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Pakistan Punjab
The name Punjab is derived from the words punj meaning five, and aab meaning waters and the province of Punjab is crossed by five major rivers. They are Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum and they eventually join Indus. These rivers are the reason of making Punjab the richest and most fertile province in Pakistan. These rivers also pose a danger to farmers - flooding and changing course when swollen with waters from the Himalayas. Punjab has a long and tremendous historical resume. The oldest settlements are found in Taxila which is about thirty kilometers north-west of Rawalpindi out along the Grand Trunk Road. In the 17th century, Lahore became one of the greatest Mughal cities in the subcontinent. A town near Lahore was the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the 15th century founder of the Sikh religion, and Lahore was the capital from which Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled his 19th century Sikh Empire. The British coveted this fertile region, and overthrew the Sikhs in 1849, annexing Punjab to their Indian dominions, with Lahore as its provincial capital. Other historical sites in the province are Sher Shah Suri's settlements such as Rohtas Fort and Grand Trunk Road, Mughal settlements such as the famous Lahore Fort, Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens and Jehangir's Tomb to name a few and Hindu settlements near the Salt Range such as Ketas ruins which is associated with Mahabharata and temples at Malot and at Shiv Ganga. The province has also generated some famous romantic tales. Mughal emperors were the first ones to engage in romance. After them followed two of the greatest pairs; Sohni and Mahival, and Hir and Ranjha. Their love stories remain the part of province history. Finally, it was in Lahore that the All India Muslim League passed, on 23 March 1940, its Resolution for the Creation of Pakistan.When Pakistan became independant in 1947, a part of the eastern Punjab went to India but the major portion of the state was awarded to Pakistan.
The province of Punjab is criss-crossed by canals. Surrounded by desert, most of the Punjab is now a huge oasis of green where there are hundreds of new settlements - canal colonies - with practically no historical reference. These canal colonies, established by the British, are probably one of the most astonishing projects carried out ever. These canals were previously built on small scale, to provide water to gardens and enjoyment. The first major colonization experiment was undertaken in 1886-88 when an effort was made to irrigate 76 thousand hectares of wasteland in Multan district using water from the Sutlej river. Later, many large scale irrigation projects were undertaken, perfecting the skills of canal engineering. Nowadays, the map of the Punjab has been totally altered by the changes brought by irrigation. The best time to visit northern Punjab is in the spring, from February to April, and in the autumn, from September to November. Southern Punjab is extremely hot in summer, so Multan is at its best in winter, from November to February. Punjab Government's Departments Places of tourism include: Lahore
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