Multan

Multan (Urdu, Saraiki, Punjabi: مُلتان), is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is Pakistan's third largest city by area and its fifth largest by population. The city is located on the banks of the Chenab River in the geographic center of the country and is about 565 km (351 mi) from the capital Islamabad, 347 km (216 mi) from Lahore, 97 km (60 mi) from Bahawalpur,96 km (60 mi) from Vehari, 145 km (90 mi) from Layyah, 35 km (22 mi) from Muzaffargarh, 96 km (60 mi) from D.G.Khan and 934 km (580 mi) from Karachi. Multan District has a population of 3.1 million (1998).

Multan is known as the City of Sufis or City of Saints and Madinat-ul-Auliyah because of the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and ornate tombs. It is the birthplace of Fariduddin Ganjshakar popularly known as Baba Farid, an early Punjabi language poet. Multan is located in a bend created by five rivers of central Pakistan. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The city has grown to become an influential political and economical center for the country, with a dry port and excellent transport links. Multan is famous for its crops: wheat, cotton and sugar cane as well as mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranates.