Misplaced Pages

Multan ملتان
Metropolis
MultanLocation in Pakistan
Coordinates: 30°11′52″N 71°28′11″E / 30.19778°N 71.46972°E / 30.19778; 71.46972
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
Division	Multan
District	Multan
Autonomous towns	6
Union council	4
Government
• Type	Metropolitan Corporation
• Mayor	None (Vacant)
• Deputy Mayor	None (Vacant)
Area
• City	3,721 km (1,437 sq mi)
• Metro	560 km (220 sq mi)
Population
• City	1,827,001
• Density	490/km (1,300/sq mi)
Area code	061
Website	www.mda.gop.pk multan.punjab.gov.pk

Multan (Saraiki / Urdu: مُلْتَان; local pronunciation: [mɵlˈtäːnᵊ] ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, located on the bank of river Chenab. It is one of the five largest urban centres of Pakistan in 2024 and is the administrative centre of Multan Division. It is a major cultural, religious and economic centre of Punjab region, Multan is one of the oldest cities of Asia with a history stretching deep into antiquity.

Multan was part of the Achaemenid Empire of Iran in the early 6th century BC. The ancient city was besieged by Alexander the Great during the Mallian Campaign. Later it was conquered by the Umayyad military commander Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE after the conquest of Sindh. In 9th century it became a separate state, Emirate of Multan ruled by the Arab rulers. The region came under the rule of the Ghaznavids and the Mamluk Sultanate in medieval period. In 1445, it became capital of the Langah Sultanate. Multan province was one of the significant provinces of the Mughal Empire. In 1848, it was conquered by the British from Sikh Empire and became part of British Punjab.

The city was among the most important trading centres and a great centre of knowledge and learning in the medieval Islamic Indian subcontinent, and attracted a multitude of Sufi mystics in the 11th and 12th centuries, becoming a great centre of spirituality in entire South Asia and earning the city the sobriquet "City of Saints." The city, along with the nearby city of Uch, is renowned for its large number of Sufi shrines dating from that era.

Etymology

The origin of Multan's name is unclear. An ancient known name of the city was Malli-istan; Malli was the name of a tribe that inhabited the region and city. The city name may have been derived from the deity of ancient Multan Sun Temple. Some have suggested the name derives from the Old Persian word mulastāna, 'frontier land', while others have ascribed its origin to the Sanskrit word mūlasthāna,

History

Origin

The region around Multan is home to several archaeological sites dating to the Early Harappan period of the Indus Valley civilization between 3000 BC until 2800 BC. According to the Hindu religious texts, Multan was founded by the sage Kashyapa. These texts also assert that Multan was the capital of the Trigarta Kingdom ruled by the Katoch dynasty during the Kurukshetra War that is central to the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata. The city was visited by Greek admiral Skylax, who passed through the area in 515 BCE. The city was also mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus in 400 BC.

Greek Invasion

Multan is believed to have been the Malli capital that was conquered by Alexander the Great in 326 BCE as part of the Mallian Campaign. The Mallian people, together with nearby tribes, gathered an army of 90,000 personnel to fight against an army of 50,000 Greeks. This was the largest army faced by Greeks in the entire subcontinent. During the siege of the city's citadel, Alexander reputedly leaped into the inner area of the citadel, where he faced the Mallian leader. Alexander was wounded by an arrow that had penetrated his lung, leaving him severely injured. After a fierce battle at the site of 'Khooni Burj' the Mallian army eventually surrendered, preventing further bloodshed. During Alexander's era, Multan was located on an island in the Ravi river, which has since shifted course numerous times throughout the centuries.

In the mid-5th century CE, the city was attacked by White Huns, a group of Barbarian Hephthalite nomads led by Toramana. After a fierce fight they conquered Multan, but did not stay long.

By the mid 7th century CE, Multan was conquered by Chach of Alor, of the Hindu Rai dynasty. Chach appointed a thakur to govern from Multan, and used his army to settle boundary disputes with Kashmir.

Islamic conquest

Multan was first invaded by a Muslim army after the reign of the caliph Ali, in 664 CE, when Mohalib, an Arab general, occupied the city. The expedition, however, seems to have been directed towards exploration of the country as no attempt was apparently made to retain the conquest. After his conquest of Sindh, Muhammad ibn Qasim in 712 CE captured Multan from Raja Dahir following a two-month siege. Following ibn Qasim's conquest, the city's Subjects remained mostly non-Muslim for the next few decades under the Umayyad Caliphate.

Emirate of Multan (9th and 10th century)

In the 10th century, the Bhati Rajput rulers near Multan as well as the Muslim Emir of Multan were eager to assist Jayapala, the Hindu Shahi ruler of Afghanistan, because of the slave incursions into their territories by the rulers of Ghazni. However, Jayapala was unable to conquer Ghazni, and the alliance he had formed quickly fell apart.

Abbasid Emirate

By the mid-800s, the Banu Munabbih (855–959) also known as the Banu Sama, who claimed descent from Muhammad's Quraysh tribe came to rule Multan, and established the Emirate of Banu Munabbih, which ruled for the next century.

During this era, the Multan Sun Temple was noted by the 10th century Arab geographer Al-Muqaddasi to have been located in a most populous part of the city. The Hindu temple was noted to have accrued the Muslim rulers large tax revenues, by some accounts up to 30% of the state's revenues. During this time, the city's Arabic nickname was Faraj Bayt al-Dhahab, ("Frontier House of Gold"), reflecting the importance of the temple to the city's economy.

The 10th century Arab historian Al-Masudi noted Multan as the city where Central Asian caravans from Islamic Khorasan would assemble. The 10th century Persian geographer Estakhri visited the area. At the time Mansura( the capital of Sindh) along with Multan were the only two major Arab principalities in South Asia. Arabic was spoken in both cities, though the inhabitants of Multan were reported by Estakhri to also have been speakers of Persian, reflecting the importance of trade with Khorasan. Polyglossia rendered Multani merchants culturally well-suited for trade with the Islamic world.

The 10th century Hudud al-'Alam notes that Multan's rulers were also in control of Lahore, though that city was then lost to the Hindu Shahi. During the 10th century, Multan's rulers resided at a camp outside of the city named Jandrawār, and would enter Multan once a week on the back of an elephant for Friday prayers.

Ismaili Emirate

Multan became capital of Emirate of Multan in 855. Al Masudi of Baghdad who visited Indus valley in 915 A.D mentioned in his book "Meadows of Gold" that it is one of the strongest frontier places of Muslims and in its neighbourhood there are a hundred and twenty thousand towns and villages".

