language in Pakistan. I have sufficient knowledge about their cultural aspects. Life is so busy, we have to complete so many task. I have been given sufficient time to explore about the people of Multan. I have made some efforts to write a cultural paper about Saraiki community of Multan.
Multan is a large city of about two million population .This City is in the centre of Pakistan. The population is largely middle class. Literacy rate is low. Locally spoken languages include , Punjabi and Saraiki (regional language) spoken by 52% of district. Multan is Pakistan’s third largest city by area and it is fifth largest city by population in Pakistan. The majority people in this region like Muzaffar Grah ,Kbeer wala ,lodharha,bahawal pur,etc speaks Sriaki as well while Punjabi is the second most spoken language. The people are aware in Urdu because its speaks in schools, offices, Hospitals. English is understood by the educated people. The majority of the people are Muslims. The minorities like Christians, Sikh and Hindu communities living there as well. The city is located on the side of the Chenab River .
Multan is known as the City of Sufis .This city also attracted to many Sufis from all over the world and hence the name of ‘Gada O Goristan . There are many tomb in the city which are attraction for the tourists. Some of the famous tombs are there like Multani sheikh Baha-ud-Din, Shah Rukn-e-Alam and many others. The city is full of with bazaars, mosques, shrines and tombs. It is the birthplace of Fariduddin Ganjshakar popularly known as Baba Fared, recognized as the first major poet of the Punjabi language. The Saraiki region formed part of the Indus Valley civilization more than 40,000 years ago. This region has been occupied a number of times by people from West including the Aryans and the Greeks. When Muslims dominated the region, Islam spread and this region became an important Islamic center. At the time of independence of Pakistan in 1947, Muslims constituted between 75% of the population of Saraiki speaking region of West Pakistan.
Multan is located in a curve created by five rivers of central Pakistan. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The city has grown to become an powerful, political and economical center for the country .Many political leaders are belong to Multan the names is Javeed Hasmi, Yousaf Raza Gilani, and our interior minster Shah Mahmud Quershi .The showbiz star like Reema, Iftikhar takhur also belong to Multan. The city is with a dry port and excellent transport links. There is a Railway station Multan has an international airport. The airport is sited 4 km west of Multan and this is a busy airport.
Sraiki is one of the oldest languages spoken in southern Punjab. Saraiki is the oldest language .Among the different ethnic groups in Pakistan 8.38% are Saraiki. Saraiki is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan and the first language of more than 40 million people in the subcontinent. Saraiki is the 61st largest language out of more than 6000 languages in the world. It has a very rich cultural and is the delegate language . Multan is one of the main Saraiki speaking areas. It has many sweet dialects and is well thought-out as the language of love. Saraiki is the language of love and literature. Rich cultural context and diversity of expression in the language have enabled Saraiki poets and style writers to produce literature masterpieces. Saraiki poetry has different themes. Love for beloved and love for land can be identified as major ones. Sufi poets have used this language not only to speak to people but also to ALLAH ALMIGHTY. During last two centuries, Saraiki motherland has produced a lot of legendary poets. Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Sachal Sarmast and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai are some of famous Saraiki poets which are known worldwide for their universal message of love. Saraiki motherland is the extension of Great Thar and bears its prominent features of fauna and flora .
The area around the city is a flat plain and is ideal for cultivation, with many citrus and mango farms. There are many canals that cut across the Multan District, providing water from nearby farms. This makes the land very fertile. Multan provide one of the best mangoes to the world. There are many varieties of mangoes being produced and mango farms are without a doubt the most common sight in Multan. The hot weather and rich well irrigated fertile land assure unique taste for these mangoes. Chaunsa, Langra, Anwar ratol, Dusairi, Fajri, Desi and Sindhri are some of the many mango varieties currently being cultivated in Multan. The mangoes produced here are most likely the sweetest on the world and a large portion of the cultivation is exported to many different countries including America, England, Canada, Saudia Arabia and Japan. Sohan Halwa is a another area of expertise of Multan and is popular throughout the country. It is famous for the cultivation of wheat, cotton, rice and sugar cane, Sunflower seed as well as other fruits apart from mangoes such as citrus, guavas and pomegranates. Sohanjhna is the famous vegetable of the region
Multani matti is a very popular facial product. It is Multani sand used as Clay for beauty mask and skin problems. It is packed in small quantity and send to the other parts of country.it is very famous among women who are conscious about their skin. It is demand all over the country by different parlors’ and skin care foundation
Shrine of, Muhammad Yousaf Gardezi , Sheikh Baha-ud Din Zakariya, Shah Rukn-e-Alam, and Shah Shams. In 1276 AD, Shah Shams passed away and the memorial was built by his grandson in 1330 AD. It was rebuilt by one of his followers in 1718 AD Multan also boast of having some of the oldest mosques which were once well thought-out as the ornaments of the city. These mosques now take you backside the wonderful past of Multan as it was governed by Muslims for more than a thousand years.
Jaima Mosque was build the first mosque ever built in Multan. the orders of Muhammad-bin-Qasim the famous General who occupied Multan in 712 AD.
Multan is one of the hottest city of the country. It features with very hot summers and cold winters. The city witnesses some of the most extreme temperatures in the country. Recorded-breaking highest temperature of 50 °C (122 °F) was recorded on 27 May, 2010
In 1950, Governor Abdur Rub Nishtar founded Nishter Medical College and nursing school. Doctor graduates from this institute have spread across the world, and many have become well-known names in the field of medicine. There is a Children hospital military hospitals providing care to poor people. Baha-ud-din Zakariya University (formerly known as Multan University) and University of the Punjab are the main sources of higher education for this region. Multan Public School and College (MPS;C) is a leading residential institution of Southern Punjab, where Montessori classes to higher section. School are among the top institutions preparing students for O and A Level exams. There is also convent and sacred heart school these are missionary school. Ther is a long list of famous poets belonging to this region and their work is commendable. Some of the famous poets are Sachal Sir Mast, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Ghulam Fared. Still there is a small volume of literature available in Saraiki language.
