Pakistan: Rohtas Fort

"Following his defeat of the Mughal emperor Humayun in 1541, Sher Shah Suri built a strong fortified complex at Rohtas, a strategic site in the north of what is now Pakistan. It was never taken by storm and has survived intact to the present day. The main fortifications consist of the massive walls, which extend for more than 4 km; they are lined with bastions and pierced by monumental gateways. Rohtas Fort, also called Qila Rohtas, is an exceptional example of early Muslim military architecture in Central and South Asia."
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

Rohtas Fort is an exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of central and south Asia, blending architectural and artistic traditions from Turkey and the Indian subcontinent to create the model for Mughal architecture and its subsequent refinements and adaptations. The majestic fort, surpassing many other citadels in grandeur and massiveness, is the only example of architecture of the time of Sher Shah Suri. The monument represents a milestone in the history of fort architecture. Its commanding situation, with its awesomely huge walls and trap gates, makes it a unique part of the cultural heritage.

Pakistan: Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro

"The ruins of the huge city of Moenjodaro – built entirely of unbaked brick in the 3rd millennium B.C. – lie in the Indus valley. The acropolis, set on high embankments, the ramparts, and the lower town, which is laid out according to strict rules, provide evidence of an early system of town planning."
Source : UNESCO World Heritage Site List

Postcard # 1:
Moenjodaro means The Mound of the Dead. These are the remains of the Buddhist Stupa in Indus Valley civilization which are as old as 3rd Millenium B.C. It is the most ancient and the most well-preserved urban ruins on the Indian Subcontinent. This 5000-year-old civilization is one of the largest in the Old World and shows the earliest signs of urbanization. Its urban planning surpasses that of many other sites of the oriental civilizations that were to follow.

 The stupa mound, built on a massive platform of mud brick, is composed of the ruins of several major structures - Great Bath, Great Granary, College Square and Pillared Hall - as well as a number of private homes. The extensive lower city is a complex of private and public houses, wells, shops and commercial buildings. These buildings are laid out along streets intersecting each other at right angles, in a highly orderly form of city planning that also incorporated important systems of sanitation and drainage.
Of this vast urban ruin of Moenjodaro, only about one-third has been reveal by excavation since 1922. The foundations of the site are threatened by saline action due to a rise of the water table of the Indus River. This was the subject of a UNESCO international campaign in the 1970s, which partially mitigated the attack on the prehistoric mud-brick buildings.

Postcard # 2:
The postcard below shows the portrait view of the King Priest, excavated from Moenjodaro Excavation Site. You can read a detailed account of King Priest from Moenjodaro here.

Feel free to leave your comments below!

Pakistan: Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol

"The Buddhist monastic complex of Takht-i-Bahi (Throne of Origins) was founded in the early 1st century. Owing to its location on the crest of a high hill, it escaped successive invasions and is still exceptionally well preserved. Nearby are the ruins of Sahr-i-Bahlol, a small fortified city dating from the same period."
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Site List

Postcard # 1
What a site it is!!!

This magnificent UNESCO postcard was sent to me by Mr Imran from Lahore. The site is awesome and is quite well-preserved despite of the fact that it was founded in early 1st Century. You can imagine how old it could be. In 1857, there were a number of discoveries from these sites connecting them to the Buddhist civilization. There are a number of statues and other sculptures.

The name Takht-i-Bhai derives from the spring on the hilltop and is literally translated as 'Spring Throne'.

The complex, the most impressive and complete Buddhist Monastery in Pakistan, consists of four main groups:

• The Court of Stupas with a cluster of stupas beside the main stupa in the middle courtyard, embellished with a series of tall niches to enshrine Buddhist statues;
• The early monastic complex with residential cells around an open court, assembly hall and refectory;
• The temple complex with a main stupa in the middle of a courtyard adorned with statues niches similar to the earlier stupa court;
• The tantric monastic complex with an open courtyard in front of a series of dark cells with low openings for mystical meditation, in keeping with tantric practice.

The stamp used on the postcard was issued in 2011 to laud Pakistan Telecom Authority in order to commemorate "100 Million Cellular Subscribers" Celebrations. It is a Rs 8 postage stamp which is way over the required Rs 2 postage required on postcards sent within the country. Thank you Imran!

Pakistan: Fort and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore

"These are two masterpieces from the time of the brilliant Mughal civilization, which reached its height during the reign of the Emperor Shah Jahan. The fort contains marble palaces and mosques decorated with mosaics and gilt. The elegance of these splendid gardens, built near the city of Lahore on three terraces with lodges, waterfalls and large ornamental ponds, is unequalled."
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

Postcard # 1
It is a magnificent site which is built with a number of fountains, mirror-work, marble pieces, and other architectural beauties. The site was added to the Endangered World Heritage Sites in 2000.

The site consists of two separate entities:

• Lahore Fort or Shahi Fort (King's Fort)
• Shalimar Gardens

Postcard # 2
The second postcard shows a view of Lahore Fort. The photo on the postcard is taken from inside of Lahore Fort and shows us three historic monuments - Naulakha in Lahore Fort (The closest building with curved roof), Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Shrine in yellow and white color and the grand Badshahi Mosque (One of the largest mosques in the World) at the farther distance. We will restrict our view to Naulakha, which is part of Lahore Fort.

Naulakha Pavilion is one of the 21 monuments inside Lahore Fort building which are still preserved. Built in 1631 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, this pavilion is located near Sheesh Mahal (the Mirror Castle). Although the pavilion was decorated with precious and semi-precious stones in the beginning but none of them can be found anywhere now :(

The total cost on construction of the pavilion was 9 lakh Rupees (0.9 Million Rupees) which was an enormous sum at that time. Owing to its expenditure, the building was named as "Nau-lakha".

The stamp used by Vera on the postcard is a common definitive stamp of Rs 2 denomination.

Here are a few other postcards of Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens that I may be able to find for you, if you want to swap.
Postcard # 3

Postcard # 4

 Postcard # 5