Pakistani architectureFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pakistani architecture includes various structures built during different time periods. With the

beginning of the Indus civilization around the middle of the 3rd millennium[1] B.C., for the first time in

the area which encompasses today's Pakistan an advanced urban culture developed with large

structural facilities, some of which survive to this day. This was followed by theGandhara style of

Buddhist architecture that borrowed elements from the Ancient Greece. These remnants are visible in

the Gandhara capital of Taxila.[2]

Contents

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1   Indus Valley civilization

2   Buddhist and Hindu architecture

3   Mughal architecture

4   British colonial architecture

5   Post - independence architecture

6   Gallery

7   World Heritage Sites

8   See also

9   References

10   Further reading

11   External links

[edit]Indus Valley civilization

Main article: Indus Valley Civilization

An example of the fusion of Greco-Buddhist styles: Representation of Buddhawith Herakles

Archaeologists excavated numerous ancient cities, among them Mohenjo Daro, Harappa and Kot Diji,

which have a uniform, appropriate structure with broad roads as well as well thought out sanitary and

drainage facilities. The majority of the discovered brick constructions are public buildings such as bath

houses and workshops. Wood and loam served as construction materials. Large scale temples, such

as those found in other ancient cities are missing. With the collapse of the IVC culture the architecture

also suffered considerable damage.[3]

[edit]Buddhist and Hindu architecture

Main article: Hindu and Buddhist architectural heritage of Pakistan

With the rise of Buddhism outstanding architectural monuments were again developed, which have

lasted into the present.[1] In addition, thePersian and Greek influence led to the development of

the Greco-Buddhist style, starting from the 1st century A.D.. The high point of this era was reached

with the culmination of the Gandhara style. Important remnants of Buddhist construction are stupas

and other buildings with clearly recognizable Greek statues and style elements like support columns

which, beside ruins from other epochs, are found in the Gandhara capital Taxila in the extreme north

of the Punjab. A particularly beautiful example of Buddhist architecture is the ruins of the Buddhist

monastery Takht-i-Bahi in the northwest province.

[edit]Mughal architecture

Main article: Mughal architecture

Mughal architecture: Naulakha pavilion (1633) in the fortress of Lahore

The arrival of Islam in today's Pakistan - first in Sindh - during 8th century A.D. meant a sudden end of

Buddhist architecture. However, a smooth transition to predominantly pictureless Islamic

architecture occurred. The way early mosques were built with decorations oriented them strongly to

the Arab style. The earliest example of a mosque from the days of infancy of Islam in South Asia is the

Mihrablose mosque of Banbhore, from the year 727, the first Muslim place of worship on the Indian

Subcontinent. Under the Delhi Sultan the Persian-centralasiatic style ascended over Arab influences.

Most important characteristic of this style is the Iwan, walled on three sides, with one end entirely

open. Further characteristics are wide prayer halls, round domes with mosaics and geometrical

samples and the use of painted tiles. The most important of the few completely discovered buildings of

Persian style is the tomb of the Shah Rukn-i-Alam (built 1320 to 1324) in Multan. At the start of the

16th century, the Indo-Islamic architecture was at the height of the its boom. During the Mughal

era design elements of Islamic-Persian architecture were fused with and often produced playful forms

of the Hindustani art. Lahore, occasional residence of Mughal rulers, exhibits a multiplicity of important

buildings from the empire, among them the Badshahi mosque (built 1673-1674), the fortress of

Lahore (16th century and 17th century) with the famous Alamgiri Gate, the colourful, still strongly

Persian seeming Wazir Khan Mosque (1634-1635) as well as numerous other mosques and

mausoleums. Also the Shahjahan Mosque of Thatta in Sindh originates from the epoch of the

Mughals. However, it exhibits partially different stylistic characteristics. Singularly, the innumerable

tombs of the Chaukhandi are of eastern influence. Although constructed between 16th and 18th

centuries, they do not possess any similarity to Mughal architecture. The stonemason works show

rather typical Sindhi workmanship, probably from before Islamic times. The building activity of the

Mughals came close to succumbing by the late 18th century. Afterwards hardly any special native

architectural projects were undertaken.