By the mid 10th century, Multan had come under the influence of the Qarmatian Ismailis. The Qarmatians had been expelled from Egypt and Iraq following their defeat at the hands of the Abbasids there. Qarmatians zealots had famously sacked Mecca, and outraged the Muslim world with their theft and ransom of the Kaaba's Black Stone, and desecration of the Zamzam Well with corpses during the Hajj season of 930 CE.

The governor of Jhang, Umar bin Hafas, was a clandestine supporter of the Fatimid movement and the Batiniya influence spread in Southern Punjab. Then, the Qarmatians who had established contacts with the Fatimids in Egypt set up an independent dynasty in Multan and ruled the surrounding areas.

They wrested control of the city from the pro-Abbasid Amirate of Banu Munabbih, and established the Emirate of Multan, while pledging allegiance to the Ismaili Fatimid Dynasty based in Cairo. During this period, Uch and Multan remained a central pilgrimage site for Vaishnavite and Surya devotees, and their admixture with Isma’īlīsm created the Satpanth tradition. Hence, the beginning of the eleventh century witnessed a sacral and political diversity in Uch that was both unique and precarious. The Qarmatian Ismailis opposed Hindu pilgrims worshipping the sun, and destroyed the Sun Temple and smashed its revered Aditya idol in the late 10th century. The Qarmatians built an Ismaili congregational mosque above the ruins to replace the city's Sunni congregational mosque that had been established by the city's early rulers.

11th-16th century CE

Ghaznavid dynasty

Mahmud of Ghazni in 1005 led an expedition against Multan's Qarmatian ruler Abul Fateh Daud. The city was surrendered, and Fateh Daud was permitted to retain control over the city with the condition that he adhere to Sunnism. In 1007, Mahmud led another expedition to Multan against his former minister and Hindu convert, Niwasa Khan, who had renounced Islam and attempted to establish control of the region in collusion with Abul Fateh Daud of Multan.

In 1010, Mahmud led his third and punitive expedition against Daud to depose and imprison him, and suppressed Ismailism in favour of the Sunni creed. He destroyed the Ismaili congregational mosque that had been built above the ruins of the Multan Sun Temple, and restored the city's old Sunni congregational mosque, built by Muhammad bin Qasim.

The 11th century scholar Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi reported that the Ismaili community was still living in the city. Following the Ghaznavid invasion of Multan, the local Ismaili community split, with one faction aligning themselves with the Druze religion, which today survives in Lebanon, Syria, and the Golan Heights. Following Mahmud's death in 1030, Multan regained its independence from the Ghaznavid empire and came under the sway of Ismaili rule once again. Shah Gardez, who came to Multan in 1088, is said to have contributed in the restoration of the city.

By the early 1100s, Multan was described by the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi as being a "large city" commanded by a citadel that was surrounded by a moat. In the early 12th century, Multani poet Abdul Rahman penned the Sandesh Rasak, the only known Muslim work in the medieval Apabhraṃśa language.

Ghurid dynasty

In 1175, Muhammad Ghori conquered Ismaili-ruled Multan, after having invaded the region via the Gomal Pass from Afghanistan into Punjab, and used the city as a springboard for his unsuccessful campaign into Gujarat in 1178. Multan was then annexed to the Ghurid Sultanate, and became an administrative province of the Mamluk Dynasty — the first dynasty based in Delhi. Multan's Ismaili community rose up in an unsuccessful rebellion against the Ghaurids later in 1175.

Mamluk dynasty

Following the death of the first Mumluk Sultan, Qutb al-Din Aibak in 1210, Multan came under the rule of Nasiruddin Qabacha, who in 1222, successfully repulsed an attempted invasion by Sultan Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu of the Khwarazmian Empire, whose origins were rooted in Konye-Urgench in modern-day Turkmenistan. Uch and Sindh were also in control of Qabacha.

Qabacha also captured Lahore many times and ruled all these regions. He repulsed a 40-day siege imposed on Multan city by Mongol forces who attempted to conquer the city. He gathered a large army from Uch, Multan and Bukkhar (Sukkur) and Mongols were repulsed.

Following Qabacha's death that same year, the Turkic king Iltutmish, the third Sultan of the Mamluk dynasty, captured and then annexed Multan in an expedition. The Punjabi poet Baba Farid was born in the village of Khatwal near Multan in the 1200s.

Qarlughids attempted to invade Multan in 1236, while the Mongols tried to capture the city in 1241 after capturing Lahore – though they were repulsed. The Mongols under Sali Noyan then successfully held the city to ransom in 1245–6, before being recaptured by Sultan Ghiyas ud din Balban, the ninth Mamluk Sultan. Multan then fell to the Qarlughids in 1249, but was captured by Sher Khan that same year. Multan was then conquered by Izz al-Din Balban Kashlu Khan in 1254, before he rebelled against Sultan Ghiyas ud din Balban in 1257 and fled to Iraq where he joined Mongol forces and captured Multan again, and dismantled its city walls. The Mongols again attempted an invasion in 1279, but were dealt a decisive defeat.

Khaljis invasion

Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji dispatched his brother Ulugh Khan in 1296 to conquer Multan region which was governed by surviving family members of his predecessor. (Sultan Jalal-ud-din Khalji)

After usurping the throne of Delhi, Alauddin decided to eliminate the surviving family members of Jalaluddin, who were present in Multan. In November 1296, he sent a 30,000–40,000 strong army led by Ulugh Khan and Zafar Khan to Multan who successfully captured the city after two months of siege.

Amir Khusrau, the famous Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar visited Multan on the invitation of Khan Muhammad. Multan at the time was the gateway to India and was a center of knowledge and learning. Caravans of scholars, tradesmen and emissaries transited through Multan from Baghdad, Arabia and Persia on their way to Delhi. Khusrau wrote that:

I tied the belt of service on my waist and put on the cap of companionship for another five years. I imparted lustre to the water of Multan from the ocean of my wits and pleasantries.

Tughluq dynasty

In the 1320s Multan was conquered by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, he was made the governor of Multan and South Punjab, Sindh regions and of Depalpur. He was the founder of the Turkic Tughluq dynasty, the third dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. Earlier he spent his time in Multan and fought 28 battles against Mongols from there and saved the regions from advances of Mongols. He wrote in the jamia Masjid of Multan that he had fought 28 battles against Mongols and had survived, people gave him the title Ghazi ul Mulk.

Ghiyath al din's son Muhammad bin Tughlaq was born in Multan. After Ghiyath's death he became the Sultan and ascended the throne in Delhi. The countryside around Multan was recorded to have been devastated by excessively high taxes imposed during the reign of Ghiyath's son, Muhammad Tughluq. In 1328, the Governor of Multan, Kishlu Khan, rose in rebellion against Muhammad Tughluq, but was quickly defeated.

