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Multan

File:Shrine_Shah_Rukn-e-Alam.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as Mooltan, Moultan

Multan is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the sixth-largest city in the country; and serves as the administrative headquarters of its eponymous division and district. A major cultural, religious and economic centre of the Punjab region, Multan is one of the oldest inhabited cities of Asia, with a history stretching deep into antiquity.

AI overview

Multan is a major city in Pakistan's Punjab province, located on the Chenab River, and serves as the administrative center for its division and district. As one of Asia's oldest inhabited cities with a rich history, Multan is an important cultural, religious, and economic hub in the Punjab region.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

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Place details

Locality
ملتان
Region
پنجاب
Country
پاکستان
Population
2,169,915
Timezone
Asia/Karachi

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

Settlement.leader_title2
Deputy Mayor
Settlement.leader_name2
None (Vacant)
Settlement.established_title
Settled
Settlement.established_date
3000 BC
Settlement.area_metro_km2
560
Settlement.population_as_of
2023
Settlement.total_type
City
Settlement.population_density_km2
7000
Settlement.population_rank
6th in Pakistan 5th in Punjab
Settlement.postal_code
60xxx
Settlement.area_code
061
Settlement.name
Multan
Settlement.settlement_type
Metropolis
Settlement.image_caption
Clockwise from top:The tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Saint Mary's Cathedral, Clock Tower, Multan Cricket Stadium, Shahi Eid Gah Mosque, Tomb of Shamsuddin Multani
Settlement.pushpin_map
Pakistan Punjab#Pakistan
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
Location in Punjab##Location in Pakistan
Settlement.pushpin_mapsize
250
Settlement.subdivision_type
Country

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Population
1871843
Area
286
Elevation
122
Official website
www.multan.gov.pk
Image
MultanMontage.jpg
Dialing code
061
Show 6 more facts
Commons gallery
Multan
postal code
60000
IPA transcription
mʊltaːn
Commons category
Multan
Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

See

Multan has enough to keep the visitor interested for 1 or 2 days - the highlights are the old fort and tombs, and the excellent Institute of Blue Pottery.

Do

Cricket: You may be able to catch a game at the Multan Cricket Stadium, which is a traditional venue for a test match and a one-day international every cricket season, which runs from September to February in Pakistan. Cricket has a huge following here, as anywhere in Pakistan. The national captain and star batsmen Inzamam-Ul-Haq is a local boy, and any game sets the town into a frenzy of excitement. ODIs are well attended, sell out crowds. For an "at ease" experience, go to a day at the test. Moderate crowds will make it a much more enjoyable experience. The Multan pitch is one of the flatest in the world, so batting feasts are the norm. Good viewing! thumb|Multan Cricket Stadium Visit Sufi Saint Shrines Visit these beautiful shrines ranging from 400 to 1000 years old architectures. Tomb Mai Maharban near chowk fawara Shrine of Shah Rukne Alam in Multan fort Shrine of Shah Bahaudin Zikarya in Multan fort Shrine of Shah Yusuf Gardez inside bohar gate Shrine of Shah Shah Ali Akbar suraj miani graveyard Shrine of Khawaja Awais Kagha in dera basti graveyard Shrine of Bibi Pak Daman in dera basti graveyard Shrine of Inayat Wilayat Shrine of Musa Pak Shaheed

Buy

Retail stores: Multan has three main shopping districts. Saddar Bazzar, Hussain Agahi and Gulgasht. While there is no big supermarket, tourists and foreigners do their shopping from CSD plaza in Cantonment, Prince Departmental store in Saddar (there is a fine supermarket at the basement where you can get all the imported groceries) and Panda on Bosan Road. Sharif Plaza near the city courts has garment retail shops that sell at a bargain. Food Festival is a local chain of convenience stores with main branch at Nishtar Chowk. HTH stores are located in Shahruknealam colony and Garden town. Multan Mart: out in I11, you'll find a massive Mart offering groceries and household items. While their prices are competitive, they might not be the most budget-friendly option in town. However, if you're in search of a Western-style shopping trolley experience, this is your top choice. Hussain Agahi is a huge but congested market that sells almost anything, famous for local textiles, electronics, spices, carpets, handicrafts, pottery, and the famous Multani halwa. Mind you that without negotiating, you will not get a good deal. Almost everyone are selling the same items, so finding a bargain is quite easy. Haggle for everything you want. Brands and textiles: Most of the brands are found at Chenone Tower at Abdali Road and Pace at Bosan Road. Feb-March is usually the big sales season Blue Tiles: Multan is very famous for its beautiful blue tiles, used in bathrooms and other areas of house/bui…

Eat

Mangoes: Multan is known as the city of mangoes for a reason. The mango season, whilst stifflingly hot for non regional visitors, affords an amazing treat. Multan produces the juiciest, thickest and the most succulent mangoes in the world. Worth an international flight alone... almost! There are many types of mangoes in Pakistan, including "SindhRi", "anwar rittol", "langRa" , "Chonsa", and "doosairi". Each of them is different in taste, size, quality of pulp etc. Multani Sohan Halwa: Special dessert of Multan (sometimes mistaken as Habshi Halwa). It is made of sugar, pure ghee and flour and then jeweled with nuts and pistachios. It can be had at most of the tourist spots and sweets shops . Visit Qadeerabad if you want to see it made fresh and indulge in its flavour when it is dished out right off the stove. Many street stalls sell the regional standard fare, kebabs, naan breads, chicken in a range of styles, etc.

