Skip to Main Content

International Coffeehouses: Pakistan

This guide will provide links to resources related to the countries featured in the International Coffeehouses.

Panoramic photo of Nanga Parbat Mountain

Waqas.usman (Photographer). (2005). ApproachingNangaParbat [digital image]. Retrieved from Wikimedia commons: commons.wikimedia.org. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

Facts in Brief

Pakistan flag

 

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan lies in southern Asia, bordered by India to the east and by Afghanistan and Iran to the west. It has a short frontier with the People’s Republic of China in the far north-east. The climate is dry and generally hot, with an annual average temperature of 27°C (80°F), except in the mountainous areas, which have very cold winters. Temperatures in Karachi are generally between 13°C (55°F) and 34°C (93°F), with negligible rainfall. The principal languages are Punjabi (the language usually spoken in 44.2% of households in 1998), Pushto/Pashtu (15.4%), Sindhi (14.1%) and Saraiki (10.5%). Urdu (7.6%) is the national language, and English is extensively used. The state religion is Islam, embracing more than 96% of the population in 1998, the remainder being mainly Hindus or Christians. The national flag (proportions 2 by 3) has a vertical white stripe at the hoist, while the remainder is dark green, with a white crescent moon and a five-pointed star in the centre. The capital is Islamabad.


Citations:

Country Flag (Pakistan), in Europa World online. London, Routledge. University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Retrieved 04 September 2018 from http://www.europaworld.com/entry/pk.FLAG

Location, Climate, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital (Pakistan), in Europa World online. London, Routledge. University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Retrieved 04 September 2018 from http://www.europaworld.com/entry/pk.is.2

Map of Pakistan

Map of Pakistan

Country Map (Pakistan), in Europa World online. London, Routledge. University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Retrieved 04 September 2018 from http://www.europaworld.com/entry/pk.MAP

Pakistani Art & Architecture

Uch Monument Complex

(late 15th - early 16th c., Image: ca. 1998). Uch Monument Complex, Exterior. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/AWMONUMENTSIG_10313273267

Church

Current Church was ordered by Emperor Justinian; designed by Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles; dome rebuilt by Isidore the Younger; church converted into a mosque By Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. (Current church built 532 - 537 AD over a site where two earlier church were built; the original in 360 AD and the second in 415 AD; both burned to the ground, in 404 AD and 532 AD, respectively; converted into a Mosque circa 1453;  Comnenus Mosaic was created 1122, Image: April, 2010). Interior, Upper Galleries Mosaics, Comnenus mosaic (Emperor Ioannes I Comnenos). Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/ASITESPHOTOIG_10313839714

Silver alloy necklace on silk rope

Silver alloy necklace on silk rope, decorated with red and green +. [Personal gear Jewelry Necklace]. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_38644991

Shawl

(first half of the 20th century). Shawl. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_32554572

Musical instrument and bow

Musical instrument and bow (hide over wood and decorated with +. [Tools Musical String]. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_38684942

painting titled Karachi Beach

Mansur Aye. (1996). painting titled Karachi Beach, Karachi Beach. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/HUNT_57025

Artstor logo

ARTStor

More than one million digital images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences. Please note: you must register for a free account in order to download images.

Learn Urdu or Pashto!

Mango Language Logo

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regions of Pakistan

Pakistan is made up of four provinces, plus the capital territory of Islamabad: Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The Punjab, and Sindh. Two disputed areas are included within their borders: Gilgit-Baltistan in the North and Azad Kashmir in the East.

Image: Administrative Map of Pakistan
Image source: The CIA World Factbook

 

K2

K2 is the name of a mountain on the border of Pakistan and China in the Kashmir region. K2's elevation reaches 28,251 feet or 8,611 meters. This mountain belongs to the Karakoram Mountain Range. The name K2 comes from British surveyors who explored the mountain range, making note of the highest peaks as K1, K2, etc. The first successful ascent was completed by an Italian team led by Ardito Desio in 1954. K2 is considered one of the most difficult climbs in the world due to frequent storms and treacherous slopes. 

Books on Pakistan

Nusrat Feteh Ali Khan

1964-1997, Nusrat Feteh Ali Khan was a singer of Qawwali music and is often referred to as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali" which means the King of Kings of Qawwali Music. 

Snapshots of Pakistan

Girl with turquiose blue head scarf

Steve McCurry. (2002). PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN. Peshawar. 2002.. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/AMAGNUMIG_10311533046

Shepard

Steve McCurry. (1980). PAKISTAN. Baluchistan. 1984. Shepard . ©Steve McCurry/Magnum. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/AMAGNUMIG_10311532843

 

Lahore shoreline

Abbas. (1988). PAKISTAN. Elections. 1988. PAKISTAN. Lahore. Prayers by Ravi river. 1988.. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/asset/AMAGNUMIG_10311566006

Pakistan fashion show

K.M., Chaudary, PM agoodman|BinaryUpdate|PhotoShopped|9/5/2018 7:28:29, and PM agoodman|File|Filed|9/5/2018 7:30:27. 2018. "Pakistan Fashion." Associated Press Images Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed September 6, 2018).

Cricket team members

K.M., Chaudary, AM agoodman|BinaryUpdate|PhotoShopped|9/4/2018 11:29:26, and AM agoodman|File|Filed|9/4/2018 11:31:50. 2018. "Pakistan Cricket Chairman." Associated Press Images Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed September 6, 2018).

Artstor logo

ARTStor

More than one million digital images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences. Please note: you must register for a free account in order to download images.

AP Images logo

Associated Press Collections Online

Associated Press is one of the most important international press organizations. The collection includes online versions of wire copy, correspondence, memos, internal publications, from the Associated Press Corporate Archives, AP Images, and AP Archive.

Pakistani Music

Image: The Music of Islam Volume 13 Cover Art

Naiyn Reesaan Pakistan Diyan Album art

La nuit des qawwals album art

There are two distinct styles of music in Pakistan: Qawwali and Ghazal. Qawwali music is the devotional music of the Chishti Sufis and is practiced throughout South Asia. This style of music was made popular by the Sabri Brothers. The Ghazal style is a poetic form of music consisting of couplets which share a rhyme and a refrain. 

Databases

Pakistani Government

Pakistan's government is a Federal Republic. The Head of State or the President is Arif Alvi (right). The Prime Minister or Head of Government is Imran Khan (left) and the Legislature consists of a Senate and National Assembly. 

Image: Prime Minister Imran KhanImage: President Arif Alvi

Religions of Pakistan

Almost everyone in Pakistan practices its official religion of Islam, but there are practicing Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Parsis as well. Important religious holidays are Ramadan and the Hajj. 

Popular Music in Pakistan

Nazia Hassan - Queen of Disco Pop

Hassan recorded “Aap Jaisa Koi” for the film Qurbani, and the song became an instant hit. Her most famous songs, “Disco Deewane” and “Tere Qadmon Ko”, were inspired by disco beats and hip-hop. After the nation turned to become more Islamic, many of her music videos were banned or only showed her from the waist-up to hide her dancing feet. Hassan was the first Pakistani to make it on to US Billboard Charts.

 

Junoon - the U2 of Pakistan 

Junoon, a sufi rock band, was popular in the 1990s. Members include Salman Ahmad (guitar and songwriter), Nusrat Hussain (keyboardist), Brain O’Connell (guitarist), and Ali Azmat (vocalist). They are Pakistan’s most successful with nineteen recorded albums and over 30 million records sold worldwide. Junoon combines western music styles of rock and metal with classical eastern poetry by  touching on messages of peace and worldly issues.

Folk Music of Pakistan