The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam was completed during the Tughluq era, and is considered to be the first Tughluq monument. The shrine is believed to have been originally built to be the tomb of Ghiyath ad-Din, but was later donated to the descendants of Rukn-e-Alam after Ghiyath became Emperor of Delhi.

The renowned Arab explorer Ibn Battuta visited Multan in the 1300s during the reign of Muhammad Tughluq, and noted that Multan was a trading centre for horses imported from as far away as the Russian Steppe. Multan had also been noted to be a centre for slave-trade, though slavery was banned in the late 1300s by Muhammad Tughluq's son, Firuz Shah Tughlaq.

Timurid dynasty

In 1397, Multan was besieged by Tamerlane's grandson Pir Muhammad. Pir Muhammad's forces captured the city in 1398 following the conclusion of the 6-month-long siege. Khizr Khan the governor of Multan allied with Amir Timur. Timur captured Lahore and gave its control to Khizr khan as reward for his support. Also in 1398, the elder Tamerlane and Multan's Governor Khizr Khan together sacked Delhi. The sack of Delhi lead to major disruptions of the Sultanate's central governing structure. Khizr Khan ruled the subcontinent on the name of Timur. In 1414, Multan's Khizr Khan captured Delhi from Daulat Khan Lodi, and established the short-lived Sayyid dynasty — the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.

A contemporary writer Yahya Sirhindi mentions in his Takhrikh-i-Mubarak Shahi that Khizr Khan was a descendant of Muhammad.

Langah Sultanate

Multan then passed to the Langah, who established the Langah Sultanate in Multan under the rule of Budhan Khan, who assumed the title Mahmud Shah. The reign of Shah Husayn, grandson of Mahmud Shah, who ruled from 1469 to 1498 is considered to be most illustrious of the Langah Sultans. Multan experienced prosperity during this time, and a large number of Baloch settlers arrived in the city at the invitation of Shah Husayn. The Sultanate's borders stretched encompassed the neighbouring regions surrounding the cities of Chiniot and Shorkot, including present day Faisalabad. Shah Husayn successfully repulsed attempted invasion by the Delhi Sultans led by Tatar Khan and Barbak Shah.

Multan's Langah Sultanate came to an end in 1525 when the city was invaded by rulers of the Arghun dynasty, who were either ethnic Mongols, or of Turkic or Turco-Mongol extraction.

Suri dynasty

In 1541, the Pashtun king Sher Shah Suri captured Multan, and successfully defended the city from the advances of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. In 1543, Sher Shah Suri expelled Baloch dynasty, who under the command of Fateh Khan Mirrani had overrun the city. Following its recapture, Sher Shah Suri ordered construction of a road between Lahore and Multan to connect Multan to his massive Grand Trunk Road project. Sher Shah Suri also built (or renovated) Delhi-Multan road, the ancient trade route had existed since the time of King Ashoka or earlier. To improve transit in the areas between Delhi and Multan, leading to Kandahar and Herat in Afghanistan, eventually to Mashhad capital of Khorasan province of Iran. It then served as the starting point for trade caravans from medieval India departing towards West Asia.

Medieval trade

Multan served as medieval Islamic India's trans-regional mercantile centre for trade with the Islamic world. It rose as an important trading and mercantile centre in the setting of political stability offered by the Delhi Sultanate, the Lodis, and Mughals. The renowned Arab explorer Ibn Battuta visited Multan in the 1300s during the reign of Muhammad Tughluq, and noted that Multan was a trading centre for horses imported from as far away as the Russian Steppe. Multan had also been noted to be a centre for slave-trade, though slavery was banned in the late 1300s by Muhammad Tughluq's son, Firuz Shah Tughlaq.

The extent of Multan's influence is also reflected in the construction of the Multani Caravanserai in Baku, Azerbaijan — which was built in the 15th to house Multani merchants visiting the city. Legal records from the Uzbek city of Bukhara note that Multani merchants settled and owned land in the city in the late 1550s.

Multan would remain an important trading centre until the city was ravaged by repeated invasions in the 18th and 19th centuries in the post-Mughal era. Many of Multan's merchants then migrated to Shikarpur in Sindh, and were found throughout Central Asia up until the 19th century.

Mughal period (Province of Multan)

Following the conquest of Upper Sindh by the Mughal Emperor Akbar, Multan was attacked and captured by Akbar's army under the command of Bairam Khan in 1557, thereby re-establishing Mughal rule in Multan. The Mughals controlled the Multani region from 1524 until around 1739. Emperor Akbar established province of Multan at Multan city, which was one of his original twelve subahs (imperial top-level administrative provinces) roughly covering southern Punjab, parts of Khyber and Balochistan bordering Kabul Subah, Lahore Subah, Ajmer Subah, Thatta Subah, Kandahar subah and the Persian Safavid empire. It was one of Mughal Empire's largest provinces by land area and population.

In 1627, Multan was encircled by walls that were built on the order of Murad Baksh, son of Shah Jahan. Upon his return from an expedition to Balkh in 1648, the future emperor Aurangzeb was appointed Governor of provinces of Multan and Sindh – a post he held until 1652.

In 1680, the renowned Punjabi poet, Bulleh Shah, who is regarded as a saint by both Sufis and Sikhs, was born in Uch, Multan province.

In the second half of the 17th century, Multan's commercial fortunes were adversely affected by silting and shifting of the nearby river, which denied traders vital trade access to the Arabian Sea. Multan witnessed difficult times as the Mughal Empire waned in power following the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707.

Dar al-Aman era

Under Mughal rule, Multan enjoyed 200 years of peace in a time when the city became known as Dar al-Aman ("Abode of Peace"). During the Mughal era, Multan was an important centre of agricultural production and manufacturing of cotton textiles. Multan was a centre for currency minting, as well as tile-making during the Mughal era.

Multan was also host to the offices of many commercial enterprises during the Mughal era, even in times when the Mughals were in control of the even more coveted city of Kandahar, given the unstable political situation resulting from frequent contestation of Kandadar with the Persian Safavid Empire.

Afsharid invasion

Nader Shah conquered the region as part of his invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1739. Despite invasion, Multan remained northwest India's premier commercial centre throughout most of the 18th century.

Durrani and Maratha invasions

In 1752 Ahmad Shah Durrani captured Multan, the city which was also his birthplace, and the city's walls were rebuilt in 1756 by Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan Khakwani, who also built the Ali Muhammad Khan Mosque in 1757. In 1758, the Marathas under Raghunathrao briefly seized Multan, appointing Adina Beg Khan as the Nawab of Punjab, though the city was recaptured by Durrani in 1760. After repeated invasions following the collapse of the Mughal Empire, Multan was reduced from being one of the world's most important early-modern commercial centres, to a regional trading city.

