CHAPTER 2

(200 BC – Present)
 The name Pakistan is derived from the Urdu words
Pak (meaning pure) and Stan (meaning country) and
Persian as an acronym of the names of the “Muslim
homelands” of Western India – P for Punjab, A for
Afghania. K for Kashmi, S for Sindh and tan for Balochistan.
And I was later added to the English rendition of the name
to ease pronunciation. This country is also called the Land of
Pure.
A. GEOGRAPHICAL

Pakistan is situated in the western part of the Indian

subcontinent with Afghanistan and Iran on the West, India on
the East and the Arabian Sea on the South.

Pakistan was part of the Indus Valley civilization but it was

separated from India in 1947. Influences entered the area mainly
from Central Asia through the passes North-West and North-East
Persia; and Western Asia (Greco-Roman) influence Pakistan via
Baluchistan or Afghanistan and Indus and Ganges River provided
trade ways and good harbor at the coast. The commercial City of
Pakistan indicates its close link between Indus Valley Harrapan
Culture and ancient Mesopotamia.

The capital is Islamabad. Other major cities are Karachi (largest

city), and Lahore (cultural center).
B. GEOLOGICAL
Natural resources are available in Pakistan such as coal,
natural gas, petroleum, gypsum, limestone, chromite, iron
ore, rock salt and silica sand.

C. CLIMATIC
The climate varies from tropical to temperate, with
conditions in the coastal south. There are four distinct
seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter.
D. RELIGIOUS
Islam is the principal religion in Pakistan which is about 96%
of the population. Other religions are Hinduism (1.85%),
Christianity (1.6%), Sikhs (0.001%) and the remaining are
Parsis, Buddhists, Jews Baha’is and Animists.
E. HISTORICAL, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL

The region was invaded by Afghans, Greeks, Persians, Arabs and

was incorporated in British Raj in the 19th century. It was also a
crossroad of historic trade routes, including the Silk Road, and
was settled over thousands of years by many groups including
Dravidians, Indo-Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Parthians
Kushans, White Huns, Afghans, Turks, Mongols and Arabs.

Important Timeline in Pakistan

2500-1700 BC - under the Cradle of Civilization of South Asia

1526-1700’S - under the Mughal Empire
1700-1947 - under the British Rule
1947 - Independence
F. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

Includes various structures built during different time

periods. With the beginning of the Indus civilization around
the middle of the 3rd millennium B.C., for the first time in
the area which encompasses today’s Pakistan an advanced
urban culture developed with large structural facilities,
some of which survive to this day.

