PAKISTAN The civilizations of the Indus Valley to the Roof of the World

March 09 to 27, 2021 Led by Dr. Mehreen Chida-Razvi, Lecturer, and Art Historian

Can be combined with our Afghanistan trip (March 26 to April 08, 2021) , a country located on the western side of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, has a rich, diverse terrain consisting of high mountain ranges, plateaus, and the Plain. Its long history includes a section of the ancient Silk Road (Karakoram Highway) that runs through the country over the famous Khyber Pass. There are many fascinating ancient archaeological and UNESCO World Heritage sites waiting to be discovered. On this amazing adventure, you will visit mountain villages to meet the hardy souls that live in a stunningly beautiful landscape under harsh conditions. Travel the Karakoram Highway through high-mountain valleys and passes. Explore ancient archaeological sites and wander through the streets of interesting and culturally enriched cities. Ihab Zaki Managing Director, Spiekermann Travel

Tuesday, Mar 09 Friday, Mar 12 Arrive in Karachi (Pakistan) - Bahawalpur Arrive in Karachi, meet and transfer to Pearl Continental Hotel for After breakfast, head to visit the Hindu Shrine, the Lodhy Barrage, check in and overnight. and the famous Hindu pilgrimage center of Sadu Bala. Continue to Ba- hawalpur and transfer to Hotel One for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) Wednesday, Mar 10 Karachi-Sukkar Saturday, Mar 13 Bahawalpur After breakfast, head out on a tour of Karachi with a visit to the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan Enjoy a full-day tour of Bahawalpur, visiting the Cholistan Desert, then continue on to the National Museum of Pakistan with its locally known as Rohi, the Deraward Fort a large square fortress in numerous galleries. The museum features a multitude of artifacts Yazman Tehsil. Visit the town of Uch Sharif, believed to have been including objects from the pre- and proto history of the region founded by Alexander the Great during his invasion of the Indus Val- (5000 to 1500 BC). After lunch, tour the Museum ley and renowned for the extensive tile work of its shrines dedicated near Clifton Beach, where there are always unique collections of to Muslim mystics. If time permits, we will visit the famous library of art and textiles on display. The Mohatta Palace was built in 1927 the Abbasi family. Return to the hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) by Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta, a Hindu Marwari merchant from modern-day Rajasthan in India. After partition, the palace Sunday, Mar 14 became the property of the state and initially housed Pakistan’s Bahawalpur - Multan foreign affairs office when Karachi was the capital of Pakistan.- Af ter the capital was moved to Islamabad, the palace became the This morning, drive to Multan, stopping on-route at a factory that private residence of Fatima Jinnah, a Pakistani dental surgeon produces the famous blue pottery of Multan. Visit the tombs and political leader and one of the founders of Pakistan. Later, the of Sheik Baha-ud-din Zakariya and Shah Rukn-e-Alam. Rukn- government converted it to a museum and meticulously e-Alam was an eminent Sufi saint from Multan and the grand- restored it to its former glory. If time permits, visit the Saddar Ba- son and successor of Baha-ud-din Zakariya. He was buried in his zaar (Empress Market). In the afternoon, head to the airport for grandfather’s mausoleum but later transferred to the present your flight to Sukkar, upon arrival meet and transfer to Hotel One mausoleum, which dates from the 14th century. His tomb is a for check in and overnight. (B,L,D) pilgrimage site, drawing over 100,000 pilgrims a year. Transfer to Hotel One for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) Thursday, Mar 11 Sukkar Monday, Mar 15 Multan - Lahore We’ll drive to the Kot Deji archaeological site in the morning and head to visit the famous fort of the state of Khairpur. This site After an early breakfast, drive to Lahore, stopping on-route at stands on one of the rare outcroppings