Sikh empire

In 1772, Ahmed Shah Durrani's son Timur Shah lost Multan to Sikh forces. However, Multan's association with Sikhism predates this, as the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, is said to have visited the city during one of his journeys.

The city had reverted to Afghan rule under the suzerainty of Nawab Muzaffar Khan in 1778. In 1817, Ranjit Singh sent a body of troops to Multan under the command of Diwan Bhiwani Das to receive from Nawab Muzaffar Khan the tribute he owed to the Sikh Darbar. In 1818, the armies of Kharak Singh and Misr Diwan Chand lay around Multan without making much initial headway, until Ranjit Singh dispatched the massive Zamzama cannon, which quickly led to disintegration of the Multan's defences. Misr Diwan Chand led Sikh armies to a decisive victory over Muzaffar Khan. Muzzafar Khan and seven of his sons were killed before the Multan fort finally fell on 2 March 1818 in the Battle of Multan.

The conquest of Multan established Ranjit Singh's superiority over the Afghans and ended their influence in this part of the Punjab. Diwan Sawan Mal Chopra was appointed to govern the city, remaining in his post for the following 25 years. Following the Sikh conquest, Multan declined in importance as a trading post, however the population of Multan rose from approximately 40,000 in 1827 to 60,000 by 1831. Sawan Mal adopted a policy of low taxation which generated immense land revenues for the state treasury. Following the death of Ranjit Singh, he ceased paying tribute to a successor and instead maintained alliances of convenience with selected Sikh aristocrats. He was assassinated in 1844, and succeeded by his son Diwan Mulraj Chopra, who unlike his father was seen as a despotic ruler by the local inhabitants.

1848 Multan Revolt

The 1848 Multan Revolt and subsequent Siege of Multan began on 19 April 1848 when local Sikhs loyal to Diwan Mulraj Chopra murdered two emissaries of the British Raj, Vans Agnew and Lieutenant Anderson. The two British visitors were in Multan to attend a ceremony for Sardar Kahan Singh, who had been selected by the British East India Company to replace Diwan Mulraj Chopra as ruler of Multan.

Rebellion engulfed the Multan region under the leadership of Mulraj Chopra and Sher Singh Attariwalla. The Multan Revolt triggered the start of the Second Anglo-Sikh War, during which the sajjada nashin of the Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya sided with the British to help defeat the Sikh rebels. The revolt eventually resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire in 1849.

British Raj

By December 1848, the British had captured portions of Multan city's outskirts, and destroyed the Multan Fort while bombarding the city. In January 1849, the British had amassed a force of 12,000 to conquer Multan. On 22 January 1849, the British had breached the walls of the Multan Fort, leading to the surrender of Mulraj and his forces to the British. The British conquest of the Sikh Empire was completed in February 1849, after the British victory at the Battle of Gujrat. Between the 1890s and 1920s, the British laid a vast network of canals in the Multan region, and throughout much of central and Southern Punjab province. Thousands of "Canal Towns" and villages were built according to standardized plans throughout the newly irrigated swathes of land.

After independence of 1947

Multan lost its very important position as soon as the British stronghold over the sub-continent grew stronger and stronger. Although peace prevailed in the region but no real progress was made. After independence was achieved in 1947, Multan had become less significant politically. Though it was still 3rd largest district and division of the country but city and the large population of South Punjab region lacked self governance. The site of the Old Fort was in ruins. Thorny bushes and ditches were in plenty whispering the awful tale of its ruination. Majority of the roads were unmetalled and the sewerage system too defective to explain.

The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India en masse, while some Muslim refugees from the newly independent Republic of India settled in the city. Today, it is one of the country's six largest urban centres and remains an important settlement in the Southern Punjab.

Geography

Topography

Multan is located in Punjab, and covers an area of 560 square kilometres (220 sq mi). The nearest important cities are Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur. Multan is located near few rivers of central Pakistan. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The area around the city is a flat, alluvial plain surrounded by orchards and deserts that is also used for mango farms.

Multan is surrounded by Sulaiman mountain range which is the extension of Southern Hindu Kush mountain range of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The most well-known peak of the Sulaiman mountains is the twin-peaked Takht-e-Sulaiman or "Throne of Prophet Solomon" at 3,487 metres (11,440 ft).

Climate

Multan features a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with extremely hot summers and mild winters. The normal annual precipitation measures 186 millimetres (7.3 in).

Multan is known for having some of the hottest weather in Pakistan. The highest recorded temperature is approximately 52 °C (126 °F), and the lowest recorded temperature is approximately −1 °C (30 °F).

Multan's climate is primarily influenced by:

• Western Disturbances which generally occurs during the winter months between December and February. The Western Disturbance provokes moderate rainfall, with hailstorms also sometimes occurring.
• Deforestation, dust storms occur during summer months. The region has seen large scale deforestation in last decades resulting in dust storms. Multan's dust storm sometimes produce violent wind.
• Heat waves occur during the hottest months of May and June, and can result in temperatures approaching 50 °C (122 °F)
• South West Monsoon occurs following the hottest months of the year, and lasts between June and September. Monsoon rains moderate temperatures, and can sometimes produce heavy rain storms.
• Continental air prevails during the remaining months generally yields clear weather with little to no precipitation.

Cityscape

Multan's urban typology is similar to other ancient cities in South Asia, such as Peshawar, Lahore, and Delhi, all of which were founded near a major river, and included an old walled city, as well as a royal citadel. Unlike those cities, Multan has lost its royal citadel, as it was largely destroyed by the British in 1848, which negatively impacted the urban fabric of the city.

Multan's old neighbourhood homes exemplify Muslim concerns regarding privacy and defense against the city's harsh climate. The urban morphology is characterized by small and private cul-de-sacs branching off of bazaars and larger arteries.

A distinct Multani style of architecture began taking root in the 14th century with the establishment of funerary monuments, and is characterized by large brick walls reinforced by wooden anchors, with inward sloping roofs. Funerary architecture is also reflected in the city's residential quarters, which borrow architectural and decorative elements from Multan's mausolea.

Demographics

Multan city had a population of 1,078,245 in the 1998 census. As of the 2017 census, Multan's population jumped to 1.827 million. Multan had a sex ratio of 950 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 74.69%: 77.50% for males and 71.74% for females. 440,112 (24.09%) were under 10 years of age.

Language

At the time of the 2017 census, 42.10% of the population spoke Saraiki, 29.25% Punjabi, 26.77% Urdu and 1.18% Pashto as their first language.

