Photo: Tahsin Shah · CC BY-SA 4.0Region
Punjab
When to go
November to February. Multan's summers are among the hottest in Pakistan, and Urs days bring very large crowds to each shrine.
Getting there
Direct flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad; the city centre is about 15 minutes from the airport. The main shrines are within a few kilometres of each other.
Places
19 field guides
Overview
About Multan
Multan, on the eastern bank of the Chenab, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Asia and the spiritual capital of the southern Punjab. Its old fort mound carries the shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya and the tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, whose octagonal glazed-tile design set the template for the region's shrines.
Direct flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad; the city centre is about 15 minutes from the airport. The main shrines are within a few kilometres of each other.
The fort mound
Most of the fort walls were destroyed in 1848-49, but the mound still holds the shrines, the Qila-e-Kohna mosque, the Damdama platform and the ruined Prahladpuri Temple. It is walkable in a morning.
City of saints
Beyond the mound, the city is dense with Sufi tombs, including Shah Ali Akbar's to the north-west. Visit outside the heat of the day, and dress modestly for the shrines.
Festivals in Multan
Festival calendar →
Safar (Islamic calendar)Urs of Bahauddin Zakariya
Three days at the Multan shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya, who brought the Suhrawardi order to South Asia: pilgrims, qawwali and a city holiday.
Islamic calendar (moves each year)Urs of Shah Rukn-e-Alam
The urs at Multan's great Tughluq tomb, the octagonal brick mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam on the edge of Multan Fort.
Resorts
All resorts →GreenPak stays in this area are listed on the region guide.
Multan: Questions Travellers Ask
What is there to see in Multan?
19 places in Multan have their own field guide here, the most in mosques, shrines and tombs (11), landmarks and buildings (4), sikh heritage (1) and churches and temples (1).
When is the best time to visit Multan?
November to February. Multan's summers are among the hottest in Pakistan, and Urs days bring very large crowds to each shrine.
How do you get to Multan?
Direct flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad; the city centre is about 15 minutes from the airport. The main shrines are within a few kilometres of each other.
What day trips can you take from Multan?
2 within about 40 km of Multan, all listed on this page: Tomb of Khalid Waleed (about 13 km outside) and Gurdwara Sajjan Thag, Makhdoompur Pahoran (about 30 km outside).
The complete guide
Everything to See in Multan
All 19 places in Multan with their own field guide, grouped by kind.
Sikh heritage · 1
Mosques, shrines and tombs · 11
Shrine of Bahauddin ZakariyaThe 13th-century Sufi mausoleum that crowns Multan's old fort mound, heart of the “City of Saints”.
Shrine of Bibi Pak Daman, MultanThe tiled tomb of Bibi Pak Daman in Multan, mother of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, who died in 1295: a flat-roofed Multani tomb in blue and white tile.
Shrine of Makhdum RashidThe shrine of Makhdum Abdul Rashid Haqqani in the town of Makhdum Rashid near Multan, with a rare five-domed mosque in Multani blue tile.
Shrine of Sultan Ahmad Qattal, Jalalpur PirwalaThe 35-metre shrine of Sultan Ahmad Qattal at Jalalpur Pirwala near Multan, a copy of Shah Rukn-e-Alam's tomb, famed for its calligraphy.
Tomb of Khwaja Awais KhaggaThe tomb of Khwaja Awais Khagga in Multan, about 1300: a square domed tomb with corner turrets, laid out like the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara.
Tomb of Mai MehrbanThe unfinished tomb of Mai Mehrban in Multan, a three-stage brick tomb built in imitation of the great tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam.
Tomb of Shah Ali AkbarA tomb in Multan known as the 'mini Rukn-e-Alam', built in the old Tughluq form with Mughal fresco work inside.
Tomb of Shah Ali Akbar's MotherThe tomb of Shah Ali Akbar's mother at Suraj Miani, Multan: a tiled brick tomb with merlons and frescoed interior, near her son's shrine.
Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-AlamA soaring 14th-century brick tomb inside Multan Fort, its blue-and-turquoise glazed tilework among the finest examples of Multani craftsmanship, and one of the earliest and grandest Tughlaq-era monuments in South Asia.
Tomb of Shah Shams TabrizThe shrine of Shah Shams Tabrez in Multan: a three-storey brick tomb, 24 metres high, turning from square to octagon beneath its dome.
Tomb of Shah Yusuf GardeziThe tomb of Shah Yusuf Gardezi in Multan: a plain, flat-roofed building covered from top to bottom in blue and white glazed tiles.
Churches and temples · 1
Museums, libraries and colleges · 1
Landmarks and buildings · 4
Bloody Bastion (Khooni Burj), MultanKhooni Burj, the Bloody Bastion on Multan's old city wall between Pak Gate and Delhi Gate, linked by tradition with Alexander's wound.
Ghanta Ghar, MultanMultan's Ghanta Ghar, the clock tower and Jinnah Hall built in 1884–88 on the ruins of a Sadozai haveli.
Multan, City of SaintsOne of the world's oldest cities, famed for its Sufi shrines, blue-tilework mausoleums, Blue Pottery craft, mangoes, silk, and as the spiritual heartland of the Punjab.
Shujabad City WallsThe walls of Shujabad near Multan, built 1767–1772 by Nawab Shuja Khan Sadozai around his planned city of four bazaars.
Around Multan: day trips · 2
Outside Multan, straight-line distance from its boundary.