[edit]British colonial architecture

The Mohatta Palace in Karachi is a fine example of a blend of Islamic and British architecture

In the British colonial age predominantly representative buildings of the Indo-European style

developed, from a mixture of European and Indian-Islamic components. Amongst the more prominent

works are Mohatta Palace and Frere Hall in Karachi.

[edit]Post - independence architecture

After independence Pakistan strove to express its new found national identity through architecture.

This reflects itself particularly in modern structures like the Faisal Mosque in the capital built during the

1960s. In addition, buildings of monumental importance such as the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore or the

mausoleum established with white marble known as Mazar-e-Quaid for the founder of the state

expressed the self-confidence of the nascent state. The National Monument in Islamabad is one the

latest examples of integrating culture, independence and modern architecture.

About Taxila

Taxila, the "City of Stones," was once a flourishing city along the trade routes of central Asia, mentioned in both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana for its wealth and magnificence. Its strategic position has made it vulnerable to conquest. In 326 B.C. Alexander the Great entered the city with his armies and was greeted by King Ambhi. The Greeks lauded the city as the "greatest of all the cities" in the area. Alexander annexed the area as part of his enormous kingdom, but his weak sucessors were unable to hold on to the prize. In 300 B.C. Taxila was conquered by the Mauryan Empire of India under Chandragupta. Taxila served as the capital of India's western province.

Ashoka (or Asoka), the great Indian king, ruled here as Governor under his father Bindusara. After the bloody conquest of Kalinga, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, Ashoka converted to Buddhism and as Emperor, constructed a large number of Buddhist monuments and monasteries throughout the empire, including some at Taxila. Dharmarajika Stupa is a particularly good example, where he enshrined relics of the historical Buddha.

Taxila's position in on the open Asian steppes left it open to conquest. As the Mauryan empire disintegrated the Bactrian Greeks, the successors of Alexander, conquered the area in 190 B.C. Their king moved the city to a new location - Sirkap - which they believed would be more defensible. The new city was built with a fortified acropolis and a large defensive wall of coursed rubble.

The Bactrian kings kept a foothold on the area till about 90 B.C., when the Scythians overran the area and occupied the city. Just a century and a half later, the Kushans, originally from China's Gansu province, invaded Ghandara (the name of the region around Taxila) and established a dynasty. The Kushan kings ruled well, supporting both the arts and Buddhism. Trade flourished with the Roman Empire, which led to almost unimaginable wealth. This era is justly described as Taxila's golden age.

The downfall of the Kushan kings came in 230 A.D. when the Sassanian Emperor Shahpur annexed it as part of his Empire. The Sassanian rule as very short, however, and power soon passed to the Kidara Kushana, an offshoot of the dispossessed Kushan rulers. They established a strong dynasty that endured till the second half of the 5th century. Though not as magnificent as the Kushan rulers of the past, the Kidara Kushana founded many Buddhist monasteries and reinvigorated Taxila with wealth and magnificence.

Taxila's downfall came in the 5th century A.D. when the White Hun hordes sacked the area, destroying monasteries and looting the city's treasures. When the famous Chinese Pilgrim monk Hsuan Tsang visited the area in the 7th century (while looking for Buddhist Sutras), he described it by saying "monasteries are half ruined. The country is depopulated and now a dependency of Kashmir."

Architectural heritage of Pakistan documented

Lok Virsa - National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage - has documented and preserved almost all Pakistani architectural and building crafts at its Heritage Museum - Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology - located at Shakarparian. A spacious segment in the name of 'Hall of Architecture' has been dedicated to these dying arts.