Religion

Islam is the predominant religion, with 98.54% of the population, and with Christians making up 1.36%. 1,617 people are Hindus and 80 are Sikhs.

Religious groups in Multan City (1868–2023)

Religious group	1868		1881		1891		1901		1911		1921		1931		1941		2017		2023
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	24,828	54.44%	36,294	52.85%	39,765	53.33%	46,899	53.66%	55,686	56.11%	55,864	65.87%	72,134	60.38%	81,613	57.16%	1,808,475	98.99%	2,208,159	98.54%
Hinduism	19,812	43.45%	29,962	43.63%	32,130	43.09%	36,947	42.28%	38,341	38.63%	25,339	29.88%	41,999	35.16%	56,602	39.65%	1,728	0.09%	1,617	0.07%
Christianity	195	0.43%	—	—	1,672	2.24%	1,777	2.03%	2,105	2.12%	1,955	2.31%	1,823	1.53%	680	0.48%	15,766	0.86%	30,380	1.36%
Sikhism	83	0.18%	661	0.96%	961	1.29%	1,588	1.82%	2,659	2.68%	1,573	1.85%	2,960	2.48%	2,665	1.87%	—	—	80	0%
Jainism	—	—	46	0.07%	24	0.03%	134	0.15%	388	0.39%	28	0.03%	424	0.35%	499	0.35%	—	—	—	—
Zoroastrianism	—	—	—	—	9	0.01%	49	0.06%	58	0.06%	47	0.06%	117	0.1%	—	—	—	—	2	0%
Judaism	—	—	—	—	0	0%	—	—	6	0.01%	0	0%	0	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ahmadiyya	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	928	0.05%	503	0.02%
Others	684	1.5%	1,711	2.49%	1	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	929	0.65%	104	0.01%	206	0.01%
Total population	45,602	100%	68,674	100%	74,562	100%	87,394	100%	99,243	100%	84,806	100%	119,457	100%	142,768	100%	1,827,001	100%	2,240,947	100%

Civic Administration

Administrators who are government servants have the powers of Nazims (Mayor). Multan District is spread over an area of 3,721 square kilometres, comprising four tehsils: Multan City, Multan Saddar, Shujabad and Jalalpur Pirwala.

The area under Multan Development Authority (MDA) is 560 square kilometres, covering almost all important establishments like BZU, Pak Arab fertilizers and industrial estates, etc. In 2022 the MDA increased its metropolitan area limit from 280 square kilometres to 560 square kilometres, adding an extra population of 375,000 with a grand total population of 2.2 million, making the city the 4th most populous city of Pakistan.

In 2005 Multan was reorganised as a City District composed of six autonomous towns:

• Bosan
• Shah Rukan e Alam
• Mumtazabad
• Sher Shah
• Shujabad
• Jalalpur Pirwala

Residential areas

• Shah Rukan e Alam
• Multan Cantt
• Shah Faisal Colony
• Gulgasht Colony
• Zakariya Town

Transportation

Motorways

Multan is connected to operational motorways M4 on northside connecting to Faisalabad and M5 on south side connecting Sukkar. M4 is further connected to M3 connecting Lahore and M2 connecting Islamabad and Peshawar to Multan. While M5 will be connecting to Karachi via Karachi-Lahore Motorway in future.

Multan is situated along the under-construction 6-lane Karachi–Lahore Motorway (M3) connecting Southern and northern Pakistan that is being built as part of the $54 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Currently, Lahore to Multan travel time is 4 hours on motorway M3 and M4.

The 6-lane, 392-kilometre long M-5 section of the motorway is built between Sukkur and Multan at a cost $2.89 billion. The M-5 is open since 2019. It is connecting Multan to Sukkar and will connect to Karachi when Sukkar-Karachi Motorway will be opened.

Multan is also connected to the city of Faisalabad via the M-4 motorway, which in turn is connected to the M-1 and M-2 motorways that provide access to Islamabad and Peshawar. Further links with the Karakoram Highway will provide access to Xinjiang, China, and Central Asia.

Construction of the M3 motorway was also done at a cost of approximately $1.5 billion, and was launched in November 2015. The motorway is a branch off of the M-4 motorway and connects Lahore to the M-4 at Abdul Hakeem. The M4 is now operational.

Rail

Multan is connected by rail with all parts of the country and lies on the main track between Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore and Quetta. The Main Line-1 Railway that links Karachi and Peshawar passes through Multan district is being overhauled as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. As part of the project, railways will be upgraded to permit train travel at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour, versus the average 60 to 105 km per hour speed currently possible on existing track, The project is divided into three phases, with the Peshawar to Multan portion to be completed as part of the project's first phase by 2018, and the entire project is expected to be complete by 2021.

From Multan, links to Khanewal, Lodhran and Muzafargarh are offered by rail. Multan Cantonment railway station is the main railway station of Multan.

Bus rapid transit (Metro Bus)

The Multan Metrobus is a bus rapid transit line which commenced service in January 2017, at a cost of 28.8 billion rupees. The BRT route serves 21 stations over the course of 18.5 kilometres, of which 12.5 kilometres are elevated. 14 stations are elevated, while the remainder are at street level. The BRT route begins at Bahauddin Zakariya University in northern Multan, and heads southward to pass by the eastern edge of Multan's old city at the Daulat Gate before turning east to finally terminate at the Kumharanwala Chowk in eastern Multan.

The route will be served initially by 35 buses, serving up to 95,000 passengers per day (or less than this but mostly students are using it). The Multan Metrobus is planned to ultimately have total of 4 BRT lines covering 68.82 kilometres, which will be complemented by feeder lines.

Air

Multan International Airport is located 10 km west of Multan's city centre, in the Multan Cantonment. The airport offers flights throughout Pakistan, as well as to the Persian Gulf States.

In March 2015, a new terminal building was formally inaugurated by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Following the opening of the new terminal, passenger traffic soared from 384,571 in 2014–2015, to 904,865 in 2015–2016.

Education

Bahauddin Zakariya University is the largest university in Multan. It is the second largest university in the province, after the University of the Punjab.

Other universities in the city include:

• Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture Multan
• Air University Multan Campus
• The NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology
• Nishat School and College
• Nishtar Medical University
• Emerson University
• Multan Public School
• University of Education campus
• Times Institute
• Multan Medical and Dental College
• Institute of Southern Punjab
• Bakhtawar Amin Medical College
• Women University Multan.

Heritage

Prahladpuri Temple

The Prahladpuri Temple is located on top of a raised platform inside the Fort of Multan, adjacent to tomb of Hazrat Baha’ul Haq Zakariya. A mosque has been subsequently built adjacent to temple.