of limestone that are part Harappa. Founded over 5,000 years ago, it is one of the world’s of the Hills to the north. The site, which dates from 3500 earliest cities. Visit the archaeological site and the museum. to 2500 BC, has two distinct parts to the site. Excavation of the Transfer to the PC Hotel for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) upper level revealed pottery of the Harappan civilization, while the lower levels exposed evidence of an unknown pre-Harappan Tuesday, Mar 16 culture, designated as Kot Deji. Then head to visit the famous ar- Lahore chaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro, one of the most important archaeological sites in South Asia and one of the best preserved After breakfast, head to visit the , the Shahi and restored prehistoric sites in the world. Built in 2500 BC, it was Hammam (Royal Bath), and the 17th century . one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley and This marble structure is an example of some of the most aesthet- contemporaneous with ancient Egypt and Minoan Crete. The site ically pleasing architecture of the Moghul period. Continue to the was first excavated by the Indian Archaeological Survey team un- , locally known as Shahi Qilla. Built in 1631 by Shah Ja- der Sir John Marshall in 1922 and 1931, and then by Sir Mortimer han as a private apartment for his empress, it has several pavilions Wheeler in 1947. Now in the hands of the Pakistan Archaeologi- including Shish Mahal, the Palace of Mirrors. Visit the Samadhi of cal Survey team and supported by UNESCO, the site is excellently Ranjit Singh, a 19th century building housing the funerary urn of presented. Tour the great bath, the granary, the College Square this ruler, and the Gurdwara Dera Sahib temple, which marks the and Pillared Hall, private homes, and the Mohenjo-Daro Museum before returning to the hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) spot where Guru Arjun Dev, the 5th century guru of Sikhism, died. Return to the hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) Wednesday, Mar 17 Sunday, Mar 21 Lahore Gilgit - Karimabad Begin your day with a visit to the , Pakistan’s We’ll drive in the morning to Karimabad in the Hunza Valley. On largest museum. Established in 1894, it contains fine examples the way, visit the Chinese Graveyard, known locally as China Yad- of Mughal and Sikh doorways and woodwork, and has a large col- gar, which is the final resting place of the Chinese engineers and lection of paintings dating back to the Mughal, Sikh, and British workers who lost their lives during the construction of the Kara- periods. There are also collections of musical instruments, ancient koram Highway. We also stop at a viewpoint to admire Rakaposhi jewelry, textiles, pottery, and armor. After lunch, head to visit the (“Snow Covered”), one of the world’s most beautiful mountains Shalimar Gardens before heading to the flag-lowering ceremony at and over 25,500 feet high. Transfer to the Hunza Dardar Hotel for the Wagah border with India which is known as the Beating Retreat check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) Border Ceremony, it is famous worldwide and subject of many You Tube videos. Return to the hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) NOTE: If our Mar 20th flight to Gilgit is canceled, the itinerary for Mar 20th and 21st will change as follows: Thursday, Mar 18 Lahore - Islamabad Saturday, Mar 20 Islamabad - Chilas After breakfast, drive to Islamabad. On the way, we’ll visit the Salt Mines, and the Hindu temple at Kitas Village. Transfer to After breakfast, drive for 10 hours to Chilas. Transfer to Shangrila Pearl Continental Hotel for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) Midway House Hotel for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) Sunday, Mar 21 For those who are doing North Pakistan only Chilas - Gilgit - Karimabad We’ll drive in the morning, for 4 hours to Gilgit. After freshening Thursday, Mar 18 up at Serena Gilgit continue to Karimabad Hunza. And transfer Arrive in Islamabad to Hunza Darbar hotel for check in and overnight. (B,L,D)

