About this sound Multan is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province. Multan District has a population of over 3.8 million—according to 1998 census—and the city itself is the sixth largest within the boundaries of Pakistan. It is situated on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about 966 km (600 mi) from Karachi.
Multan is known as the City of Sufis due to the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and ornate tombs. It is located in a bend created by five rivers of the Punjab province. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The city has grown to become an influential political and economical center for the country, with a dry port and excellent transport links. Multan is famous for its crops: wheat, cotton and sugar cane as well as mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranates.
Multan is one of the oldest cities in the Asian subcontinent.[citation needed] It was the capital of the Trigarta Kingdom at the time of the Mahabharata war, ruled by the Katoch Dynasty. Multan has had various names over the years, originally Kashtpur (Kashyapapura)after the great Hindu sage Kashyapa, which is also the Gotra used by the Katoch dynasty. Other names were Hanspur (Hamsapura), Bagpur (Vegapura), Sanb or Sanahpur (Sambapura). Its current name is derived from the Sanskrit name Mulasthana (also Mitrasthana) named after a sun temple. Multan has frequently been a site of conflict due to its location on a major invasion route between South Asia and Central Asia. It is believed to have been visited by Alexander the Great's army. In the mid-5th century, the city was attacked by a group of Huna Hephthalite nomads led by Toramana.
In 7th century during Amir Muavia's period, his one commander Mohlab in 664 captured Multan but it was not permanent.In the 8th century, Multan was conquered along with Sindh by Banu Ummaya the army of Muhammad bin Qasim from the local ruler Chach. Following bin Qasim's conquest, the city was securely under Muslim rule, although it was in effect an independent state and most of the subjects were non-Muslim.
In 1005 CE (396 AH), the ruler of Multan, Abool Futteh Dawood, rebelled against the rule of Mahmud of Ghazni. When Abool heard of the approach of Mahmud from Ghazni, he solicited the aid of his ally Anandpal, the successor of Jaipal; who—true to his alliance—detached the greater part of his army to oppose Mahmud in Peshawar. Multan's location at the entrance to the sub-continent resulted in it being invaded by a long series of conquerors on their way to Delhi. Timur, Babur and many others passed through the city leaving much destruction in their wake.
Following annexation to Mughal empire in 1557 CE, at the beginning of emperor Akbars rule Multan enjoyed 200 years of peace, and became known as Dar al-Aman (Abode of Peace). Akbar was known as a wise ruler, setting reasonable taxes, creating effective government and being tolerant of religious differences.
Multan witnessed difficult times as Mughal rule declined in early 1700s, starting after death of emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. Persia was united under Nader Shah, ruling from 1736 as Shah of Iran. After his assassination in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani—who was originally born in Multan—rose to power. This counts as beginning of Durrani Empire. However, after death of Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1772, the influence of Durrani empire declined sharply in mere fifty years. Starting at late in 1700s, Multan was ruled locally by the Pashtun Sadozai and Khakwani chieftains.
In 1817, Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent a body of troops to Multan under the command of Diwan Bhiwani Das to receive from Nawab Muzaffar Khan the tribute he owed to the Sikh Darbar. Bhiwani Das laid siege to the city, but failed to capture Multan. Maharaja Ranjit Singh planned a fresh expedition and sent a strong force under his son Kharak Singh's charge.
In 1818, Kharak Singh's armies lay around Multan without making much initial headway. Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent a large cannon named Zamzama along with Akali Phula Singh's Nihang regiment. The Zamzama was fired with effect and the gates of the city were blown in. Akali Phula Singh made a sudden rush and took the garrison by surprise. The Nawab stood in his way resolved to fight to death. Prince Kharak Singh left Jodh Singh Khalsa with 600 men to guard the fort of Multan. The Sikhs thereafter ruled Punjab until 1849, losing it to the British in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.
Multan, Pakistan: Sunni Muslim devotees return back to their homes on a packed train after attending annual religious congregation
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