The original temple of Prahladpuri is said to have been built by Prahlad, son of Hiranyakashipu, the king of Multan (Kashya-papura).

Notable saints of Multan

• Shah Yousaf Gardezi (d. 1136), tomb located inner Bohar Gate Multan
• Mai Maharban (11/12th Century), tomb located near Chowk Fawara, children complex Multan
• Bahauddin Zakariya (1170–1267), tomb located in Multan Fort
• Makhdoom Abdul Rasheed Haqani (1170–1260), tomb located in Makhdoom Rasheed Multan
• Shah Rukne Alam (1251–1335), tomb located in Multan Fort
• Khawaja Awais Kagha (d. 1300)3, tomb located in Dera Basti graveyard Multan
• Syed Musa Pak (d. 1592)
• Hafiz Muhammad Jamal Multani (1747–1811)
• Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari (1892–1961), buried in Jalal Bakri
• Syed Noor ul Hassan Bukhari (1902–1983), buried in Jalal Bakri
• Ahmad Saeed Kazmi (1913–1986), buried in Eid Gah, Multan
• Hazrat Qazi Hisamuddin Multani known as Qazi Jamaluddin Multani Badauni
• Peer Ali Mardan Awaisi (Tomb Located on Gali Peer Ali Mardan Akbar Road, Multan

Sports

The Multan Cricket Stadium has hosted many international cricket matches. Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium is the other stadium in Multan which is usually used for football along with other sports activities.

Multan is home to the Multan Sultans, the franchise of Pakistan Super League. Multan Tigers, the domestic cricket team which had participated in domestic limited over tournaments was also based in the city. Multan and its division has produced many international cricketers like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Elahi Brothers, Mohammad Zahid, Sohaib Maqsood, Rahat Ali, Asmavia Iqbal and Sania Khan.

Notable people

• Rukn-e-Alam, 13th/14th century Saint
• Shah Mehmood Qureshi, politician, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan
• Yousaf Raza Gillani, politician and former Prime Minister of Pakistan
• Ghiyath al din Tughlaq, Governor of Multan and emperor of Indian subcontinent
• Aurangzeb, governor of province Multan, Mughal emperor of Indian subcontinent
• Khizr Khan, 15th century Emperor of Indian subcontinent
• Javed Hashmi, politician
• Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, lawyer and politician
• Malik Aamir Dogar, lawyer and politician
• Fariduddin Ganjshakar, 12th-century Punjabi Muslim preacher and mystic
• Inzamam-ul-Haq, former cricketer and captain
• Diwan Mulraj Chopra, governor
• Mazhar Kaleem, writer
• H. Gobind Khorana (Nobel Laureate)

Sister cities

• Cairo, Egypt
• Konya, Turkey
• Rasht, Iran
• Shihezi, China
• Ganja, Azerbaijan
• Xi'an, China (28 March 2019)

See also

• Climate of Multan
• City Wall of Multan
• Festivals in Multan
• History of Multan
• Multan Sun Temple
• List of places in Multan
• Multan District
• Multan Division
• Multan Fort
• Multan International Airport
• Multan City railway station
• Multan Museum
• Siege of Multan (disambiguation)
• Battle of Multan
• Mausoleums of Multan
• Hindu temples in Multan
• List of educational institutions in Multan
• Mosques of Multan
• Subah of Multan

Notes

1. 1881–1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Multan, which included Multan Municipality and Multan Cantonment.
   
   2017-2023: Combined urban populations of Multan City Tehsil and Multan Saddar Tehsil.
2. 1931–1941: Including Ad-Dharmis

