the twin city of Rawalpindequally shares the samarchaeological and histobackground.

Pindi is still famous for trade as th

fourth largest city of Pakistan. Thbazaars (Market) of the old cioffer exciting bargains in RaBazaar, Moti Bazaar, Narank(known as Nankari Bazaar), UrdBazaar, Bara Bazaar, Kashmir Bazaand Sarafa Bazaar.Every market has its own specialitas Raja Bazaar (named after thelocal Raja). Bazaar offers million products to thousands peopleFurther on this Bazaar is divideinto different small markets whicare famous for particular item likgarments, house hold item


31/40

ditional caps, Embroidery, Electronicms, Music cassettes or CDs and nowe to the busy business streets it alsofers Money Exchange facility in theart of Pinid.

ne can feel like a wish came true, justme an item and you would find a hugeriety of it in this bazaar. Multi trade is

sted by Raja bazaar at the same time.very well known Lahori Samosaouse is located in Raja Bazaar and ismous for his taste. Its hard to forgets shop when you are in Bazaar.

ow come to Moti Bazaar. Some peopley it was named after a Hindu, Moti Lal.eciality of this Bazaar is that it has huge

nge of ladies favourite stuff, whichcludes cosmetics, jewellery, and Bridleesses like Ghaghra, Lehnga, Sharaara,

halwar kameez and Sahri. A famousop Mohsin Sons offers very elegantidle dresses with different styles of mbroidery. Popular Dahi Bhalay is also ary old shop in Moti bazaar.

hese two businesses (Mohsin Sons andpular Dahi Bhallay) are still famous andually popular as they were 30yrs back.hree generations have been served byese well known businesses.


32/40

ts talk about Narankar ornkari Bazaar. It is nameder the word of worship

Narankar. It is the name of olesale market actually a

ggest in the city. One can getces and other householdms.rther division of Bazaar in

eries where each artery ismous for a specified item liketon and bed covers can berchased form Namak Mandi,ces in Daalgran Bazzar andon.

du Bazaar, a name dedicatedbooks and stationary items

almost whole country.llabus books, literature,vels or printing, every thing

can be found here at reasonableprices. A part from that one canalso find Mehdi decorationitems.

Bara Bazaar, where importeditems attracts everyone.Imported bicycles, cloths,crockery, cosmetics and

electronic items are availablehere at different rates. This isone of the crowded and busiestbazaars in the city.

These bazaars get busy afteroffice hours and every buildingor wall will be used for businesspurpose. Famous Trade markswill be seen giving shelter tolocal sellers.


33/40

by Eng. Junaid Rashid

PERSON IN FOCUS

Through The Lens

We at PPG are proud of having some of the most giftedhotographers that Pakistan has produced as yet. Thesemateurs are producing excellent work and their images speak

olumes for the excellence they have achieved in photography.amir Younus is one of those few individuals who is self taughtnd has a passion for photography. He loves to experimentfferent forms of photography and his portfolio depicts the

xcellence and enthusiasm that he has developed that naturallyads to success.

AAMIR YUNUS

gineer J: Your location, education, occupation,veling etc?

I am located in Arizona, USA for last 18 years. I am aftware Engineer working for Intel Corp. for last 9 years.ou can call me Engineer A). I received my Masters inmputer Science from ASU; however I did study for four

mesters at NED Engr. University Karachi.

EJ: How you define Photography?

Being an engineer I can give you my geeky definition.Photography is how you tame the light by reflecting it,bouncing it, refracting it though the lens and making iteternal.

EJ: Why do you like to photograph?


34/40

ve to travel with my family (mye and son) and we all take oureras on every trip. Most of the

kr pictures that you see in myam are from our vacation trips.wever if I do come across autiful sunset, landscape, insect ormal in cage, I try to capture it.

Interests/hobbies other thantography?

veling and visiting places and thats really well with my photographyby. Before it used to betography for travel, but lately it isbecome the other way round (I

traveling more to taketographs.) We are planning a

w York trip, so expect somescrapers shots soon.


EJ: How long you have been doingphotography? When did you joinflickr?

Twenty years back, my dad gave mehis Aries 35mm camera and exposuremeter. I used to carry that around allthe time; however my photos werevery ordinary. I think I have improveda lot by going digital. I bought myfirst DSLR in 2006, so you can say Ihave been doing photography for two

years. I joined flickr last year toshare photos with my parents back inPakistan. To my surprise I startedgetting comments and made somegreat friends all around the world.

EJ: Your comments on Digital vs.Film media?

