A famous Persian couplet speaks of Multan’s four “gifts” — dust, heat, beggars and graveyards. That has changed: the city and its district have been transformed into a green, fertile and increasingly industrial area, with its own charm, culture and crafts.
The origin of the name is obscure, as is the date of its founding. Hiuen Tsang called it Mulosanpulu, and Alberuni called it Multana, which ultimately became Multan.
Multan is known as the City of Saints for its many Sufi shrines, whose great domes and blue-and-white tile work dominate the skyline. The same glazed tiles are still made in the city’s workshops, alongside camel-skin lamps, embroidery and the famous Multani sohan halwa.
Is Multan right for you?
- Suggested time
- 1 – 2 days
- Activity level
- Easy city sightseeing
- Best for
- Sufi shrines, blue tilework and crafts
- When to go
- November to February. Multan is one of the hottest cities in Pakistan, and summer temperatures are extreme.
Combines well withBahawalpurCholistanLahore
Compare Multan with another destination →Places to see
Multan Fort
Built on a mound once separated from the city by the old bed of the Ravi. When intact its walls ran 6,600 ft with 46 bastions; the highest point gives a panoramic view of the city.
Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya
The mausoleum of one of the foremost scholars of Islam, born in 1170 A.D. and taught in Baghdad by Sheikh Shahabuddin Suhrawardi. The saint built it himself.
Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam
The grandson of Bahauddin Zakariya lies near the main gate of the fort, beneath one of the largest domes in the world — an Aga Khan Award-winning restoration.
Shrine of Shah Shams Sabzwari
Near the Aam Khas garden, the shrine of the saint who died in 1276 A.D., built by his grandson in 1330 A.D.
The blue pottery workshops
Multan’s potters still make the glazed blue-and-white tiles, vases and bowls known as kashi work, in the same style as the tiles on the city’s shrines.
Good to know
- History
- Multan was probably the city of the Malli, which Alexander stormed around 326 B.C. and where he was wounded. It was ruled by the Mauryas, Kushans and White Huns, conquered by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 A.D., and remained an outpost of Islam in the subcontinent for three centuries. Under the Mughals (1528–1748) it was known as Dar-ul-Aman, the abode of peace; it later passed to the Afghans, the Sikhs and, in 1849, the British.
- The old city
- The walled city has six gates — Lohari, Pak, Bohar, Delhi, Haram and Daulat — and narrow, colorful bazaars full of local handicrafts.
- Mosques
- Among the finest are the Wali Muhammad Mosque (1758) and Phulhatt Mosque in Chowk Bazaar, the Baqarabad Mosque (1720) and the beautiful Eidgah Mosque (1735).
- What to buy
- Blue pottery, camel-skin lamps, embroidered khussa shoes and Multani sohan halwa. In summer, Multan is famous for its mangoes.
- When to go
- November to February. Multan is one of the hottest cities in Pakistan, and summer temperatures are extreme.
- Festivals
- Religious festivals in Multan are a mixture of devotion and celebration. An annual Urs is held at every shrine — the best known being those of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Bahauddin Zakariya and Shah Shams Sabzwari.
Header photo: Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam — Junaidali88z, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons