MULTAN City

Multan is known as the City of Sufis or City of Saints and Madinat-ul-Auliya because of the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. It is the birthplace of Fariduddin Ganjshakar (popularly known as "Baba Farid"), recognized as the first major poet of the Punjabi language. Multan is located in a bend created by five rivers of central Pakistan. It is one of the oldest cities not only in the Asian subcontinent but also in the world. According to Hindu legends, 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. According to Hindu mythology, it was originally called Kashtpur (Kashyapapura) after a Hindu sage named Kashyapa, which is also the Gotraused by the Katoch dynasty. Other names were Hanspur (Hamsapura), Bagpur (Vegapura),Sanb or Sanahpur (Sambapura). It is postulated that the current name is derived from the Sanskrit name Mulasthana named after a Sun Temple.

Multan is a commercial and industrial centre, industries include fertilizer, cosmetics, glass manufacturing, cotton production and processing, large textile units, flour mills, sugar and oil mills and large-scale power generation projects. It is also famous for its handicrafts. Multan is an important agricultural centre. Wheat, cotton and sugarcane are the main crops grown; rice, maize, tobacco, bajra, moong (lentils), mash (lentils), masoor (lentils), oil seed are also grown in minor quantities

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. It has been ruled by Arabs, Muslims, Mughals, Britishers. Multan is rich in both history and archaeology, had many heritage sites and was famous for her characteristics namely, “Gard (dust), Garma Gada (heat) and Gorisatn” Some famous cuisines of the city include special dessert named "Sohan halwa" and two. special Sweet Roti's, very common and famous among Multani Families are, Doli Roti and Busri.