References

1. "Every fourth district in Punjab to have a metropolitan corporation". 27 December 2019.
2. ^ "Administrators' appointments planned as Punjab LG system dissolves today". The Nation (newspaper). 31 December 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
3. "Punjab Portal". Archived from the original on 14 April 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
4. Area reference Archived 14 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Density reference Archived 26 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine statpak.gov.pk
5. "Pakistan: Tehsils and Talukas (Districts and Subdistricts) – Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
6. Bury, John Bagnell (2015). A History of Greece. Cambridge University Press. p. 810. ISBN 9781108082204.
7. Firishtah, Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Astarābādī (1770). The History of Hindostan. T. Becket and P.A. De Hondt.
8. "Tareekh-e-Pakistan (Wasti Ahad)". Yahya Amjad. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
9. ^ Levi, Scott (2016). "Caravans: Punjabi Khatri Merchants on the Silk Road". Penguin UK. Penguin UK. ISBN 9789351189169. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
10. Khan, Ahmad Fraz (18 January 2021). "Multan's mangoes and multinationals". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
11. Latif, Syad Muhammad (1963). The Early History of Multan. Syed Muhammad Minhaj-ud-Din; can be had from People's Publishing House.
12. Wink, André (2002). Al-Hind, Volume 1 Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7th–11th Centuries. Brill. p. 186. ISBN 978-90-04-48300-2.
13. Moir, Zawahir; Shackle, Christopher (2013). Ismaili Hymns from South Asia: An Introduction to the Ginans. Routledge. p. 186. ISBN 9781136822841. The name of the actual city of Multan derives from the same Sanskrit word (Sk mūlasthāna-).
14. Khan, Ahmad Nabi (1983). Multan: history and architecture. Institute of Islamic History, Culture & Civilization, Islamic University.
15. ^ Ghose, Sanujit (2004). Legend of Ram: Antiquity to Janmabhumi Debate. Bibliophile South Asia. ISBN 9788185002330.
16. Sinha, Amita; Silva, Kapila D. (2016). Cultural Landscapes of South Asia: Studies in Heritage Conservation and Management. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317365938. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
17. Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1978). Himachal Pradesh, Volume 1. Light & Life Publishers.
18. Hutchison, John (1933). History of the Panjab Hill States, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120609426.
19. Islamic culture, Volume 43. Islamic culture Board. 1963. p. 14.
20. ^ Amjad, Yahya (1989). Tarikh-i Pakistan : qadim daur—zamanah-yi ma qabl az tarikh : Pakistan ki sarzamin par aj se paune do karor sal pahle (in Urdu).
21. Arrian (1893). Anabasis of Alexander. George Bell and Sons. OCLC 486120., p. 604
22. Dodge, Theodore (1890). Alexander. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 604.
23. Amjad, Yahya (1989). Tarikh-i Pakistan : qadim daur—zamanah-yi ma qabl az tarikh : Pakistan ki sarzamin par aj se paune do karor sal pahle (in Urdu).
24. Avari, Burjor (2016). India: The Ancient Past : a History of the Indian Subcontinent from C. 7000 BCE to CE 1200. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-82821-6.
25. Cunningham, Alexander (1871). The Ancient Geography of India: The Budhism Period, Including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108056458.
26. Firishtah, Muḥammad Qāsim Hindū Shāh Astarābādī (1770). The History of Hindostan. T. Becket and P.A. De Hondt.
27. ^ "Our History | Multan". multan.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
28. Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1977). Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 9788120804364.
29. ^ Flood, Finbarr Barry (2009). Objects of Translation: Material Culture and Medieval "Hindu-Muslim" Encounter. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691125947.
30. Chandra, Satish (2004). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206–1526) – Part One. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5.
31. ^ Rafiq, A.Q.; Baloch, N.A. The Regions of Sind, Baluchistan, Multan and Kashmir: the Historical, Social and Economic Setting (PDF). UNESCO. ISBN 978-92-3-103467-1.
32. ^ MacLean, Derryl N. (1989). Religion and Society in Arab Sind. BRILL. ISBN 9789004085510.
33. Singh, Nagendra Kr (1997). Divine Prostitution By Nagendra Kr Singh. APH. p. 44. ISBN 9788170248217.
34. ^ Rose, Horace Arthur (1997). A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. Vol. 1. Nirmal Publishers and Distributors. p. 489. ISBN 978-81-85297-68-2.
35. ^ Habib, Irfan (2011). Economic History of Medieval India, 1200–1500. Pearson Education India. ISBN 9788131727911.
36. ^ Andre Wink, Al-Hind: The Making of the Indo-Islamic World, Vol. 2, 244.
37. Masudi (28 October 2013). Meadows Of Gold. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-14522-3.
38. Mecca's History, from Encyclopædia Britannica.
39. Glassé, Cyril. 2008. The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Walnut Creek CA: AltaMira Press p. 369
40. Ahmad, I., & Reifeld, H. (Eds.). (2017). Lived Islam in South Asia: Adaptation, Accommodation and Conflict (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315144887
41. ^ Osimi, Muhammad (1992). History of Civilizations of Central Asia (vol.4, part-1). Motilal Banarsidass, 1992. ISBN 9788120815957.
42. Asif, Manan. (2016). A Book of Conquest. Harvard University Press.
43. Strand, Elin; Marsh, Adrian; Paul Polansky (2006). Gypsies and the Problem of Identities: Contextual, Constructed and Contested. Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul. ISBN 9789186884178.
44. ^ Mehta, Jaswant Lal (1980). Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India, Volume 1. Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd. ISBN 9788120706170.
45. Virani, Shafique N. The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation (New York: Oxford University Press), p. 100.
46. ^ Calcutta Review, Volumes 92–93. University of Calcutta. 1891.
47. Influence of Islam on Hindi Literature, Volume 47 of IAD oriental original series: Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli, Saiyada Asad Alī, Idarah-i-Adabiyat-i Delli, 2000, p. 12-13, 195
48. ^ Ahmed, Farooqui Salma (2011). A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century. Pearson Education India. ISBN 9788131732021.
49. Jain, Harish. The Making of Punjab. Unistar Books, 2003.
50. ^ Imperial gazetteer of India: provincial series. Supt. of Govt. Print. 1908.
51. Davies, C. Collin (January 1934). "History of Shahjahan of Dihli. by Banarsi Prasad Saksena. 8½ × 5½, pp. xxx + 373. Allahabad: The Indian Press, Ltd., 1932". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 66 (1): 197–198. doi:10.1017/s0035869x00083040. ISSN 0035-869X. S2CID 162759552.
52. Sharma, Sunil; سنىل, شارما، (May 2005). Amir Khusraw: The Poet of Sultans and Sufis. Oneworld Publications. ISBN 978-1-85168-362-8.
53. ^ Bloom, Jonathan (1995). The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300064650. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
54. Suvorova, Anna (2004). Muslim Saints of South Asia: The Eleventh to Fifteenth Centuries. Routledge. ISBN 9781134370054.
55. Khan, Hassan Ali (2016). Constructing Islam on the Indus: The Material History of the Suhrawardi Sufi Order, 1200–1500 AD. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316827222.
56. Bunce, Fredrick W. (2004). Islamic Tombs in India: The Iconography and Genesis of Their Design. D.K. Printworld. ISBN 9788124602454.
57. Yousaf, Mohammad (1971). A Brief History of Multan. Ferozsons.
58. ^ Amjad, Yahya (1989). Tarikh-i Pakistan : qadim daur—zamanah-yi ma qabl az tarikh : Pakistan ki sarzamin par aj se paune do karor sal pahle (in Urdu).
59. Porter, Yves (2009). The Glory of the Sultans : Islamic Architecture in India. Gérard Degeorge (English language ed.). Paris: Flammarion. ISBN 978-2-08-030110-9. OCLC 303042895.
60. Davies, C. Collin. "Arghun." The Encyclopedia of Islam, Volume I. New ed. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1960. ISBN 90-04-08114-3
61. Bosworth, Clifford Edmund. The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-231-10714-5
62. ^ Chandra, Chandra (2005). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part – II. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 9788124110669.
63. Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part – II. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 978-81-241-1066-9.
64. ^ Amity, Volumes 1–3. Indo-Soviet Cultural Society. 1963. p. 135. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
65. Beck, Sanderson. "Mughal Conquest of India 1526–56". INDIA & Southeast Asia to 1800. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
66. Dasti, Humaira Faiz (1998). Multan, a Province of the Mughal Empire, 1525–1751. Royal Book. ISBN 978-969-407-226-5.
67. Aḥmad, Saʻīd (2004). Great Sufi Wisdom Bulleh Shah, 1680–1752. Adnan Books. ISBN 978-969-8714-04-8.
68. ^ Oonk, Gijsbert (2007). Global Indian Diasporas: Exploring Trajectories of Migration and Theory. Amsterdam University Press. p. 294. ISBN 9789053560358.
69. Chaudhry, Nazir Ahmad (2002). Multan Glimpses: With an Account of Siege and Surrender. Sang-e-Meel Publications. ISBN 9789693513516. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
70. Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313335372. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
