Different color of Islamabad

Islamabad is known that a Buddhist town once existed in the region.Relics and human skulls and Items of pottery and utensils dating back to prehistory have also been found dating back to 5000 B.C. that show this region was home to Stone Age people who used the banks of Swaan River as their settlement.The Stone Age people developed small communities in the region at around 3000 BC, leading to the early roots of civilization here. Situated at one end of the Indus Valley Civilization.

This area was the first habitation of the Aryan community from Central Asia.The civilization flourished here between the 23rd and 18th centuries BC. Some of the earliest Stone Age artefacts in the world have been found on the plateau, dating from 500,000 to 100,000 years.

Islamabad is home to many migrants from other regions of Pakistan and has a surprising cultural and religious diversity of considerable antiquity.

Modern Islamabad is based on the old settlement known as Saidpur. The region later became a Sikh town and became an important trading centre. The British seized the region from the Sikhs in 1849 and built Asia’s largest cantonment in the region.
When Pakistan came into being in 1947, Karachi was its first capital. However, in 1960, Islamabad was constructed as a forward capital due to certain reasons.

Traditionally, the development was focused on the colonial centre of Karachi and President Ayub Khan wanted it to be equally distributed. Moreover, Karachi was located at one end of the country making it vulnerable to attacks from the sea and a capital which was easily accessible from all parts of the country was needed. The new selected location of Islamabad was closer to GHQ in Rawalpindi and the disputed territory of Kashmir in the North.

In 1958, a commission was constituted to select a suitable site for the national capital with particular emphasis on location, climate, logistics, and defence requirements along with other attributes. After extensive study, research, and thorough review of various sites, the commission recommended the area northeast of Rawalpindi.

A Greek firm of architect Konstantinos Apostolos Doxiadis designed the master plan of the city which was triangular in shape, based on a Grid plan, with its apex towards the Margalla Hills.

The planning and construction was largely headed by the Greek urban planner Constantinos A. Doxiadis which divided the urban area into eight main zones: administrative, diplomatic, residential, institutional, industrial, and commercial areas, a greenbelt, and a national park.

The city was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. However, the capital was not moved directly from Karachi to Islamabad. It was first shifted to Rawalpindi and then to Islamabad after all the developmental works was finished.

The city came to life on 26 October 1966, when the first office building was occupied.The name “Islamabad” was chosen to reflect the country’s ideology.
Islamabad (Meaning "Abode of Islam") is the capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of over 673,766 in 2009.The Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metropolitan Area is the third largest in Pakistan, with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants.

Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the north of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, Margalla pass being a gateway to the North-West Frontier Province.

Islamabad is one of the greenest and most well-planned cities of South Asia.
According to a survey, Islamabad is considered the cleanest city in Pakistan.The city is well-organized and divided into different sectors and zones.The city is home to Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the sixth largest mosque in the World.

Islamabad is the hub all the governmental activities while Rawalpindi is the centre of all industrial, commercial, and military activities. The two cities are considered sister cities and are highly dependent for the development of the metropolitan.

The main language spoken in Islamabad is Urdu which is predominantly used within the city due to an ethnic mix of populations. English, being the official language of Pakistan is also commonly understood. Other languages include Punjabi, Pashto, Saraiki, Sindhi Hindkoh and Pothohari. Islamabad has the highest literacy ratio in Pakistan, at 72.88%.


Islamabad features an atypical version of a humid subtropical climate, with long and very hot summers, a monsoon season and short and chilly winters. The hottest months are from May to July.

Islamabad in contrast to its sister city Rawalpindi is lush green, spacious and peaceful.

Today it is the heart of Pakistan, a charming city which perfectly symbolizes the aspirations of a young and dynamic nation that looks forward to a glorious future for its people, a city which accepts modern ideas but at the same time recognizes and cherishes its traditional values and its past history.