Upon arrival, meet and transfer to Pearl Continental hotel for check- Monday, Mar 22 in and overnight. (B,L,D) Karimabad

Friday, Mar 19 Start your day by exploring Hunza; a princely state ruled by one Islamabad () family - the Ayashkutz - for over 900 years. The family’s rule came to an end in 1974 when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the prime minister of We’ll drive in the morning to Taxila, one of the subcontinent’s Pakistan at the time, eliminated all princely states. Visit the Bal- most important archaeological treasures. Strategically located at tit Fort, which was occupied by some of the elderly members of the crossroads of trade routes linking China, India, Central Asia, the Ayashkutz family until 1960 although the Mir of Hunza had and the West, it contains the remains of three great cities, and moved to a new palace much earlier. In 1996, the was dozens of Buddhist monasteries dating from 600 BC to 600 AD. It reopened after a meticulous restoration by the Aga Khan Trust for was here that took hold in around 275 BC and spread Culture, and has been transformed into a heritage museum. Visit to Central Asia, Tibet and China. Among the best-preserved sites the Altit Forts, built on a rock cliff by people from Baltistan about are Julian, Dharmarajika, Jandial and Sirkap. We also visit the 900 years ago. Legend has it that a local prince married a Baltistan Taxila Museum. This evening, explore Islamabad by night, visit- princess whose wedding procession included 500 townspeople ing the world’s second-largest mosque, Shah Faisal to enjoy its who accompanied her across the Biafo Hispar Glacier. Today, it beautiful illumination. Enjoy dinner at a restaurant at the top of is one of the most challenging routes for trekkers. Return to the Daman-e-Kok hill. Return to the hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) We say goodbye to those of you who are not continuing with us to North Pakistan. Tuesday, Mar 23 Karimabad - Passu Saturday, Mar 20 Islamabad - Gilgit We’ll drive in the morning along the Karakorum Highway to Sost (90 km from the border with China and Pakistan’s northernmost Transfer to the airport for your flight to Gilgit. Upon arrival, meet town). Continue to the Khunjerab Pass in the Karakoram Moun- and transfer to Serena Hotel for check in and freshen up, then head tains. At 16,000 feet high, it is the highest paved international bor- to visit the Bazaar, followed by the archaeological site of Kargah der crossing in the world, and the highest point on the Karako- with its large standing Buddha carved high on a cliff face. Return rum Highway. Then drive to the small village of Passu and transfer to Passu Ambassador Hotel for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) to the hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) Those of you who are not continuing with us to North Pakistan Wednesday, Mar 24 will be transferred to the airport for their flight back home. Passu - Gilgit After breakfast, drive to Lake Attaabad, also known as Gojal Lake, which was created in 2010 by a landslide. The lake has become a Saturday, Mar 27 tourist attraction for its unique blue color and dramatic mountain Islamabad - USA OR fly to Kabul (Afghanistan) scenery. Drive back to Gilgit and transfer to the Serena Gilgit for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight back to the USA or onward to continue your adventure to Afghanistan. Thursday, Mar 25 Gilgit - Islamabad “We reserve the right to change hotels, lecturers and the Transfer to the airport for your flight toIslamabad and transfer to order of activities if/as needed. The program is also subject Pearl Continental Hotel for check-in and freshen up. In the after- to changes based on the schedule of internal flights within noon, head to explore the city of , commonly known Pakistan.” as “Pindi”. Islamabad’s sister city, with which it shares strong social and economic links, Pindi is a bustling town with a strong colonial influence and one of the only remaining old Jewish Synagogues. Return to the hotel for your overnight. (B,L,D) Friday, Mar 26 Peshawer Excursion

This morning, head to visit the Khyber Phakhtoon Khwa prov- ince, formerly known as North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and is Pakistan’s most diverse province, covering an area of over 100,000 square kilometers including Tribal Areas. KPK stretched from Pamir in extreme north all the way to the south, as far as, Dera Ismail Khan on the bank of Indus, encompassing high mountains, fertile river basins and semi-arid deserts. At the heart of the province in the Peshawar Valley, often referred to as the valley of Peshawar. Its rich alluvial soils watered by the Kabul and Swat rivers, make this amongst the most productive agricultural regions in Pakistan. Drive to Peshawar on the grand Trunk road, which will be a unique ex- perience. On the road for centuries, traders and invaders made their way back and forward to India, making and losing fortunes. You can still see traces of fortresses, ancient Caravan Serais (Inns). fort, built by Emperor in 1580s dominates the Indus Gorge. Currently it is occupied by Pakistan Army. At this point all the invaders had to stop and make preparations to cross the Indus. After lunch in Peshawar, drive back to Islamabad and transfer to PC hotel for check in and overnight. (B,L,D) Saturday, Mar 27 Islamabad - USA OR fly to Kabul (Afghanistan) After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight back to the US or onward to Afghanistan. (B) NOTE: If our March 25th flight to Islamabad is canceled, the itinerary for Mar 25th, 26 and 27th will change as follows: Thursday, Mar 25 Gilgit - Besham or Abbottabad After breakfast, drive for 10 hours to Besham or Abbottabad and transfer to PTDC Motel or Hotel One for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) Friday, Mar 26 Besham - Islamabad After breakfast, we’ll drive for 7 hours to Islamabad through the lush green Valleys and towns of the lower Himalaya. At Mansehra, view King Ashoka’s edicts carved on a roadside rock. Then you will drive through Abbotabad, the town where Osama Bin Laden was captured. On arrival in Islamabad, transfer to the Pearl Continental Hotel for check-in and overnight. (B,L,D) Tour Cost (Land Only): South part only (Mar 09-20, 2021): $7,995.00 per person sharing in double occupancy Single Supplement: $995.00 North part only (Mar 19-27, 2021): $3,995.00 per person sharing in double occupancy Single Supplement: : $595.00 Extra pre-night in Karachi: $250 per person in double & $350 per person in single room. Extra pre/post night in Islamabad: $240 per person in double room & $320 per person in single room Price based on group size minimum of 6 participants and maximum of 16 participants Trip Grade: III Lodging Level: **_****