71. Roy, Kaushik (2004). India's Historic Battles: From Alexander the Great to Kargil. Permanent Black, India. pp. 80–1. ISBN 978-81-7824-109-8.
72. Elphinstone, Mountstuart (1841). History of India. John Murray, Albemarle Street. p. 276.
73. Nikky-Guninder, Kaur Singh (2011). Sikhism: An Introduction. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9780857735492.
74. Anand, Anita (2015). Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781408835463.
75. Singh, Khushwant (2008). Ranjit Singh. Penguin Books India. ISBN 9780143065432.
76. Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O – Tony Jaques – Google Books. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313335389. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
77. Hunter, William Wilson (2004). Ranjit Singh: And the Sikh Barrier Between British Empire and Central Asia – William Wilson Hunter – Google Books. Cosmo (Publications,India). ISBN 9788130700304. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
78. ^ Kartar Singh Duggal, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms, Abhinav Publications, 2001, p.84
79. ^ Bobby Singh Bansal, Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan, Hay House, Inc, 1 December 2015
80. ^ Riddick, John F. (2006). The History of British India: A Chronology. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313322808.
81. ^ Bingham, Jane (2008). Sikhism. Black Rabbit Books. ISBN 9781599200590. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
82. Khan, Hussain Ahmad (2014). Artisans, Sufis, Shrines: Colonial Architecture in Nineteenth-Century Punjab. IB Taurus. ISBN 9781784530143. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
83. Grewal, J.S. (1990). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press. p. 107. ISBN 0-521-63764-3. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
84. ^ Bignami, Daniele Fabrizio; Del Bo, Adalberto (2014). Sustainable Social, Economic and Environmental Revitalization in Multan City: A Multidisciplinary Italian–Pakistani Project. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783319021171.
85. ^ Glover, William (2008). Making Lahore Modern: Constructing and Imagining a Colonial City. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452913384.
86. ^ "Our History | Multan". multan.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
87. Arif, Dr. Muhammad (1988). The resurgence of the Muslim ummah and Pakistan movement. Wajidalis.
88. ^ "Multan Developemt Authority Official website says 50 Deg Highest". Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
89. ^ "Doaba Foundation web Link about Climate of Multan". Archived from the original on 10 March 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
90. "Multan Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
91. "Multan Profile". 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on 10 March 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
92. "Census of India, 1921" (PDF).
93. Elahi, Asad (2006). "2: Population" (PDF). Pakistan Statistical Pocket Book 2006. Islamabad, Pakistan: Government of Pakistan: Statistics Division. p. 28. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
94. DISTRICT WISE CENSUS RESULTS CENSUS 2017 (PDF) (Report). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2017. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
95. "District Wise Results / Tables (Census – 2017)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
96. ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census – 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
97. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results Table-9 Population by sex, religion and rural/urban". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
98. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI PUNJAB". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
99. (India), Punjab (1868). "Report on the census of the Punjab taken on 10th January, 1868". p. 66. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057644. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
100. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057656. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
101. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 520. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057657. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
102. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III". 1881. p. 250. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057658. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
103. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1891 GENERAL TABLES BRITISH PROVINCES AND FEUDATORY STATES VOL I". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
104. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1901 VOLUME I-A INDIA PART II-TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
105. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1911 VOLUME XIV PUNJAB PART II TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
106. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1921 VOLUME XV PUNJAB AND DELHI PART II TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
107. "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1931 VOLUME XVII PUNJAB PART II TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
108. "Final Results (Census-2017)". Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
109. "Welcome to Multan Development Authority | Multan Development Authority". mda.punjab.gov.pk. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
110. "China's CSCEC to build $2.9bn motorway in Pakistan as part of planned 'corridor'". Global Construction Review. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
111. "PAK PM inaugurates Sukkur-Multan highway". Business Standard. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
112. Kiani, Khaleeq (16 December 2015). "Two Asian banks to give Rs 29bn for M-4 project". Dawn News. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
113. "M-4 TO REDUCE TRAVEL TIME, CONTRIBUTE TO TRADE CORRIDOR". Pakistan Observer. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 28 June 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
114. Samar, Azeem (13 November 2015). "JCC of CPEC decides to enhance capacity of Thar power projects to 2,600MW". The News. Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
115. Rana, Shahbaz (15 November 2015). "ECNEC clears motorway's Lahore-Multan section". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
116. "Karachi-Peshawar railway line being upgraded under CPEC". Daily Times. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
117. ^ "Pakistan to get Chinese funds for upgrading rail links, building pipeline". Hindustan Times. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016. The project is planned to be completed in two phases in five years by 2021. The first phase will be completed by December 2017 and the second by 2021.
118. Transport in Multan Archived 15 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine Lonely Planet Travel Information. Accessed 15 August 2009.
119. "Prime Minister inaugurates Multan Metrobus". Dawn News. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
120. "Metro bus service opened in Multan". Gulf News. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
121. ^ "Multan Metro Bus in final phase". Pakistan Observer. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
122. ^ "Development, Implementation, Operations and Longterm Maintenance of Proven Globally Deployed Automated Fare Collection & Bus Scheduling (AFC-BSS) for Multan Metrobus System and Feeder Routes" (PDF). The Punjab Mass Transit Authority – Government of the Punjab. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
123. "Multan Airport opens to the world". Pakistan Today. 10 March 2015.
124. Statistical Information of CAA Pakistan CAA Pakistan, updated on 14 March 2016
125. "Home". nfciet.edu.pk. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
126. "Women University Multan".
127. Suvorova, Anna (22 July 2004). Muslim Saints of South Asia: The Eleventh to Fifteenth Centuries By Anna Suvorova. Routledge. p. 153. ISBN 9781134370061.
128. All the year round, Volume 51. Charles Dickens. 1883. MULTAN PRAHLADPURI RIOT.
129. "'South Punjab has great sports talent'". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
130. Jaffery, Owais (9 June 2011). "Sister cities: Multan celebrates Italy's national day". The Express Tribune. Pakistan.
131. "PAKISTAN – TURKEY JOINT STATEMENT" (Press release). Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 31 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
132. "Gilani visits land of his forefathers". Bangkok, Thailand: Thaindian News. 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
133. Iqbal, Javed (16 January 2016). "China to make new bond with Punjab". The Nation. Pakistan: Nawa-i-Waqt.

External links

• Multan travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Multan City government website Archived 4 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
• Britannica: Multan

v t e Neighbourhoods of Multan
Administrations: Multan Division and Multan District
Tehsils	Jalalpur Pirwala Multan Sadr Shujabad
Cities	Jalalpur Pirwala Multan (capital) Shujabad
Towns & councils	Basti Maluk Bosan Budhla Sant Gulgasht Colony Lar Makhdoom Rashid Mehmood Kot Multan Cantt Mumtazabad Pull Dawa Qadirpur Ran Shah Rukan e Alam Sher Shah Willayatabad Colony Zakariya Town
Localities	Chah Nizam Walla Faridpur Gulzarpur Jalalabad Kumhar Mandi
Website: Multan District at NRB

• Multan
• Populated places in Multan District
• Metropolitan areas of Pakistan
• Sufism in Pakistan
• Ismailism in Pakistan
• Qarmatians