Oman Nadeem's Pakistan page

Pakistan is unique ! Situated in the heart of the South Asian Sub-continent, it is a country with its own history and cultural heritage, fascinating in its own right. Pakistan was the site for one of the world's earliest human settlements, the great prehistoric Indus Valley Civilisation, the crucible of ancient empires, religions and cultures. The land of Pakistan ranges from lofty mountains in the north, the Karakoram and the Himalayas, through dissected plateaus tothe rich alluvial plains of the Punjab. Then follows desolate barrenness of Baluchistan and the hot, dry deserts of Sindh blending into miles and miles of golden beaches of Makran coast. Come and Explore the Treasures of Pakistan with us ......A visitor to Pakistan is more than a tourist - to us he is an honoured guest.

Attrection of pakistan............

Attractions
        Karachi: Pakistan's commercial centre and largest city is a sprawling place of bazaars, hi-tech electronic shops, scurf-infested older buildings and modish new hotels. Its sights are spread far and wide so a taxi or rickshaw is necessary to travel between them. A good place to start is the Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum, a monument to Pakistan's founder Ali Jinnah which can be charitably described as distinctive. More impressive is the remarkable white-marbled Defence Housing Society Mosque. The single dome, claimed to be the largest of its kind in the world, will make your gum cleave to the roof of your mouth. Above the mosque is Honeymoon Lodge, birthplace of the Aga Khan. Other sights include the Holy Trinity Cathedral and St Andrew's Church (both good examples of Anglo-Indian architecture), the city's zoo, and the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, hills where the dead are traditionally exposed to vultures. South of the city is Clifton, a former British hangout and now an exclusive coastal corner for the local wealthy, the popular but rather drab Clifton Beach, and Manora Island, a less-crowded beach resort. Saddar, the city centre, is the main shopping area with thriving markets selling carpets, fur coats, leather jackets, snake-skin purses, silk scarves and the country's biggest range of handicrafts. It also has a number of food stalls and cheap restaurants and the majority of budget hotels. Nightlife in Karachi is an oxymoron. If travel outside of Karachi is possible, then the archaeological site of Moenjodaro - once a city of an Indus Valley civilisation - and the Chaukundi tombs are well worth a visit. MORE
      Lahore: The capital of Punjab is Pakistan's cultural, educational and artistic centre and easily the most visited city in the country. With its refuge of shady parks and gardens, its clash of Moghul and colonial architecture, and the exotic thrill of its congested streets and bazaars, it's not hard to see why. A collection of some of the city's attractions include: The Mall, an area of parks and buildings with a decidedly British bent; Lahore Museum, the best and biggest museum in the country; Kim's Gun, the cannon immortalised in Kipling's classic Kim; Aitchison College, an achingly beautiful public school that boasts Imran Khan as a former pupil; Lahore Fort, filled with stately palaces, halls and gardens; and the Old City, where a procession of rickshaws, pony carts, hawkers and veiled women fill the narrow lanes. The city has too many tombs, mosques and mausoleums too mention.
     Around Punjab: Punjab is Pakistan's most fertile province, rich in both agriculture and ancient history. It's also one of the more stable of the country's regions, and travellers should have few of the problems that are faced further south and in the north. The prosperous and hospitable town of Bahawalpur is a gentle introduction to the area. From here you can journey into Cholistan - a sandy wasteland dotted with nomadic communities and wind-swept forts - or the Lal Suhanra National Park, an important wildlife reserve. Further north is Harappa which is, after Moenjodaro, the second most important site of the Indus Valley civilisation. Rawalpindi and the country's capital, Islamabad, are twin cities. The former is a patchwork of bustling bazaars while the latter is subdued, suburban and still being built (construction of the new capital didn't begin until 1961). From here you can visit Taxila, an archaeological repository, and Hasan Abdul, a place of holy pilgrimmage. North of Peshawar is the district of Swat, reckoned to have the loveliest scenery in Pakistan's northern valleys, and Chitral, a relatively unspoilt area of lush valleys, hot springs and great walks. Vertigo sufferers should steer clear of Indus Koshitan to the west, a land of colossal peaks and bottomless canyons with more good walks.
     The Northern Areas: The Northern Areas see few travellers but those that brave the unruly terrain normally end up in Gilgit, the capital. There's not much in the city, save a bazaar that's full of Central Asian traders, but it's an excellent base for alpine walks, trout fishing and pottering about for historical ruins in the countryside. Baltistan, once an unexplored dead end, is now privvy to world-class mountaineering, fine treks and lovely scenery. More accessible and just as striking - check out the irrigated terraces rippling down the slop      es - is the region of Hunza, Nagar & Gojal towards the Chinese border.

Facts at a Glance:

   Full country name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
   Area: 887,700 sq km (550,374 sq mi)
   Population: 124.8 million
   Capital city: Islamabad
   People: 56% Punjabi (also Pathans, Baluch, Mohajir, Sindhis)
   Language: Urdu (also Punjabi, English and regional dialects)
   Religion: 97% Muslim, 3% Christian and Hindu
   Government: Democracy

Economic Profile:

   GDP: US$282 billion
   World GDP ranking: 41st GDP per head: US$434
   Annual growth: 4.7%
   Inflation: 12.2%
   Major industries: agriculture, textiles, cement, fertilisers and steel
   Major trading partners: China, Japan, USA, Germany and UK

    Environment:
         Pakistan's neighbours are an eclectic and ornery bunch: Iran to the south-west; Afghanistan to the west and north; China to the north-east; and India stretching down its eastern side. The southern coast abuts the Arabian Sea. The country is composed of towering peaks in the north (including the second-highest mountain in the world, 8611m/28,245ft K2), dry and scrubby mountains in the west, an inhospitable plateau in the south-west, barren deserts in the south-east and alluvial plains everywhere else. These plains, constituting about a third of the country, are Pakistan's `heart', where most of its people live and most of its food is grown. Coursing through all this tumult is the Indus River, which falls from Tibet then travels 2500km (1550mi) south before emptying through an immense delta into the Arabian Sea.
Natural fauna in Pakistan's lowlands is patchy - mostly scattered clumps of grass and stunted woodlands. However, as the landscape rises, there are quite large coniferous forests and carpeted slopes of multicoloured flowers in the northern mountains. Fauna includes bear, snow leopard, deer and jackal. Pakistan's 800km (500mi) of coastline teems with shark, shellfish and sea turtle, while the Indus delta is home to the marsh crocodile.
Pakistan has three seasons: cool (October through February); hot (March through June); and wet (July through September). There are, however, big regional variations. In the south, the cool season brings dry days and cool nights, while the northern mountains get drizzle and plummeting night-time temperatures. The hot season means suffocatingly hot and humid conditions in the south but pleasant temperatures northwards. During the wet season, the tail end of the monsoon dumps steady rain mostly in the narrow belt of the Punjab from Lahore to Islamabad. But further north, the high mountains block all but the most determined clouds, which means relatively little rain falls there (budding trekkers please take note).
Facts for the Traveller:
     Visas: Visas are required by nationals from most European and English-speaking countries. A Pakistan visa allows you to enter the country up to six months from the date you get it, and stay up to three months from the date you enter. However, if you stay longer than 30 days you are required to register at a foreigners' registration office; these are in the larger towns and cities.
Health risks: Hepatitis A, malaria and, in rural areas, Japanese encephalitis.
Currency: Pakistani rupee
Relative costs:
      cheap meal:         US$2-3
      restaurant meal:   US$7-10
      cheap room:        US$4-5
      hotel room:          US$10-15
Time: GMT/UTC plus five hours
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: metric
Tourism: 424,000 visitors

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