ملتان: تاریخ، تہذیب اور ثقافت کے آئینے میں

Multan: In The Mirror of History, Civilization and Culture

Abstract

Multan is an ancient city rich in history, civilization, and culture. Its antiquity can be gauged from the extensive list of names this region has borne across different eras. According to certain traditions, traces of the city's existence date back to the expulsion of Adam from Paradise and the Great Flood of Noah. According to Ibn-e-Hanif, modern-day Multan is the ancient 'Maluha Des', which has been repeatedly mentioned in Iraqi inscriptions dating back four to five thousand years. Regarding its geographical boundaries, there was a time when the Ravi River flowed at the feet of Multan, and the city held its own provincial status. However, during the British rule in 1849, Multan's distinct provincial status was abolished. Mystics and Sufis migrated to this land from afar and completely immersed themselves in the essence of Multan; owing to these blue-robed (Azraq Posh) and dark-robed (Kabood Posh) Sufis, this region is recognized worldwide as the "Land of Saints" (Sarzameen-e-Auliya). The region of Multan stands as living proof of a vibrant civilization where various religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Islam have flourished.

      References in Roman Script:

1. Muhammad Aslam Maitla, Multan Nama, Multan: Saraiki Research Centre, Bahauddin Zakariya University, 2005, p. 17.
2. Hafeez Khan, Multan Nisf Jahan (Zamana-e-Qadeem Se 1176 Tak Ki Mustanad Tareekh), Islamabad: National Book Foundation, April 2017, pp. 55–56.
3. Ibid,p. 21–22.
4. Ibid, p. 22.
5. Riffat Abbas, Ain Narangi Andar, Multan: Khamees Yatra, March 2012, p. 183.
6. Ibn-e-Hanif, Saat Daryaon Ki Sarzameen, Lahore: Fiction House, 2017, p. 195.
7. Muhammad Aslam Maitla, Multan Nama, pp. 18–20.
8. Hafeez Khan, Multan Nisf Jahan (Zamana-e-Qadeem Se 1176 Tak Ki Mustanad Tareekh), pp. 23–24.
9. Ibid,p. 25.
10. Munshi Abdul Rahman Khan, Ek Tareekh, Ek Yad Dasht; Ek Taaruf, Ek Tajziya, Ek Tabsara: Aina-e-Multan, Multan: Maktaba Ashraf-ul-Maarif, Chahlik, n.d. (Preface dated 31 December 1971), p. 28.
11. Hafeez Khan, Multan Nisf Jahan (Zamana-e-Qadeem Se 1176 Tak Ki Mustanad Tareekh), p. 21.
12. Muhammad Aslam Maitla, Multan Nama, p. 106.
13. Rana Mehboob Akhtar, Sindh Gulal: Sumbara Se Shah Latif Tak, Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2024, p. 333.
14. Farukh Durrani, “Shehar Ka Samaji Aur Saqafati Irtiqa,” in Multan: Tasawwuf, Adab-o-Saqafat Ke Aaine Mein, ed. Khalil Ahmad, Lahore: Fiction House, January 2021, p. 273.
15. Rana Mehboob Akhtar, Sindh Gulal: Sumbara Se Shah Latif Tak, p. 41.
16. Rana Mehboob Akhtar, interview with the author, 15 October 2024, Emerson University, Multan, 12:30 p.m.
17. Farukh Durrani, “Shehar Ka Samaji Aur Saqafati Irtiqa,” in Multan: Tasawwuf, Adab-o-Saqafat Ke Aaine Mein, ed. Khalil Ahmad, p. 274–275.
18. Shamim Arif Qureshi, Neel Katha, Multan: Jhok Publishers, 2008, p. 92.
19. Shamim Arif Qureshi, Neel Katha, p. 41.
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21. Shamim Arif Qureshi, Neel Katha, p. 44.
22. Muhammad Aslam Maitla, Multan Nama, p. 29.
23. Farukh Durrani, “Shehar Ka Samaji Aur Saqafati Irtiqa,” in Multan: Tasawwuf, Adab-o-Saqafat Ke Aaine Mein, ed. Khalil Ahmad, p. 273.
24. Muhammad Aslam Maitla, Multan Nama, p. 313.
25. Ibid,p. 314.
26. Ibid,p. 197.
27. David Ross, The Land of the Five Rivers and Sindh, London, 1883, p. 83.
28. Arshad Multani, Kulliyat: Kho-e-Wafa-o-Mehr, comp. Sumaiya Wali Khan, supervised by Dr. Rubina Tareen and Dr. Mumtaz Kilani, Multan: Department of Urdu, Bahauddin Zakariya University, January 2006, p. 60.
29. Shamim Arif Qureshi, Neel Katha, p. 38.
30. Riffat Abbas, Ain Narangi Andar, p. 212.