Archaeologists excavated numerous ancient cities, among

them Mohenjo Daro, Harappa and Kot Dijo, which have a
uniform, appropriate structure with broad roads as well as
well thought out sanitary and drainage facilities.
Mohenjo Daro
Harappa
Kot Dijo
Buddhist and Hindu architecture – in addition, the Persian and Greek
influence led to the development of the Greco-Buddhist style, starting
from the 1st century A.D… the high point of this era was reached with
the culmination of the Gandhara Style.
Greco-Buddhist art is the artistic manifestation
of Greco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism
between the Classical Greek culture and
Buddhism, which developed over a period of
close to 1000 years in Central Asia, between the
conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th
century BC, and the Islamic conquests of the 7th
century AD. Greco-Buddhist art is characterized
by the strong idealistic realism and sensuous
description of Hellenistic art and the first
representations of the Buddha in human form,
which have helped define the artistic (and
particularly, sculptural) canon for Buddhist art
throughout the Asian continent up to the
present. It is also a strong example of cultural
syncretism between eastern and western
traditions.
An example of the fusion
of Greco-Buddhist styles:
Representation of Buddha
with Herakles.
Three types of structure are associated with the religious
architecture of early Buddhism:
• Monasteries (viharas)
• Stupas
Buddhist commemorative monument usually housing sacred relics
associated with the Buddha or other saintly persons. The
hemispherical form of the stupa appears to have derived from
pre-Buddhist burial mounds in India
• Temples (Chaitya grihas)
A chaitya is a Buddhist shrine or prayer hall with a stupa at one end.In
modern texts on Indian architecture, the term chaitya-griha is often
used to denote an assembly or prayer hall that houses a stupa.
Mughal Era Islamic architecture as compared to India has a
very strong Islamic features applying to a very active religion
of Pakistan.
Shah Jahan’s reign – the force and originality of the style
gave way under Shah Jahan (1627 – 1658) to a delicate
elegance and refinement of detail.
Aurangzeb’s reign (1658-1707) – 3rd son of Shah Jahan;
squared stone and marble gave to brick a rubble with stucco
ornament.
ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLES
The Rinpung Dzong follows a distinctive type of fortress
architecture
Jetavanaramaya Stupa
Vatadage Temple
Mughal Architecture - an
amalgam of Islamic, Persian
and Indian architecture, is the
distinctive style developed by
the Mughals in the 16th and
17th centuries in what is now
India, Pakistan, and
Bangladesh.
Architectural Panel, Mughal
dynasty, Late 17th century,
India – This panel is either
hung in the doorway of a
palace or lined a nobleman’s
tent.
Badshahi Mosque – (1672-74 AD) the ‘Royal Mosque’ in
Lahore. The last in the series of great congregational
mosques in red sandstone and is closely modeled on the
one Shah Jahan. Badshahi mosque is the second largest in
Pakistan, capable of seating 5,000. It was built in 1674
during the reign of Emperor Aurenzeb, the last of great
Mughal ruler. The mosque is attached to the Royal Fort.
Alamgiri Gate – built in 1973 A.D., is the main entrance to
the Lahore Fort in present day Lahore, Pakistan.
Mughal Gardens – group of gardens built by the Mughals in
the Islamic style of architecture.
Shalimar Garden – (landscaped 1633-42) the garden was
laid out during the reign of Shah Jahan and mimic the
Islamic paradise of the afterlife described in the Q’uran. The
gardens follow the familiar char bagh model (for squares)
with three descending terraces.
Kamran’s Baradari (built from 1572 AD) – a garden build by
the Mughal Prince Mirza Kamran in 1572. It was originally
located in the edge of the Ravi River, but in later years, the
course of the river shifted, turning the garden into an island.
The gateway (all that remains of the garden) now leads
firectly to the tomb of Emperor Baradari.
Moti Masjid – one of the “Pearl Mosques”, is the 17th
century religious building located inside the Lahore Fort.
Naulakha Pavilion – a prominent white marble personal
chamber with curvilinear roof.
Sheesh Mahal (The Palace of Mirrors) – is located within
the Shah Burj block in northern-western corner of Lahore
Fort.
Lahore Fort – the structure is dominated by Persian
influence that deepened with the successive refurbishments
by subsequent emperors.
Royal Fort (build 1556-1839) – the forth at Lahore is a result
of many centuries’ work. Malik Ayaz, a favorite Sultan
Mahmud, built a masonry fort at Lahore and repopulated
the city. The fort was greatly expanded during the reigns of
Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Certain more
buildings:
1. Masti Gate - (a corruption of Masjid gate) named after the mosque
which still stands outside the gate. Built 1556, the gate only assumed
its present name after the construction of the nearby mosque 1641 by
empress Maryann Zamani, the mother of Jahangir.
2. The Diwan-e-‘am (Hall of Public Audience) – constructed
in the 1631-32 AD after Shah Jahan, in the first year of his
reign (1628), ordered that the temporary pavilion used to
shelter nobles at court be replaced by a “hall of forty pillars”
3.Moti Masjid – built in the Shah Jahan era about 1645 AD
and is the earliest Mughal mosque in the fort. It is one of
the three “Moti” or Pearl Mosques built in the Mughal
Period. The Moti Masjid was used as a treasury during the
Sikh period.
4.The Lal Burj – an octagonal tower constructed from 1617-
31 AD. Intended as a summer pavilion, it is decorated on the
outside with mosaic and filigree while the interior is filled
with paintings from the Sikh period. The lower two stories
were built during Jahangir and Shah Jahan’s reign, while the
upper storey is a Sikh addition.
5. The Bungla – popularly called Naulakha Pavilion, a unique
marble pavilion with a curved roof, constructed during the
reign of Shah Jahan in 1631-32 AD.
6. The Sheesh Mahal – a multi-storied structure north of
the Bungla, It is also part of the royal residence constructed
by Shah Jahan in 1631-1632.
Jahangir’s Tomb – (built from 1672 AD) Jahangir was the father of
Shah Jahan, the greatest ruler of the Mughal Dynasty. When Jahangir
died in 1625, the young Shah Jahan built Jahangir’s tomb on the site
of an existing garden laid out by Jahangir’s wife Nur Jahan. The
building is symmetrical, set amidst a 4-part garden (chahar-bagh) that
recalls the paradise of the Islamic afterlife. The tomb itself is located
at the center of the building. The marble cenotaph is decorated with
floral designs and inscribed with calligraphy of the 99 names of God.
Wazir Khan Mosque – built in 1634 AD by Hakim, Viceroy of
Punjab under Shah Jahan. The mosque shows the heavy
influence of Thatta mosaic work that became popular in the
16th century.
King Faisal Mosque, Islamabad – largest mosque in
Pakistan. It is shaped like a desert Bedouin’s tent designed
by Turkish Architect Vedat Dalokay and completed in 1986.
Minar-e-Pakistan (1940) – tall monument minaret in Iqbal
Pak Lahore, built in commemoration of the Lahore
Resolution. The Minaret reflects a blend of Mughal and
modern architecture.
Mazar-e-Quaid – Jinnah Mausoleum or the National
Mausoleum refers to the tomb of the founder of Pakistan,
Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It is an iconic symbol of Karachi
throughout the world. The mazar (mausoleum), completed
in 1960s, is situated in the heart of the city, Karachi, Sind,
Pakistan.
British Colonial Architecture – in the British colonial age
predominantly representative buildings of the Indo-
European style developed, from the mixture of European
and Indian-Islamic components.

Mohatta Palace,
Karachi – is a fine
example of a blend of
Islamic and British
architecture
The planning and urban design policies of the British
followed certain principles:

a. Their perceptions of the nature of the Indian city.

b. The fear of further revolts along the lines of the
Munity of 1857.
c. Haussmann’s plan for Paris which had become so
popular in Europe and which advocate cutting through and
demolishing old city centers to make space for new
construction and boulevards.
d. Planning techniques already in use for Britain’s
industrial cities.
Bungalow’s design
The search for an aesthetic – the Hall of Nations by Rewal is
a large column-free space that is characterized by its use of
reinforced concrete in a structure that would normally be
constructed of steel trusses, a decision influenced by the
lack of expertise in steel construction as well as the
prohibitive cost of steel at the time.
Pragati Maidan Complex
Stupas in Pakistan
• The Butkara Stupa is an important Buddhist shrine in the
area of Swat, Pakistan
• The Kanishka stupa was a monumental stupa established
by the Kushan king Kanishka during the 2nd century CE in
today’s Shah-ji-Dheri on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan
Pakistan House
• Baliwal House
• Kunduana House
• Wazir Mansion
End