About your lecturer, Dr. Mehreen Chida-Razvi She is an Art Historian specializing in the history of Islamic art, architecture and material culture in the early modern era, with a particular emphasis on the Per- sianate regions of Mughal South Asia, Iran and Central Asia. She earned her BSc and BA from the University of Florida, Gainesville, before completing her MA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London and a second MA and a PhD in the History of Art & Archaeology from SOAS, University of London. She teaches courses and lectures on Islamic and Indo-Islamic art at universities and museums in London and Oxford, works for The Nasser D Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, and is an Assistant Editor for the International Journal of Islamic Architecture. Dr. Chida-Razvi has numerous publications in academic journals, and is currently writing a book on Mughal tomb architecture. She has shared her academic expertise with wider audi- ences through her participation and consultation for documentaries on the Taj Mahal, programming on BBC World Service Radio, BBC2 and BBC4, participation in the Lahore and Jaipur Literary Festivals, and has worked as an expert lecturer on cultural tours since 2016, leading tours to Iran, Central Asia, India, Pakistan and Lebanon.

Tour includes: Tour does not include:

• Domestic air Islamabad-Gilgit-Islamabad. • International airfare (Approx. $1,000 from NYC) • Airport/hotel/airport transfers in every city. • Pakistan Visa – can be obtained online • Accommodation in hotels mentioned. (Currently $60.00 - subject to change). • All meals as mentioned in the itinerary • Beverages with or without meals. (B: Breakfast, L: Lunch and D: Dinner). • Items of a personal nature (camera fees, laundry, phone • Water on the bus on touring days. calls, emails, excess luggage, etc.). • Sightseeing in each city as per the itinerary. • Transfers if not arriving/departing on scheduled • English speaking guides. flights/tour dates. • Visa support letter and approval. • Dayroom/overnights necessitated by changes in airline • Porterage at airports and hotels throughout program. schedules. • Entrance fees to all historical sites and museums. • Travel protection insurance (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). • Gratuities to guides, drivers and porters. Trip Grade: III Challenging - Parts of the trip are physically challenging, involve hiking on rough terrain or in sand or at high altitudes. There may be very long drives on rough roads; weather conditions will be cold in the north and warm in the south. You may have simple picnic lunches, primitive bath- room facilities along the road, and remoteness from modern towns or cities.

Lodging Level: **_**** Basic to Superior - Lodges and hotels with additional amenities, refined service and comfort level acceptable to western standards (2 or 4 stars in some small cities and a few 5 stars-luxury properties in the larger cities.)

Special Trip Remarks:

Moderately Rigorous Touring - Anyone joining this trip must understand that in many places, the tourist infrastructure (roads, restaurants and bathrooms) is very primitive. Some days are long and hard, and the level of services will not match those offered in most touristic locations. Elevations vary from 5,000 feet to 10,000 feet, and the Khunjerab Pass is 16,000 feet high. The hotels and lodges are comfortable but some lack the luxuries provided in the West. Security checkpoints can be annoying, but travelers must be flexible and patient. Many roads are in a bad state of repair and journeys can be long and tiring. You need to be flexible and accepting any necessary changes. By signing up for this tour, you acknowledge your complete understanding and acceptance of all terms and conditions and assert that you are in good physical and mental health and that you will maintain an open mind, a sense of adventure, and a tolerant and patient spirit during all aspects of the tour.

Suggested air and post tour extensions: We recommend using Qatar Airways or Emirates Airline with connecting flights through Doha or Dubai for a possible pre-or post-stopover at either of these amazing cities. Both cities feature world renowned museums, stunning archi- tecture, a delectable cuisine, and exceptional accommodations and in Dubai, the ultimate shopping experience. The other ideal air option is using Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. Contact us for details.

Spiekermann Travel Service, Inc. 18421 East Nine Mile Road, Eastpointe, MI 48021 Phone: 1-800-645-3233 Fax: 586-775-9556 www.mideasttrvl.com [email protected]