In 1993 I worked on a project forMotorola in which I used a videocamera attached to a PCs video


35/40


capture card to take photos of people registering in adatabase. At that time there were no digital cameras.Looking at the quality of those photos, I thought that in

future we would take our memory chip instead of film toget it developed. Today it is very close to what I thoughtat that time. The only difference it that we dont have todevelop digital photos, we can share them digitally.

Without digital, there would be no PPG, no flickr. Digitalphotography has made the learning curve less steeper.You can take hundreds of shots and immediately look atthe EXIF data to find out what works the best in particularsituation. You can do 6fps without caring that you have topay for the film. You can do miracles with photoshop.

Today half of your work is image capture and the other

half is processing in digital darkroom.

EJ: What are subjects/themes presented in yourphotographic work?

I like some kind of challenge in photography. It can be of capturing a flying eagle, butterfly flapping its wings, adifficult long exposure or a high speed shot. If I amtaking a macro of an insect I desire to have details of every hair on the body. (It doesnt mean that I get thoseall the time.)


36/40


37/40

At the end of my contract inIslamabad I had a couple of weeks left on my visa so Istponed my flight back to

witzerland and decided to visitmritsar and Lahore

My first Impressions obefore heading back home. Takingthe Deewoo Bus from Islamabad toLahore, I grabbed a Taxi when Iarrived and drove directly to theborder between Pakistan and India,in order to cross to Amritsar.

After spending two days in Amritsarvisiting the Golden Temple andvarious other sites, I crossed back into Pakistan and watched theimpressive border crossingceremony and finally headed toLahore. There I hooked up with apakistani friend, who let me crashat his families place. We visited thecity together and I was blown awayby lahore. Having spent most of thelast four month in Islamabad, whichI would describe as sterile becauseit's a planned from A to Z (from Eto J to be exact. Foreigners: check out city map, you'll understand),being in Lahore felt like being in areal and living city again. Bustlingmarkets, culture, museums, history,people and last but not least: Great

Text & photos by Charles J-R

Charles J-R is a student of political sciencin Switzerland and came to Pakistan to gea first hand impression of the presidentiaand parliamentary elections in ainternship in Islamabad. He visited feplaces in Pakistan and gives his firimpressions about them.


38/40

Food! The first question oneasked after visiting Lahore generally: Have you been coocoos? The food, view... Awesome!

My friend informed me, thacouple of his friends whabout to go on a road trip Cholistan to visit friends relatives. We happily taggalong. The longer traveled, the more the Punjago greener and greener, thlandscape was filled with lfields. Continuing our dslowly the earthy colors gaway to sand and everythigreen seemed to disappeaWe continued through

desert until we arrived atsmall village, which settled next to an old ahuge fort. We were warmgreeted and shown arounUnfortunately, the magnificfort in this remote place is nbeing restored or even kept shape. We spent the necouple of days there, checkiout the surroundings, talkiand meeting people, drinkilots of tee.

Unfortunately my visa about to expire so I had rush back to Islamabad,allowed myself a quick stopBahawalpur though, to catmy flight back home. But overall experience of visi

various areas of Pakistan w just too good.


39/40

listan Jeep Rally is a grand stepad in providing youngsters the

adventure of the sports in al and better way. In the forth

TDCP has grown leaps andnds as far as the managementthe Jeep rally in Cholistan iscerned. Been one of the biggestor sports event held in Pakistantracts not only drivers and off ers from all over the countryalso opens the desert in its

inity to its visitors and the eventtaken such a pace that placesDerawar have now become a

sehold word mainly due to anting event in a lone desert.

he beautiful Cholistan desertes alive with the hosts of

vities been done over there. Itonly opens door for thestanis to witness the raw beautydesert that is there but alsomotes those areas which aretraveled by many. Been witnesshe previous Jeep Rally, I haveer found such vigor and vitalityeen found this time. It may be

ause of the very fact that it wash better managed and arrangedke last years, thousands of

Cholsitan Jeep Rally 2008

people thronged the Bahawalpur city daysbefore the event. The whole city wasablaze with jeeps and tourists from allover Pakistan.

The trial session was held in the dryriverbed of Satlug River which was greatas it involved the checking of fourwheelers before the final session. The finalsessions were held in the heart of Cholistan desert near Derawar Fort.

Besides the Jeep Rally a lot of othfestivities were also held including CamRace, Camel Dance, Dangal for Rustame-Cholistan and fireworks display froDerawar Fort at night. A traditiomusical program was also arranged the background of Derawar Fort whilasted the whole night before the JeeRally.

Jeep Rally was adventurous and fu


40/40

Towards Pakistan Journal

Documents