""This is Pakistan"" a Karachi Travel Page by KHAMAJ

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Paradise point

Getting to know 'Karachi'

"One day she will be the Queen of the East", said Charles Napier a hundred year ago about Karachi. It was then only a small village. Today Karachi bursts upon the visitor as a vast commercial and industrial center, a sea of people teeming with human activity, its population having already exceeded nine million mark and still growing.

This metropolitan city of Karachi was until 1725 A.D. just a barren piece of land , washed on three sides by the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. A few fishermen lived in a small huts on the sunny creek. There was a pool of water on this barren piece of land which was known as Kalachi-jo-Kun. Kalachi was the name of fisherman whereas kun meant a deep kitch. Therefore, "Kalachi-jo-Kun" meant the deep ditch of Kalacahi, the fisherman.

A few mud huts sprang around this point and their numbers increased. Gradually a village came into being . This village was called as Kalachi-jo-Ghote, which as time passed grew into prominence.

Karachi is a city that has a large variety of places to go and things to do. In every part of the city there is some club or organization. No matter where you are, you can be guaranteed a good time.
French Beach :
This is the finest beach in Karachi. The water is clean and the air is crisp. There are gorgeous rocks embedded in the ocean. The waves splashing against them is quite a lovely sight. Right down the road from there is Paradise Point, that sports a marvelous view of the ocean from a eroded hill. A great place to go for a mixture of beauty and excitement!
Hawks Bay:
A wonderfully sunny and sandy beach. The water is clean and if you need a tan, it is the beach to go to. The huts allow total privacy and the view is magnificent. If you don't own a hut no matter, they have huts for rent. It is definitely worth it. It is a non rocky area portion of our coast so it is the best beach to take the family. A must see in Karachi.
Sand Spit :
Quite near Hawks bay, it is pretty much the same. A good place for turtle watching and a good view!! Completely unpolluted and positively beautiful. If you go at night there are turtles all over the place. If you are careful, you might even get a ride on one of them.
Gandhi Garden :
In 1843 this piece of land was acquired by the Government and a vegetable farm was developed to meet the needs of the citizens. The work was completed under the supervision of Major Blenching during the period of Sir Charles Napier. Major Blenching and Mr. Mcleod also established a Dairy Farm on this piece of land. The irrigation of this farm was arranged from Malir River.
In 1869 this piece of land was handed over to the Municipal Committee for converting it into a Public garden. The plan and the design of the garden was prepared by Mr. Birdwood. Bery soon it was opened for public. In 1893 a Zoo was also constructed in the garden. The design of the Zoological Garden was prepared by Mr. Bird with the help of Mr. James Strachan and Mr. Flinch.
Safari Park :
This park is situated in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, which is a new residential scheme. There are plans to convert it into a proper Safari Park but till now it has only few species of deer, birds and ducks.

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The Handicrafts

The City of 'Lahore'

LAHORE is undoubtedly ancient. Legend had it that it was founded by Loh, son of Rama, the hero of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Some others think that the name means Loh-awar, meaning a "Fort as strong as Iron". It waxed and waned in importance during the Sultanate. descriptions of Lahore during the early 19th century refer to it as a "melancholy picture of fallen splendor."

The city is built in the form of a parallelogram, the area within the walls, exclusive of the citadel, being about 461 acres. The improbable mix of painted trucks, cars, bullock carts, buses, handcarts, scooters with whole families.
LAHORE FORT
The massive walls of Lahore Fort, built by Akbar in the 1560s, tower over the old city of Lahore, and the huge rectangle they define, 380 by 330 meters (1,250 by 1,080 feet), is filled with buildings from a variety of periods. A complete tour of the fort takes about two hours.

The Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) is entered via steps rising from the comer of the large courtyard north of the Maktab Khana. This little gem was built by Shah Jahan 1644. The .

Masti (or Masjidi) Gate is cast of the Diwan-e-Am. It was the original main gate to the fort built by Akbar in 1566. The Khwabgah-e-Jahangir (Jahangir's Room of Dreams)is the main building running the length of the north side of Jahangirs Quadrangle. Some beautiful calligraphy, good miniature paintings and a collection of Mughal coins.Shalimar Garden
"A garden," Babar wrote, "is the purest of human pleasure." In design, it conforms to the classic Mughal conception of the perfect garden and consist of three terraces of straight, shaded walk sets around a perfectly symmetrical arrangement of ponds, waterfalls, marble pavilions, all surrounded by flower beds and fruit trees and enclosed within a wall and more than 400 fountains.
On the north side are:-

The Raushnai Gate, or the "gate of light". This is between the royal mosque and the citadels.
The Kashmiri Gate, so called because it faces the direction of Kashmir.
The Masti Gate, the name is the corruption of "Masjidi," the pertaining to a mosque. The Khizri Gate. after the name of Khizr Elias, the patron saint, according to the Muhammadan belief, of running waters and streams, and the discoverer of the water of immortality. On the east side are:-
The Yakki Gate. The original name was "Zaki," that being the name of a martyr saint, who, according to tradition, fell fighting against the Moghal infidels from the north, while gallantly defending his city.
The Delhi Gate, so called from its opening on to the high road from Lahore to Delhi.

On the south side are :-
The Mochi Gate. The name is the corruption of Moti, a pearl. The Shah 'Almi Gate, named after Mohomed Mo'azzam Shah 'Alam Bahadur Shah (the son and successor of Aurangzeb), a mild and munificent Emperor, who died at Lahore on the 28th February 1712.
The Lahori Gate, called also the Lohari gate. The gate was named after the city of Lahore. The Mori Gate is the smallest of the gateway, and as its name implies, was in old times used as an outlet for the refuse and sweepings of the city.

On the west side are:-
The Bhatti Gate, named after the Bhatis, an ancient Rajput tribe who inhabited these quarters in old times.
Jallo National Park is more recent. It is also a recreational and picnic site, with a zoo, children's play area, a lake with motor and rowing boats, and other kinds of amusement. Lahore is still growing, and Just like any other city, there is incessant redevelopment. Old buildings become replaced by modern concrete architecture. Modern sites of interest include the Minar-i-Pakistan which marks the spot where the Pakistan Resolution was passed on 23rd March 1940.

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SAIDU SHARIF

Northern Pakistan

North Pakistan is a total tourist attraction. Most beautiful landscapes and yummy food. one of the must visit places is, Saidu Sharif is the capital of swat, joint with the Mingora city. In the time of princely state Saidu Sharif was the capital of swat state, now it is the capital of Malakand division. All the district administration offices and
two hospitals and one college is there. Recently one of the medical college is also established there. The altitude of Saidu Sharif is about 3500 feet above from the sea level. swat museum is also situated here.
Malam Jabba:
It is situated at the terminal of eastern branch of Mingora-kalam road separated at Minglore. Though Malam and Jabba are two distinct villages, but the combined name is commonly used. This is a very famous spot where PTDC has constructed a gorgeous hotel with the help of Austrian government. An electric chair lift is also there. The facilities for scatting are also available there. This place is 9500 feet above from the sea level.