Why Multan Should Be on Every Traveller's Itinerary

Ask most foreign travelers planning a Pakistan trip what's on the list, and you'll hear Hunza, Skardu, maybe Lahore for the food and Mughal architecture. Multan rarely comes up — which is strange, because it's one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in South Asia, home to some of the most striking Islamic architecture on the subcontinent, and a city whose nickname, the "City of Saints," undersells just how much is packed into its old quarter.

The City of Saints: Multan's Sufi Shrine Trail

Multan's defining feature isn't a single monument but a cluster of them: the mausoleums of Sufi saints who turned the city into a center of Islamic mysticism centuries ago, and whose tombs are still active sites of pilgrimage rather than roped-off relics. The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, built in the 1320s, is the one that dominates the skyline — a massive octagonal brick structure visible from well outside the city, decorated with the blue and turquoise tilework that Multan is known for. Nearby sits the older shrine of his grandfather, Bahauddin Zakariya, founder of the Suhrawardiyya Sufi order, where you'll typically find devotees reciting verses and scattering flowers over the grave rather than tourists with cameras.
A short walk or rickshaw ride away, the shrine of Shah Yousaf Gardezi adds another layer to what's often called Multan's "Sufi trail." If your timing lines up with an Urs — the annual death-anniversary commemoration for one of these saints, marked with qawwali and large crowds — you'll see the spiritual side of Multan at full intensity. It's worth visiting early morning if you'd rather take in the architecture and atmosphere without the crowds, and dressing modestly is expected at all three sites regardless of when you go.

"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries"

— Aldous Huxley

Beyond the Shrines: Things to Do in Multan

The shrines get top billing, but Multan's old city has plenty else going on. Multan Fort (Qila Kohna) sits on the same elevated mound as Shah Rukn-e-Alam's tomb and gives you a rough sense of the city's defensive history along with decent views over the rooftops. From there, most people drift toward Hussain Agahi Bazaar, the city's main market and the best place to actually buy the blue pottery and camel-skin lamps Multan is famous for — both make far better souvenirs than anything you'll find in an airport shop.
Ghanta Ghar, the colonial-era clock tower, anchors a busy commercial area that comes alive in the evening with street food stalls — this is where to try Multani sohan halwa, a dense, ghee-rich sweet that's become a city export in its own right, alongside chaap (spiced grilled meat) and the city's better-known biryani. If your trip happens to land in July, the Multan Mango Festival showcases over 250 mango varieties despite the brutal heat, which gives you some sense of how seriously the city takes its signature fruit. For something quieter, the Multan Museum near Saidu Sharif-style heritage sites and a wander through the narrower lanes of the old city — past Delhi Gate and the smaller neighbourhood mosques — fills out a day nicely without needing a fixed itinerary.

Planning Your Visit: Getting There, Timing, and Practical Tips for Foreigners

Multan is well connected — Multan International Airport has direct flights from Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore, and Pakistan Railways runs daily trains from the major cities if you'd rather travel overland. By road from Lahore, it's a straightforward 4–5 hour drive via the motorway network.
Timing matters more here than in most Pakistani cities: October to March is genuinely the only comfortable window, since summer heat (May through July especially) routinely crosses 40°C and isn't something to underestimate, even for travelers used to hot climates. One detail that catches foreign visitors off guard: some hotels in Multan still assign a police escort to foreign guests once they check in, a holdover practice that's been loosely and inconsistently enforced over the past few years — reports vary from travelers who moved around freely to others who were assigned an escort for every outing. It's not something to be alarmed by, but it's worth knowing in advance rather than being surprised by a police vehicle waiting outside your hotel. Arranging a private driver or guide ahead of time tends to make this a non-issue either way, since you'll have transport sorted from the start. Beyond that, the usual South Punjab etiquette applies: dress modestly, especially at shrines, and carry a passport copy for checkpoints en route.