Giving further details about the craft categories displayed in the hall, Executive Director Lok Virsa Khalid Javaid said the important fields include 'Diwaar Naqqashi' (fresco work) - patterns that are transferred onto a flat white lime plaster surface and colours are applied to them; 'Kashi Kari' (enamelled tile work) - thin slabs of glazed or unglazed kiln-fired clay used to decorate buildings, stone ware or earthen ware; 'Parchin Kashi Kari' (enamelled tile mosaic) - thin enamelled burnt clay tiles in vivid colours cut and fitted on a surface to create floral, geometric, figural or calligraphic shapes; 'Mulamma Sazi' (gilding) - applying gold leaves to surfaces of stone, metal, wood or stucco plaster is an ancient Pakistani art, which was lavishly used in Gandharan sculptures and illuminated manuscripts of the Muslim period; 'Pietra Dura' - inlaying semi-precious stones on a marble surface to create exquisite floral patterns is a gift of the Mughal period; 'Manbat Kari' (stucco tracery) - fine plaster work either in three-dimensional ornamentation or on a flat paintable surface for fresco; 'Multani Jali' or 'Mashrabia' (Multani lattice in wood) - wooden slates of equal size are joined to form a square or oblong opening in a checkerboard pattern; 'Ghalib Kari' (stalactite work) - a technique for architectural reinforcement and decoration of arched niches, vaults and capitals of columns, found mostly as wood intrados of mosque arches; 'Arabesque' - a general term for an ornamental style originally employed by Arab artisans in which flowers, foliage, fruit calligraphy and sometimes animals or figural outlines were used to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines; 'Pucca Qalai' (white lime glazed plaster) - plaster coated with white lime cream to create a glazed and polished surface, which is durable and weatherproof; 'Chal Ka Khishti Farsh' (cut brick flooring) - well burnt small bricks are cut, dressed and laid on edge to form precise polygonal patterns, which are outlined by either black stone, slate or black brick; 'Tarseem Bandi' (ceiling work in wooden panels) - small wooden pieces are joined on the ceiling to yield geometrical, floral or calligraphic shapes, which may also be painted; and 'Fulz Kari' (metal work) - a tradition of more than a thousand years, the art of chiselling metal was perfected during Muslim rule in Pakistan.

Most of these crafts are now vanishing due to less consumption in the wake of modernity and Lok Virsa is trying to preserve them by documenting in a three-dimensional creative way along with visual displays and giving incentives to the craftspeople involved in these traditional skills, the executive director said. The incentives include opportunity to the artisans to display and sell their products at national and international markets through craft exhibitions and festivals, and giving recognition to the deserving artisans by conferring civil awards - so far, over 20 artisans have been granted the 'Pride of Performance' award by the government on the recommendations of Lok Virsa - and to explore possibilities for maximum utility of the architectural crafts in people's daily life.

The Islamic architecture of Pakistan is one of the greatest manifestations of the art of building, evolved and practiced throughout the world of Islam since at least the last one thousand years. In the context of the subcontinent, the manifestation has been a characteristic phenomenon of adaptation and assimilation of some of the divergent but very rich traditions of local Hindu-Buddhist architecture and those of the Arabs, the Central Asians and the Mughals. The process took its initiation in the early decades of the 8th century through military intruders and immigrants, who came from those distant lands and settled here to introduce a new religio-political and socio-cultural way of life.

While the Arabs gave to the ancient Pakistan a new pattern of town planning including the peristyle mosque, the Central Asians introduced grand and majestic tombs and mausoleums, the cultured and enthusiastic Mughal princes and princesses and their resourceful grandees created delicate, almost feminine structures in the shape of pleasure gardens on the pattern of charbaghs, places and pavilions, forts and fortifications, highway and bridges serais and bowlis. Almost all these religious and secular buildings were ornamented with traditional faience and faience mosaics, cut and dressed bricks, fresco, carved wood, intarsia, pietra dura and tessellation in stone and marble of various hues and colours. This Mughal architecture was the climax of the development of Islamic architecture, later followed by and adapted in the domestic architectural traditions in Sindh, Balochistan and the Northern Areas including Swat, Gilgit, Chitral, Hunza, Waziristan and elsewhere.