Pakistan: The Forgotten Quarter
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The next day we drive to the archeological site of Taxila, a series of excavated mounds beneath which are the ruins of cities dating back four thousand years. Successive civilizations flourished until around the year 500, when invading “White Huns” from Central Asia ended it all. The site is noted for Gandharan artifacts unearthed there but, because the building material used was brick rather than stone, little survives. Continual erosion from rainwater reveals fresh finds which enterprising guides and guards eagerly offer for sale. (I buy a square Indo-Greek silver coin with a clear image of an elephant on one side and Alexander the Great on the obverse.) Taxila is on the World Heritage List and ranks as the #1 foreign-tourist attraction in Pakistan, undoubtedly because it is an easy day trip for diplomatic personnel and businessmen and there is a dearth of any other type of tourists.
A bit further on is Peshawar, gateway to the Khyber Pass, but we are unable to continue because ahead are multiple checkpoints that turn back foreigners. This is also the beginning of the Northwest Frontier Province, home to the Pashtun tribe that is the base of support for the Taliban. The men wear a distinctive cap that looks a bit like a Tam O’Shanter.
The next day is a trip to Rohtas Fort, built in the 16th century to protect the Punjabi plain from invaders coming via the Khyber Pass. With walls 4km in circumference, it is considered the finest example of Pashtun-Hindu architecture. Anywhere else, a sight like this would be crawling with tourists, but here we are alone.
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In Multan, you have to be a sound sleeper to make it past the 5:30 AM call to prayer. However, it takes a while to get underway because we can't leave before our chronically late security team arrives.
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Bahawalpur was an autonomous princely state, whose ruler, in 1947, chose to become part of Pakistan. It is on the edge of the Cholistan Desert; on other side is Bikaner, a princely state that became part of India and which I visited in 2009. The Victorian-era royal palace is best looking building in town, but it is now used by the army so not even photos are allowed much less visits. The Library is one of several other stately buildings.
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We proceed to Manchar Lake, the largest lake in Pakistan, created by the Sukkur barrage. We are supposed to visit people of the Mohana tribe, who live on the lake in houseboats. Reputedly descendants of the ancient Medes (and often called such), they are ethnically distinct from the Sindhi who surround them. When we arrive at a lakeside village, there is a political meeting of some sort in progress. For the first time, the people seem hostile to our presence. (Looking at the photos I took that afternoon, everyone, old and young, had a scowl or a threatening look. We engage a boat to take us out to the Mohanas, but they won't get closer than a couple of hundred yards: they explain that there is trouble between the boat and shore people, and they are not allowed any nearer. Oh well, the Religion of Peace and all that.
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Trip date: February, 2013