Multan
ملتان | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 30°11′52″N 71°28′11″E / 30.19778°N 71.46972°E | |
Country | Pakistan |
Province | Punjab |
Division | Multan |
Autonomous towns | 6 |
Union council | 4 |
Government | |
• Type | Metropolitan Corporation[1] |
• Mayor | None (Vacant)[2] |
• Deputy Mayor | None (Vacant)[2] |
Area | |
• City | 3,721 km2 (1,437 sq mi) |
• Metro | 560 km2 (220 sq mi) |
Population (2017)[6] | |
• City | 1,827,001 |
• Rank | 7th, Pakistan |
• Density | 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
• Demonym | Multani |
Time zone | UTC+05:00 (PKT) |
Area code | 061 |
Website |
Multan (مُلتان; [mʊltaːn] ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, located on the bank of river Chenab. It is one of the five largest urban centres of Pakistan in 2024 and serves as the administrative centre of Multan Division.[7] A major cultural, religious and economic centre of Punjab region, Multan is one of the oldest inhabited cities of Asia, with a history stretching deep into antiquity.
Multan became part of the Achaemenid Empire in the early 6th century BC. The ancient city was site of the renowned Multan Sun Temple, and was besieged by Alexander the Great during the Mallian Campaign.[8] Later it was conquered by the Umayyad military commander Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE after the conquest of Sindh.[9] In 9th century it became capital of the Emirate of Multan.[10] The region came under the rule of the Ghaznavids and the Delhi Sultanate in the medieval period. In 1445, it became capital of the Langah Sultanate. After administrative reforms of Mughal emperor Akbar, it became one of the provinces of the Mughal Empire. In 1848, it was conquered by the British from Sikh Empire and became part of British Punjab.
The city was among most important trading centres and a great centre of knowledge and learning in the medieval Islamic Indian subcontinent,[11] and attracted a multitude of Sufi mystics in the 11th and 12th centuries, becoming a great centre of spirituality in entire South Asia and earning the city the sobriquet "City of Saints." The city, along with the nearby city of Uch, is renowned for its large number of Sufi shrines dating from that era.[12]
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