Pakistani Culture

Geography

Scientific Accomplishments

Attire

Food

Famous Pakistani Artists

Geography

Pakistan is located in the northwestern part of the South Asian subcontinent. It is a land mass filled with vast plains in the Indus basin, a rocky expanse of plateaus in the southwest and majestic mountains in the north with beautiful valleys, snow-covered peaks and glaciers. This variety of landscape divides Pakistan into six major regions: the Northern High Mountainous Region, the Western Low Mountainous Region, the Balochistan Plateau, the Potohar Uplands, and the Punjab and Sindh fertile plains. Pakistan has a continental type of climate, characterized by extreme variations of temperature depending on the topography of the country. Pakistan experiences low rainfall, although it is in the monsoon region.

Scientific Accomplishments

Buttons: made from seashells and dates back to the Indus River Valley Civilization
Sagar veena: a string instrument designed for classical music
Brain-silicon chip: Dr. Naweed Syed, a specialist in biomedical engineering, became the first scientist to "connect brain cells to a silicon chip"; major step in research of integrating computers with human brains to help people control artificial limbs, monitor patient's vital signs, and correct memory loss or impaired vision
Omayya Reservoir: a technique of delivering chemotherapy through spinal fluids to patients with brain tumors
Tarbela Dam : constructed on the Indus River, at Tarbela in Pakistan. The Dam is classified as the World’s largest earth filled dam. Since its inception, it has played a vital role in irrigation, hydroelectric power generation as well as flood control for Pakistan.
Drainage System: The Indus Valley System had advanced sewers and drainage systems.
Flush Toilet: Since the ancient civilizations, Mohenjo-daro has some of the most advanced toilets where waste was disposed into street drains.

Attire

Southeastern and central Pakistani people wear the Shalwar Kameez, which is usually accompanied by the Saraiki Turban or scarf. The Shalwar Kameez is the Pakistani national dress and is available in different styles depending on where it's worn. The attire includes a shalwar (buggy trouser) and a kameez (long shirt). The Kameez is a long tunic or shirt with a western-style collar for males while for women it is usually collarless. The Khussa, which comes in many styles and colors are stylish shoes made of leather with extended curled toes. The shoe itself is embroidered with beads, bells, mirrors shells and nails.

Food

Common Ingredients

Bread/ Atta
Rice (basmati)
Cumin
Coriander
Cardamom
Garam masala
Peppercorns
Cinnamon
Star anise
Nutmeg
Dried plums
Saffron
Pomegranate seeds
Dried ginger

Main Entrees

Biryani

For this dish, pre-steamed rice is layered with dry spices such as cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, and turmeric and comes with carrots or peanuts sprinkled on top along with a couple slices of meat. It is usually also served with a side of raita, which is a light yogurt and is perfect for a mid-day snack.

Karahi

The name for this dish comes from the black iron pan used to cook it. Tomatoes, onions, and animal fat are used to create a fragrant tomato broth that tenderizes the meat (usually goat, chicken, or shrimp) cooked over flaming high heat with oil and spices.

Nihari

This dish consists of various fried spices combined with beef shank and home-made clarified butter slow cooked to perfection in a large pot and then served with freshly sliced ginger, spicy green chilies, and some lime.

Desserts

Sheer Khorma

A rich creamy pudding cooked with vermicelli, nuts, dry dates and milk. It’s a traditional Muslim breakfast on occasions and also a dessert of celebration. Authentic Recipe: https://food.tribune.com.pk/en/recipe/sheer-khorma

Sagudana Kheer

A dessert that originates from South Asian countries such as; Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, is a rice pudding and is made from milk, saffron, rice, sagudana and is garnished with almonds and cashew nuts. In Pakistan, especially in parts of Central Punjab, there is no celebration without the absence of Kheer.

Suji ka Halwa

A traditional sweet dish made in South Asian countries mainly India, Pakistan and Bangladesh made of semolina and sugar garnished with pistachios and almonds. It is mostly served hot as a breakfast, and is paired with Puri.

Artwork

Famous Pakistani Artists

Anna Molka Ahmed

Ismail Gulgee

Anwar Shemza

Architecture

Famous Monuments

The Pakistan Monument

The Pakistan Monument is a national monument and heritage museum in Islamabad, Pakistan. The monument symbolizes the unity of the Pakistani people.

The Gumti Water Fountain is a monument in Faisalabad, Pakistan preserved from the British Raj era. It was built during the early nineteenth century and was a general meeting place of the city folk for local town meetings.

Gumti Water Fountain

Minar-e-Pakistan

Minar-e-Pakistan is a monument located in Lahore, Pakistan built on the site where the All India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution which called for separate independent home lands for British India Muslims. It also served as the location for many rallies.

Music

Popular Instruments

Harmoniums

A qawwali tabla

Rubab

Traditional Music

Folk music in Pakistan is split into two different purposes- religion and pleasure. Unlike western music where the melody and harmony are equally important, Pakistani music focuses on a single performer and the melody.

A qawwali is like an orchestra, however, the main difference is that it is a group of 12 male singers and instrumentalists rather than over 100s of people. These groups perform songs about love or devotion and chant the lyrics.

Ghazals are songs about love and loss crafted from Persian and Arabic poetry. Unlike qawwali, these songs are sung with stringed instruments and with female singers. It was sung in Farsi in the past, but now it is sung in Urdu and other languages.

Language

Pakistan speakers vary from Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki and Urdu, with the latter being the national language. Punjab however, is the most commonly spoken language with 39% of the population speaking it. The selection of Urdu as a national language was due to its association with South Asian Muslim nationalism and because the leaders of the new nation wanted a unifying national language instead of promoting one ethnic group's language over another. It is a mixture of Persian, Arabic and various local languages. Philologists say that there are over 300 dialects and languages spoken in Pakistan today and each is distinctly differently from the other.

Arabic is the historical official language, religious and minor literary language. It was the official language when Pakistan was a part of the Umayyad Caliphate^.Arabic is the religious language of Muslims. The Quran, Sunnah, Hadith and Muslim theology is taught in Arabic with Urdu translation.

Home Remedies

Acne, Acne Scars and Pimples:

Use a turmeric lemon mask
Use powdered, day-old roti (flatbread) and neem (Azadirachta indica, or Indian lilac) powder to unclog pores.

Natural Sunscreen:

Use aloe vera to help soothe burns and prevent skin cancer

Small Cuts or Bleeding:

Turmeric Powder

"We’ve grown up seeing warm honey, ajwain (carom seed) and ginger for a cough... lemon juice on the temples for a headache. People didn’t know the names of medicines.” (Zubaida Tariq)

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