The Mausoleum of Bibi Jawandi

The Mausoleum of Bibi Jawandi

The Mausoleum of Bibi Jawandi, built in the 14th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Pakistan. All the surviving structures, including the Bibi Jawandi tomb, are excellent examples of glazed mosaic tile and brick revetments, lime-plaster panels and terra-cotta embellishments with corner tower buttresses.

Lahore

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 entrance to the fort is through Alamgiri Gate The inscription outside the Fort tells that Jehangir built it in 1618.

Heritage of Pakistan, Derawar Fort

Conclusion

In the development of Pakistani society, its cultural heritage has played a vital role. Pakistani nation is justly proud of the historical period which brings with nearly 4th century B.C and continued with the advent of Islam in the Sub Continent in 8th century A.D.

Our cultural heritage expresses courage, patience and hard life. They all are in connection with life which is a fundamental part of Islamic teachings.

Post Independence Period

Pakistan was born on the map on 14 August 1947.  At its birth Pakistan had two parts commonly referred to as East and West Pakistan.

During the year 1970 when Pakistan had a war with India, East Pakistan was completely cut off from the West Pakistan and following the elections in 1971, the East Pakistan was separated from the West and since then it is known as Bangladesh.

The story of separation of East and West Pakistan is a tragic.  It becomes worse when stories related to this separation are narrated on both sides.  Efforts must be made to avoid blaming each other and concentration must me focused on how to live and help each other  to live peacefully and in harmony.

Pakistan now has 4 provinces namely, Balocistan, Punjab, NWFP and Sindh. The country is governed by the Federal Government based in Islamabad.

British Period

By the end of the first half of the 19^th century, Pakistan was occupied by the British. Control was exercised by the creation of a new comprador class to represent their commercial interests; and the creation of a new feudal class assigned to controlling the local population. Manifestations of this new development were a demographic explosion, the expansion of the irrigation systems and the concomitant settlement of new canal colonies, railways and other forms of communication. While these were designed to further the commercial and strategic interests of the rulers, they also made the population more mobile.

The British also introduced a new language and a new educational and administrative system, disconnecting with the traditional use of Farsi and the mosque-school, the madrassah. With the introduction of the English language came European cultural paradigms, which changed literary works and led to the emergence of a new urban culture. Cricket, which has now become a part of our culture, was a product of this period. Social stratification also underwent considerable change both in the urban as well as rural areas. 

Sikh Period

The Sikhs established their Empire in the Punjab after the death of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707. With the death of Aurangzeb the country saw a series of rapid governmental changes that stressed it in to the depths of anarchy.  Taking advantage of this certain Charat Singh, who was the head of one of the Sikh Clans, established his stronghold in Gujranwala in 1763. Charat Singh died in 1774 and was succeeded by his son, Mahan Singh, who in turn fathered the most brilliant leader in the history of the Punjab: Maharaja Ranjit Singh.  It was this remarkable leader who united the whole Punjab under one flag.  His rule stretched from the banks of the Jamuna to the Khyber and from Kashmir to Multan.  Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the most powerful of all the Sikh Rulers and ruled over for complete 40 years. After his death in 1840 the Sikh Empire was divided into small principalities looked after by several Sikh Jagirdars.  This weak situation provided a good opportunity to the British of East India Company to put an end to the Sikh strong hold in the Punjab in 1849.

Sikhs are the followers of Baba Guru Nanak Sahib. He was the son of Mehta Kalu Chand and Tripta Devi, both of them Khatris by caste.  He was born at Nankana Sahib in 1464.  Sikhism was born as a direct reaction against rigid, cruel and inhuman practices of Brahamanism and its rigid caste system.  But another important factor which influenced the mind of the people who contributed to the growth of Sikhism, was the impact of Islam which had spread from Arabia to Iraq, Turkistan, Persia and Afghanistan and came in to contact with Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism.

The Sikh religion is in fact a product of the Sufi and Bhakti school of thought.  Guru Nanak was greatly influenced by Kabir and Shaikh Ibrahim Farid  (1450 - 1535) a descendent of the famous Sufi saint Shaikh Fariduddin Shakarganj of Pak Pattan whose works were incorporated in the Garanth Sahib.  Guru Nanak studied books of Hindu and Muslims religions and it was only after deep study of both the religions that he evolved his own school of thought. The basic principles of the Sikhism are much closer to Islam than to Hinduism. A study of the life, events of the Gurus and the large numbers of the monuments sacred to them will, however, reveal how deeply all the Sikh Gurus in general and Guru Nanak, Ajen Dev and Har Gobind Singh in particular are associated with Pakistan.