CULTURAL INHERITANCE OF PAKISTAN

   The first guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, founded Kartarpur in 1504 CE on the right bank of the Ravi River and established the first Sikh commune there. Following his death in 1539, Hindus and Muslims both claimed him as their own and raised mausoleums in his memory with a common wall between them.(Wikipedia) In November 2019, the Pakistan and India opened the corridor linking Dera Baba Sahib in Gurdaspur in India and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, in a historic people-to-people initiative as part of commemoration of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, who is buried in Kartarpur. The anotyher holiest place is the Gurudwara Janam Asthan Sahib- Nankana Sahibit is one of the most revered places for Sikhs from all over the world, located approximately 65kms from Lahore.  Another important place is the Gurudwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal Located in Hasan Abdal, near the city of Islamabad, the 19th century Gurudwara attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. It is particularly important to Sikhs because legend has it that it has an imprint of Guru Nanak’s hand on a boulder.

  The famous Silk Road runs through Pakistan. One can see many shrines and statues of Buddha along the route. Sponsored by the government of Pakistan the Buddhist trail will be developed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Azad Jammu Kashmir; giving way to the Buddhist pilgrims from all across the world to visit Pakistan. Further, much like how Sikhs were given a warm welcome at Kartarpur, the Buddhist community will be given the same respect and understanding. Some important places of Buddhist civilization that are in Pakistan are The ancient city of Taxila, located around 35 kilometers from the federal capital, is a beautiful destination to explore archeological wonders, and many of the Buddhist sites present here date back to 600 BC and 500 AD. Adjacent to Taxila stands the ancient Kingdom of Gandhara, which is a poignant reminder of stupas and Buddha statues erected on the orders of Ashoka the Great, the Maurya King who set out to spread the words of Buddha. (Source: Global Village Space).

     UNESCO LISTED - KALASH CULTURE AS 

      “INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE"  

The Kalasha Valleys  are valleys in Chitral District in northern Pakistan The valleys are surrounded by the Hindukush mountain range. The inhabitants of the valley are the Kalash People who have a unique culture, language and follow a form of Ancient Hinduism. As such, the Kalasha Valleys are a source of attraction for Pakistani as well as International tourists.  There are three main valleys. The largest and most populous valley is Bumburet, reached by a road from Ayun in the Kunar Valley. Rumbur is a side valleys north of Bumburet. The third valley, Biriu , is a side valley of the Kunar Valley south of Bumburet. (Source: Wikepedia)  

      The influence of Sufism in the Pakistani culture of Sufism is everywhere. Sixty percent of the population identifies itself as Sufis. Sufism came to the present day Pakistan in the 13th century. Today there are five important historical shrines in Pakistan.  The shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh Hajveri which is located in the city of Lahore Punjab, Shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi, in Karachi the largest metropolis city on the Arabian Sea, Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine was built in the year 1356. It is located in Shewan Sharif, Shrine of Sachal Sarmast, Khairpur in Sindh which is in the south of Pakistan, last of the famous Sufi shrine is the Shrine of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakaria,in Multan city which is famously known as the city of saints.