ABSTRACT
Pakistan is a country of 170 million people which was established as a separate political entity approximately 64 years ago. Topographically, it is a beautiful land of five rivers, with high mountain ranges spanning the north, and plateaus, plains, and deserts covering a large part of the central and southern region. Covering an area of 796,095 square kilometers, it is divided into four provinces or states, each with its own history and culture. The history of civilization in this area dates back to 8000 BC at Mehrgarh, and to the fourth and third millennia BC for the Indus Valley civilizations, currently a part of the Sindh and the Punjab province. The world heritage site of the city of Mohenjo-Daro is in the province of Sindh, and Harappa and Taxila are parts of the Punjab province. The Silk Route, followed by Alexander the Great around 330 BC, and before that by traders traveling from Europe and the Middle East to China, passes through the northern province of Khyber-Pakhtoonkwa. The Mughal Empire, from the eleventh to the eighteenth century, was another era of glory for this land, as culture, art, and architecture blossomed, leaving behind grand monuments, such as the Lahore Fort and Badshi Mosque.
