Pakistan (Summer 1970)

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[Page created in July 2015, revised in July 2020.]

In the summer of 1970, with one of my brothers and a friend, I drove from France to Pakistan with a Renault 4L. We entered Pakistan from the southwest, across the border with Iran at the small town of Taftan in Baluchistan. We drove to Quetta, next through the Sulaiman mountains (northeast of Quetta), then across the central Indus valley to Lahore and Rawalpindi. From there we went to the northern mountains, into the Kaghan Valley up to Babusar Pass (4175m). We returned to Rawalpindi, drove to Peshawar, and crossed into Afghanistan near Khyber Pass.

Scenes from the Baluchistan desert:

Our Renault 4L trying to cool down in the desert′s heat.

An improbable cyclist

Nomad camp and camels along the road.

Landscapes in the region around Quetta:

In and around the Sulaiman mountains:

Graves.

Our car stuck in the mud.

Bus on a dusty road.

Father and son.

In 1970, parts of the Sulaiman mountains were controlled by local militia. Entering some villages at night was not allowed. Despite some appearances, local people were generally quite friendly, but some of their ″playing macho″ games might no longer be appreciated today.

Militia men in a village where we spent one night.

In the wide central Pakistani plain (Indus river), between the Sulaiman mountains and Lahore:

People encountered along the way.

Village near the Indus.

Local wrestling competition.

One of the many decorated lorries transporting goods throughout Pakistan.

Lahore:

Shalimar Gardens. Created in 1641-42 during the reign (1628 to 1658) of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, they are located some 5km east of Lahore′s Walled City, also called the Old City. [The same Shah Jahan also commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal in the Indian city of Agra.]

Tomb of Jahangir (17th century). Build for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who reigned from 1605 until 1627, it is located 4km north of the Walled City across the Ravi river. Jahangir was the father of the Shah Jahan.

Badshahi mosque. It was built in 1671-1673 by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, a son of Shah Jahan, who reigned for 49 years from 1658 until 1707. It is adjacent to Lahore′s Walled City.

View over the main entrance (red building) of the Badshahi mosque compound, the Hazuri Bagh Baradari (see next photo), the massive Alamgiri gate, and the Lahore Fort, from one of the minarets of the Badshahi mosque. The white building partially visible on the left of the photo is the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The three white domes on the right side of the photo are those of the Moti mosque (Moti Masjid), built in the 1630s by Emperor Shah Jahan and located inside the fort.

The Hazuri Bagh Baradari (pavilion with 12 doors) and, behind it, the Alamgiri gate, the main entrance of the Lahore Fort. The Hazuri Bagh Baradari was built in 1813 by Maharaja Singh, the leader of the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century. The Alamgiri gate was built in 1674 by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Inside the fort compound: the Moti Masjid (left) and the Jahangir′s quadrangle (right).

Wazir Khan mosque. This mosque was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan and was completed during his reign in 1641. It is located inside the Walled City. It is renowned for its elaborate decorations.

Partial view of the General Post office, located south of the Walled City. It was built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria′s reign.

Streets of Lahore, most of them inside the Walled City.

Wedding in the Walled City. At first I was asked not to take pictures, but soon after I was invited to attend part of the celebration.

- Street parade before the wedding.

- Family, friends, and groom (the man dressed in white at the center of the first photo).

- Music and dance in the streets.

- Me giving a demonstration! But few people in the audience looked really excited.

Greco-Buddhist ruins in Taxila:

Located some 30kms northwest of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, this site is part of the old Gandhara region, which is famous for its Greco-Buddhist art developed during the Kushan Empire (1st to 5th century). The Gandhara region covered the northwest of Pakistan and the northeast of Afghanistan.

- Double-Headed Eagle shrine (so-called due to the bird sculptures in the arches on both sides of the stairs).

- Dharmarajika stupa.

In the northern mountains, into the Kaghan Valley up to Babusar Pass:

Rice fields and hoodoos in the lower part of the valley.

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People encountered along the way.

Higher up in the valley. There we met two Swiss who drove a Land Rover. They were much better equipped than us to deal with the hazards of the mountain road and they graciously accepted to team up with us. At that stage we did not know yet that we would very much need their help later.

At Babusar Pass (4175m), in the afternoon. We spent the night there, sleeping in our cars.

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Babusar Pass on the next morning, after a major night storm that had cleared the air. Nanga Parbat (8126m) is visible in the background.

Another view of Nanga Parbat from the pass.

Returning from Babusar Pass. The storm of the previous night had caused serious damages to the road. Fortunately, the hoist of the Land-Rover made it possible to haul our Renault 4L across rocky streams. We also received help from local people, who were already fixing the road damages.

On the road to Khyber Pass:

After returning from Babusar Pass we drove to Peshawar and from there to Afghanistan (see here) via the famous Khyber Pass.

View toward Peshawar from the road climbing to Khyber Pass. Peshawar is in the low-elevation plain in the middle of the photo.

Shagai Fort located below Khyber Pass, some 25km west of Peshawar. It was built in 1927 by the British military to monitor the pass.

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