Saraiki culture
Encyclopedia
Saraiki language
Saraiki , transliterated as Sirāikī and sometimes spelled Seraiki and Saraiki, is a standardized written language of Pakistan belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages. It is a language spoken in the heart of Pakistan...
speaking people residing in Pakistan and outside Pakistan. The region where Saraiki is spoken in Pakistan is part of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...
and has been centre of culture and trade in Indian Sub-continent. It has been centre of Islamic mysticism after 712 C.E.
Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
, the mystical side of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. The city has attracted Sufi saints from far places of the globe. Today, Multan is known as the 'City of Sufis'. Shaikh Amin bin Abdul Rehman, who has introduced the Idrisiyya
Idrisiyya
The Idrisiyya is a Sufi order founded by Ahmad Ibn Idris al-Fasi . Its adherents are widespread throughout North Africa, from where it has spread to Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia. A branch of this order was introduced in Singapore by the followers of Shaikh Muhammad Said al-Linggi...
sufi order in Pakistan, lives at 381-A, Shah Rukn-e-Alam Colony, New Multan, where a four-storey mosque adjacent to his residence is visited by people from all over the country.
Architecture
Multan is one of the oldest cities in South Asia, with many tombs, shrines, temples, cathedrals and mausoleums, as well as a historical fortMultan Fort
The Multan Fort, a Pakistani military installation, was a landmark of Indian defence and architecture. It was built near the city of Multan, in Punjab province, on a hillock separated from the city by the Ravi River...
. Today Multan is a combination of old and the new Pakistan culture. There is a big hustle bustle in the old city and comfort of a five star hotel and fine dining in the new. The old city has a various bazaars selling mystical artifacts, perfumes to arts and crafts. There are also elaborately decorated shrines of the Sufi saints, tombs of various travellers and important people within the old city of Multan.
The prime attractions of Multan are its mausoleums
Mausoleums of Multan
There are various Mausoleums of Multan due to Multan's rich heritage of pirs and saints, the city also has many mausoleums and shrines. Here are some of the best-known mausoleums that can still be visited today.-Mausoleum of Hazrat Baha-ud-Din Zakaria:...
of Sufi saints. The Mausoleum of Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya
Baha-ud-din Zakariya
Baha-ud-din Zakariya was a Sufi of Suhrawardiyya order . His full name was Al-Sheikh Al-Kabir Sheikh-ul-Islam Baha-ud-Din Abu Muhammad Zakaria Al-Qureshi Al-Asadi Al Hashmi....
, as well as the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam
Rukn-e-Alam
Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fath commonly known by the title Rukn-e-Alam commonly called Shah Rukne Alam was among the eminent Sufi saints from Multan, Pakistan....
are the prime attractions of the city. Their lofty domes of are visible, from miles and dominate the skyline of Multan. Another popular shrine is the Mausoleum of Shams-ud-Din, commonly known as Shah Shamsuddin Sabzwari is located about half a mile to the east of the Multan Fort
Multan Fort
The Multan Fort, a Pakistani military installation, was a landmark of Indian defence and architecture. It was built near the city of Multan, in Punjab province, on a hillock separated from the city by the Ravi River...
, on the high bank of the old bed of the Ravi River
Ravi River
The Ravi is a trans-boundary river flowing through Northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of the six rivers of the Indus System in Punjab region ....
.
Another famous and beautiful mausoleum of a warrior sufi saint and poet Hazrat Hafiz Muhammad Jamal Multani (1747-1811 AD) is situated near Aam Khas garden outside Daulat Gate, Multan.
There are many beautiful buildings, castles and palaces in Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur , located in the province of Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs and counted as part of the Rajputana states...
, Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent....
and Mankera
Mankera
Mankera is the principal town of Mankera Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of Bhakkar District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated about 320 kilometres west of the city of Lahore....
.
Saraiki Cuisine
Flowers of Sohanjrraan or Sohanjna (Moringa oleiferaMoringa oleifera
Moringa oleifera, the word Moringa probably came from dravidian language Tamil and commonly referred to as "Shojne" in Bengali, "Munagakaya" in Telugu,"Shenano" in Rajasthani,...
) is one of the most famous vegetable dish in South Punjab.
Traditional Saraiki Sports
Geeti Danna or Gilli-dandaGilli-danda
Gilli-Danda is an amateur sport played in the rural areas and small towns all over the Indian subcontinent, as well as Cambodia....
(Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: گلی ڈنڈا) is one of the famous traditional sports especially in boys in rural areas along with other sports like Baandar Killa, Pitho Garam, Staapu and Kabaddi
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a South Asian team sport...
.
Saraiki Literature
- The beloved's intense glances call for blood
- The dark hair wildly flows The Kohl of the eyes is fiercely black
- And slays the lovers with no excuse
- My appearance in ruins, I sit and wait
- While the beloved has settled in Malheer I feel the sting of the cruel dart
- My heart the, abode of pain and grief A life of tears, I have led Farid
-
- -one of Khwaja Ghulam Farid's poems (translated)
-
Shakir Shujabadi (Kalam-e-Shakir, Khuda Janey, Shakir Diyan Ghazlan, Peelay Patr, Munafqan Tu Khuda Bachaway, Shakir De Dohray are his famous books) is very well recognized modern poet.
Saraiki folklore
SaraikiSaraiki language
Saraiki , transliterated as Sirāikī and sometimes spelled Seraiki and Saraiki, is a standardized written language of Pakistan belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages. It is a language spoken in the heart of Pakistan...
areas in the south are equally rich in folklore.
Art and Music
Saraiki folk music revolves around the desert's beauty and following are the famous Saraiki singers who perform folk and Sufi music.- Attaullah Khan Essa KhailwiAttaullah Khan Essa KhailwiAttaullah Khan Niazi Esakhelvi is a Pakistani Pride of Performance award-winning musician from Isakhel, Mianwali, Punjab. He is traditionally considered a Seraiki artist, but most of his music albums are in either Punjabi or Urdu...
- Pathanay KhanPathanay KhanPathanay Khan was a great Seraiki folk singer from Pakistan. He sang mostly Kafis or Ghazals , which were largely based on the Sufi poetry of Khwaja Ghulam Farid and Shah Hussain...
- Abida ParveenAbida ParveenAbida Parveen , is a Pakistani singer of Sindhi descent and one of the foremost exponents of Sufi music . She sings mainly ghazals, Urdu love songs, and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets...
- Ustad Muhammad JumanMuhammad JumanUstad Muhammad Juman was a modern Sindhi musician and classical singer. He was born in the village of Sorra, Balochistan, Pakistan.He was fond of music and went to Radio Pakistan in Karachi to start a career as a fiddler...
- Suraiya Multanikar
- Mansoor MalangiMansoor MalangiMansoor Malangi is a notable Pakistani singer. He is known for singing Punjabi and Saraiki folk/sufi songs.Mansoor Malangi was born in Garh More in Jhang District....
- Ahmed Nawaz Cheena
Many modern Pakistan Singers like Hadiqa Kiyani
Hadiqa Kiyani
Hadiqa Kiani is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, and philanthropist.Kiani rose to fame in 1995 with her debut album Raaz. Kiani received instant fame and was nominated and won numerous awards in Pakistan as well as International awards. Since her debut, she has released five albums, all receiving...
and Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"...
have also sung Saraiki folk songs.
Jhumar
Jhumar
Jhumar or Jhoomar is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Multan and Balochistan, but thrived specially in Sandalbar areas of Punjab. It is slower and more rhythmic form of Bhangra. The word "Jhumar" comes from Jhum/Jhoom, which means Swaying. The songs evoke a quality which...
is the traditional Saraiki folk dance.
See also
- Saraiki peopleSaraiki peopleThe Saraiki people or Multani people are an ethnic group from the central and south-eastern areas of Pakistan, especially the former princely state of Bahawalpur and the districts of Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh,...
- Saraiki languageSaraiki languageSaraiki , transliterated as Sirāikī and sometimes spelled Seraiki and Saraiki, is a standardized written language of Pakistan belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages. It is a language spoken in the heart of Pakistan...
- JhumarJhumarJhumar or Jhoomar is a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Multan and Balochistan, but thrived specially in Sandalbar areas of Punjab. It is slower and more rhythmic form of Bhangra. The word "Jhumar" comes from Jhum/Jhoom, which means Swaying. The songs evoke a quality which...
- SaraikistanSaraikistan'South Punjab is the southernmost region of Pakistan's Punjab province. The districts of Bahawalpur, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan and D. G. Khan are geographically regarded as components of the region...
- MultanMultanMultan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
- Indus Valley CivilizationIndus Valley CivilizationThe Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...