Multan

Multan (; mʊltaːn) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh most populous city in 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is known for ancient heritage and historic landmarks. Situated at the heart of South Asian subcontinent Multan region was centre of many civilizations. The city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Asia, with a history stretching deep into antiquity. The city was site of the renowned Multan Sun Temple, and was besieged by Alexander the Great during the Mallian Campaign. It was conquered by the Umayyad military commander Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE after the conquest of Sindh. Multan reached height of its splendour during the Arab rule of 9th and 10th century when separate state of Emirate of Multan was established thereby ruling large parts of Punjab and Kashmir. Later the region came under the rule of empires such as the Ghaznavids, the Ghaurids and the Mamluks. In 1445, it became capital of the Langah Sultanate. Multan province was one of the largest provinces of Mughal Empire. Afterwards, Multan became part of the Durrani and Sikh empires successively. In 1848, it was conquered by the British Empire and became part of British Punjab. Multan was one of the most important trading centres and a centre of knowledge and learning in the medieval Islamic Indian subcontinent, and attracted a multitude of Sufi mystics in the 11th and 12th centuries, earning the city the sobriquet "City of Saints." The city, along with the nearby city of Uch, is renowned for its large number of Sufi shrines dating from that era. The origin of Multan's name is unclear. An ancient known name of the city was Malli-istan; Malli was the name of a tribe that inhabited the region and city. Some have suggested the name derives from the Old Persian word mulastāna, 'frontier land', while others have ascribed its origin to the Sanskrit word mūlasthāna, which may be derived from the Hindu deity worshipped at the Multan Sun Temple.