Extension Tours to Pakistan - Country of Islam's

The pleasures of Pakistan tourism are old : Buddhist monuments, Hindu temples, Islamic palaces, tombs and pleasure grounds, and widely spaced Anglo-Mogul Gothic mansions - some in a state of dereliction which makes their grandeur even more emphatic. Sculpture is dominated by Graeco-Buddhist friezes, and crafts by ceramics, jewellery, silk goods and engraved woodwork and metalwork of Pakistan.

Even Pakistan's flotillas of vintage Bedford buses and trucks, mirror-buffed and chrome-sequinned, are dazzling works of art. Pakistani traditional dances are lusty and vigorous; music is either classical, folk or devotional; and the most patronised literature is a mix of the scholastic and poetic.

Nearly all Pakistanis are Muslim and Islam is the state religion. Reminders of their devotion are many : the muezzin's call to prayer from the mosques; men sprawled in prayer in fields, shops and airports; and veiled women in the streets.

ATTRACTIONS OF PAKISTAN

Karachi Tourism

Pakistan's commercial centre and largest city is a sprawling place of bazaars, hi tech electronic shops, scurf -infested older buildings and modish new hotels.

A good place to start is the Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum, a monument to Pakistan's founder Ali Jinnah. More impressive is the remarkable white-marbled Defence Housing Society Mosque. The single dome, claimed to be the largest of its kind in the world. Above the mosque is Honeymoon Lodge, birthplace of the Aga Khan. Other sights include the Holy Trinity Cathedral and St. Andrew's Church South of the city is Clifton, a former British hangout and now an exclusive coastal corner for the local wealthy, the popular but rather drab Clifton Beach, and Manora Island, a less-crowded beach resort.

Saddar, the city centre, is the main shopping area with thriving markets selling carpets, fur coats, leather jackets, snakeskin purses, silk scarves and the country's biggest range of handicrafts.

Lahore Tourism

The capital of Punjab is Pakistan's cultural, educational and artistic centre and easily the most visited city in the country. With its refuge of shady parks and gardens, its clash of Moghul and colonial architecture, a collection of some of the city's attractions include : The Mall, Lahore Museum, the best and biggest museum in the country; Kim's Gun, Aitchison College, Lahore Fort, filled with stately palaces, halls and gardens; and the Old City,

Around Punjab

Lal Suhanra National Park, an important wildlife reserve. Further north is Harappa which is, after Mohanjodaro, the second most important site of the Indus Valley civilisation.

Rawalpindi and the country's capital, Islamabad, are twin cities. The former is a patchwork of bustling bazaars while the latter is subdued, suburban and still being built. From here you can visit Taxila, an archaeological repository, and Hasan Abdul, a place of holy pilgrimmage in Pakistan.

Other travel attractions of Pakistan