Theme Week Pakistan – Hyderabad

25 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Tombs of Talpur Mirs © Waheed.chandio/cc-by-sa-4.0

Tombs of Talpur Mirs © Waheed.chandio/cc-by-sa-4.0

Hyderabad is a city located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the second-largest city in Sindh and 8th largest in Pakistan. Founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro of the Kalhora Dynasty, Hyderabad served as a provincial capital until the British transferred the capital to Karachi in 1843. The city was named in honour of Ali, the fourth caliph and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Hyderabad’s name translates literally as “Lion City” – from haydar, meaning “lion,” and ābād, which is a suffix indicating a settlement. “Lion” references Ali’s valour in battle, and so he is often referred to as Ali Haydar, roughly meaning “Ali the Lionheart,” by South Asian Muslims.   read more…

Theme Week Pakistan – Islamabad

24 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  14 minutes

Constitution Avenue © Zacharie Grossen/cc-by-sa-4.0

Constitution Avenue © Zacharie Grossen/cc-by-sa-4.0

Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan, and is federally administered as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Islamabad is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, while the larger Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area is the country’s fourth largest with a population of about 7.4 million. Built as a planned city in the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad is noted for its high standards of living, and abundant greenery. The city is the political seat of Pakistan and local government setup is run by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation, supported by the Capital Development Authority (CDA). Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the northeastern part of the country, between Rawalpindi District and the Margalla Hills National Park to the north. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the Margalla Pass acting as the gateway between the two regions.   read more…

Theme Week Pakistan – Peshawar

23 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

Bala Hissar Fort © NoahOmarY/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bala Hissar Fort © NoahOmarY/cc-by-sa-4.0

Peshawar is the capital of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its largest city. It is the sixth-largest in Pakistan. Peshawar is also the largest Pashtun-majority city in Pakistan and is bilingual in Pashto and Hindko. Situated in the broad Valley of Peshawar near the eastern end of the historic Khyber Pass, close to the border with Afghanistan, Peshawar’s recorded history dates back to at least 539 BCE, making it the oldest city in Pakistan and one of the oldest cities in South Asia. As the center of the ancient Gandhara region, Peshawar served as the capital of the Kushan Empire; and was home to the Kanishka stupa. Peshawar was then sacked by the White Huns, before the arrival of Muslim empires. The city was an important trading centre during the Mughal era before serving as the winter capital of the Afghan Durrani Empire from 1757 until the city was captured by the Sikh Empire in 1818, who were then followed by the British in 1849.   read more…

Theme Week Pakistan

22 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  25 minutes

Prime Minister's Secretariat Building in Islamabad © Maqsoodgujjer/cc-by-sa-4.0

Prime Minister’s Secretariat Building in Islamabad © Maqsoodgujjer/cc-by-sa-4.0

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the world’s fifth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212.2 million. By area, it is the 33rd-largest country, spanning 881,913 square kilometres (340,509 square miles). Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre (650-mile) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman. Pakistan has made a name for itself in recent years, particularly through attacks by fundamentalist Islamists against the religious minorities and the conversion from secular rule of law to Sharia (Blasphemy Law). This also includes court judgments for contrived or alleged blasphemy (Prophet Muhammad) against members of the Christian minority. Lynching by Islamist mobs against religious minorities is now the order of the day. Antisemitism is “good manners”. Pakistan is a beautiful country with a lot to see. Unfortunately, it allows itself to be deformed.   read more…

Theme Week Afghanistan – Kabul

30 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  17 minutes

Kabul in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains © flickr.com - Joe Burger/cc-by-sa-2.0

Kabul in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains © flickr.com – Joe Burger/cc-by-sa-2.0

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, located in the eastern section of the country. It is also a municipality, forming part of the greater Kabul Province, and divided into 22 districts. According to estimates in 2020, the population of Kabul is 4.222 million, which includes all the major ethnic groups of Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s only city with a population of over 1 million, Kabul serves as its political, cultural and economical center. Rapid urbanization had made Kabul the world’s 75th largest city. Kabul is known for its gardens, bazaars, and palaces. It was also formerly a mecca for young western hippies. Despite frequent terrorist attacks in the city, mainly by Taliban insurgents, the city continues to develop and was the fifth fastest-growing city in the world as of 2012.   read more…

Theme Week Afghanistan – Jalalabad

29 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Spīn Ghar Range © Christopher Killalea/cc-by-sa-3.0

Spīn Ghar Range © Christopher Killalea/cc-by-sa-3.0

Jalālābād, or Dzalalabad, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. It is the capital of Nangarhar Province. Jalalabad is located at the junction of the Kabul River and the Kunar River. It is linked by an approximately 150-kilometre (95 mi) highway with Kabul to the west, and a 130-kilometre (80 mi) highway with the Pakistani city of Peshawar to the east. Jalalabad has a population of 240,000, making it one of the five largest cities of Afghanistan. Jalalabad is a leading center of social and trade activity because of its proximity with the Torkham border crossing, 65 km (40 mi) away. Major industries include papermaking, as well as agricultural products including oranges, lemon, rice, and sugarcane due to its warm climate. It has six districts and a total land area of 12,796 hectares (31,620 acres). The total number of dwellings in this city is 39,586.   read more…

Theme Week Afghanistan – Herat

28 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  15 minutes

Gawhar Shad Mausoleum © Alimosavisam/cc-by-sa-4.0

Gawhar Shad Mausoleum © Alimosavisam/cc-by-sa-4.0

Herāt is the third-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 507,000, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated in the fertile valley of the Hari River in the western part of the country. It is linked with Kandahar, Kabul, and Mazar-i-Sharif via Highway 1 or the ring road. It is further linked to the city of Mashhad in neighboring Iran through the border town of Islam Qala, and to Mary in Turkmenistan to the north through the border town of Torghundi.   read more…

Theme Week Afghanistan – Mazar-i-Sharif

27 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Blue Mosque © flickr.com - ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office/cc-by-2.0.

Blue Mosque © flickr.com – ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office/cc-by-2.0.

Mazār-i-Sharīf, also called Mazār-e Sharīf, or just Mazar, is the fourth-largest city of Afghanistan, with a 2015 UN–Habitat population estimate 430,000. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highways with Kunduz in the east, Kabul in the southeast, Herat in the west and Termez in Uzbekistan in the north. It is about 55 km (34 mi) from the Uzbek border. The city also serves as one of the many tourist attractions because of its famous shrines as well as the Islamic and Hellenistic archeological sites. The ancient city of Balkh is also nearby.   read more…

Theme Week Afghanistan – Kandahar

26 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

© Afgbeast/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Afgbeast/cc-by-sa-4.0

Kandahar is a city located in Afghanistan, with a population of about 614,118. Kandahar is located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of 1,010 m (3,310 ft). It is the capital of Kandahar Province, and also the center of the larger cultural region called Loy Kandahar. In 1709, Mirwais Hotak made the region an independent kingdom and turned Kandahar into the capital of the Hotak dynasty. In 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the Durrani dynasty, made Kandahar the capital of the Afghan Empire. Kandahar is one of the most culturally significant cities of the Pashtuns and has been their traditional seat of power for more than 300 years. It is a major trading center for sheep, wool, cotton, silk, felt, food grains, fresh and dried fruit, and tobacco. The region produces fine fruits, especially pomegranates and grapes, and the city has plants for canning, drying, and packing fruit, and is a major source of marijuana and hashish en route to Tajikistan.   read more…

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