Drink

Alcohol is sold at Ramada and Sindbad Hotel to non-Muslims only.

All types of local and international propriety soft drinks are available in almost every store and roadside shops. Bottled water is ubiquitously available. Keep yourself hydrated as mercury can rise sharply sometimes.

In summer you can try the local 'falsa cola' (red currant cola) which is almost unique to Multan.

Also give a try to the 'Goli Wali Bottle' (soft drink bottle with marble in it) It can be had at specialized drink shops at Dera Adda or in the old city.

Sleep

Multan offers budget and uptown room and board options, but very few hotels actually accept forreign tourists, Hotel Multan Continental (Nishtar Rd, Al Rahim Colony) being the cheapest of them: Rs8,500 per night, as of February 2026.

The city's guest houses and budget inns are mostly found in the Area called Altaf Town on Tariq road. Some of the options are:

Go next

Bahawalpur is famous for its Palaces, Library, Museum, Zoo, Historical gates and Lal Sohanra National Park. Also see Derawar Fort and Cholistan Desert. Situated approx 200 km from Multan (3 hours drive), close to Bhawalpur, is huge fort in the middle of Cholistan desert called Derawar Fort. A square shaped fortress, approx 1600 m (5000 feet) in circumference and 30 m (100 feet) high, the forts 40 large cylindrical shaped bastions shows its majestic from far away. Since 1700 the fort is the property of Nawab of Bhawalpur. During 1965 war with India, the fort was also used as an ammunition dump as well, therefore was a legitimate target.

Near the fort is a marble mosque which has been modelled after the Red Fort in New Delhi. Getting to the fort is a bit tricky. Although there is a proper metaled road, but there are no sign boards or directions pointing which way to go. From Ahmedpur East, before the toll plaza, a service road takes you to the town main market (if you are heading south on the highway). Take a left, and after every 10 minutes ask for directions.

Uch Shariff, 75 km from Bahawalpur and approx 175 km from Multan is another city which can be labeled a City of Saints in itself. However several of the master pieces are in depleted conditions. Damage was caused by floods several years ago. Visit shrines of Hazrat Bahawal Haleem, Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh Bukhari, Makhdoom Jahanian Jahangasht, Bibi Jiwandi, Shaikh Saifuddin Ghazrooni etc. Head Punjnad is located 130 km …

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~42 min read

Article

52 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • History
  • Origin
  • Greek Invasion
  • Kathi period
  • Islamic invasion
  • Emirate of Multan (9th and 10th century)
  • Abbasid ''Emirate''
  • Ismaili ''Emirate''
  • 11th-16th century CE
  • Ghaznavid dynasty
  • Ghurid dynasty
  • Mamluk dynasty
  • Khalji's invasion
  • Tughluq dynasty
  • Timurid dynasty
  • Langah Sultanate
  • Suri dynasty
  • Medieval trade
  • Mughal period (Province of Multan)
  • ''Dar al-Aman'' era
  • Afsharid invasion
  • Durrani and Maratha invasions
  • Sikh empire
  • 1848 Multan Revolt
  • British Raj
  • After independence of 1947
  • Geography
  • Topography
  • Climate
  • Cityscape
  • Demographics
  • Language
  • Religion
  • Civic administration
  • Residential areas
  • Transportation
  • Motorways and highways
  • Railways
  • Bus rapid transit (Metro Bus)
  • Air
  • Education
  • Heritage
  • Religious sites
  • Notable saints of Multan
  • Sports
  • Notable people
  • Sister cities
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • External links

Multan is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the sixth-largest city in the country; and serves as the administrative headquarters of its eponymous division and district. A major cultural, religious and economic centre of the Punjab region, Multan is one of the oldest inhabited cities of Asia, with a history stretching deep into antiquity.

Multan was part of the Achaemenid Empire in the early 6th century BC. The ancient city was besieged by Alexander the Great during the Mallian campaign. Later it was conquered by the Umayyad military commander Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE after the conquest of Sindh. In the 9th century, it became capital of the Emirate of Multan. The region came under the rule of Ghaznavid and the Delhi Sultanates in the medieval period. In 1445, it became capital of Langah Sultanate. Multan Subah was one of the largest provinces of the Mughal Empire. The Sikhs ruled over Multan from 1818 till 1849 when it was conquered by the British and made part of the British Punjab.

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