An American speaking Urdu and he can speak 14 other languages including Persian and Arabic. He is very good at Urdu and got a degree in Urdu literature from the university of Chicago
He visited Pakistan at the age of 19 for the first time and then fasted in Ramadan with the Muslims. Very impressed by the People of Pakistan and their hospitality.
Makran Coastal Highway runs along the coast of Arabian sea joining Karachi with the Gwadar. While traveling through Makran costal highway also named as N10, you will be amazed by the beauty it contains. Its a road having desert, land, sea and mountains running along. A must see place for the tourists and a beautiful addition for the tourism in Pakistan and in the beauty of Pakistan.
Historically, Taxila lay at the crossroads of three major trade routes: the royal highway from Pataliputra; the north-western route through Bactria, Kāpiśa, and Puskalāvatī (Peshawar); and the route from Kashmir and Central Asia, via Śrinigar, Mansehra, and the Haripur valley across the Khunjerab pass to the Silk Road.
Taxila is situated about 32 km to the north-west of Islamabad Capital Territory—and Rawalpindi in Punjab—just off the Grand Trunk Road. Its elevation above the sea-level is 549 meter.
Taxila
We started our journey from Islamabad and we were planning to camp at Khanpur. On our way we visited three ancient budah sites which are Sirkap, Jaulian and Dharmarajika. I would share some picture along with information of these historic sites.
Sirkap:
The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded India around 180 BC. Demetrius founded in the northern and northwestern Indian subcontinent an Indo-Greek kingdom that was to last until around 10 BC. Sirkap is also said to have been rebuilt by king Menander I.
Sirkap Entry
Sirkap Stupa
The excavation of the old city was carried out under the supervision of Sir John Marshall by Hergrew from 1912-1930. In 1944 and 1945 further parts were excavated by Mortimer Wheeler and his colleagues.
Dharmarajika:
The Dharmarajika is a large Buddhist stupa in the area of Taxila, Pakistan. It is thought that it was established by the Maurya emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE around relics of the Buddha.
Dharmarajika Mound
These structures were reinforced in the following centuries, by building rings of smaller stupas and constructions around the original ones. Several coins of the Indo-Greek king Zoilos II were found under the foundation of such a 1st century BCE stupa.
To reach this site you must take the road on the right side while traveling from Islamabad before the Taxila Museum gate. Along with the stupa other interesting things are the giant feet of Budha, i think they have taken the upper body of the sculpture. You can find some other Budha sculptures here too. Read the rest of this entry »
Tourism is a growing industry in Pakistan, based on its diverse cultures, peoples and landscapes. The variety of attractions range from the ruins of ancient civilizations such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Taxila, to the Himalayan hill stations, which attract those interested in field and winter sports. Pakistan is home to several mountain peaks over 7000m, which attracts adventurers and mountaineers from around the world, especially K2. The northern parts of Pakistan have many old fortresses, towers and other architecture as well as the Hunza and Chitral valleys, the latter being home to the small pre-Islamic Animist Kalasha community who claim descent from the army of Alexander the Great. The romance of the North West Frontier Province is timeless and legendary. In the Punjab is the site of Alexander’s battle on the Jhelum River and the historic city Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital with many examples of Mughal architecture such as the Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Tomb of Jahangir and the Lahore Fort.
There are many places beautiful in Pakistan still unknown to most of the world.
