🏛️ History of Multan

Multan has a history dating back over 2,000 years and has been an important center of trade, culture, and religion throughout various empires, including the Greeks, Kushans, Arabs, Mughals, and British.
Multan was part of the Achaemenid Empire in the early 6th century BC. The ancient city was besieged by Alexander the Great during the Mallian campaign. Later it was conquered by the Umayyad military commander Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE after the conquest of Sindh. In the 9th century, it became capital of the Emirate of Multan. The region came under the rule of Ghaznavid and the Delhi Sultanates in the medieval period. In 1445, it became capital of Langah Sultanate. Multan Subah was one of the largest provinces of the Mughal Empire. The Sikhs ruled over Multan from 1818 till 1849 when it was conquered by the British and made part of the British Punjab.
The city gained prominence as a hub of Sufism, with many saints settling here and spreading Islamic teachings, which shaped Multan’s spiritual identity.