Multan pakistan History (part 7)

Continued Multan History.

• Multan was ruled under the Mughal Empire.

Multan enjoyed over 200 years of peace, and became known as Dar al-Aman (House of Peace).

• The Khakwani Nawabs of Multan gave it a lot of financial stability and growth to the local farming sector. It was at this time that Multan was ruled by Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan Khakwani,as governor of Multan.He built the famous Mosque Ali Muhammad Khan in 1757 which remains to this day.
• Many buildings were constructed in this time, and agricultural production grew rapidly. The Khakwani Nawabs of Multan at this time were paying homage to the Afghan king but due to lack of power in Delhi and Kabul they had free rein and were the de facto absolute rulers of Multan.
• Multan has large area which included part of Vehari, Bahawalpur, and Dera Ghazi Khan districts. Also Multan included Sahiwal and was upto Okara.
• The city escaped the destruction brought upon India by the armies of Nadir Shah, but it was ruled from Kabul by numerous Afghan dynasties for a while. The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region.
• The Multan region became predominantly Muslim due to missionary Sufi saints whose Tombs or Maqbras are in the land of Multan.
• After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Maratha and Sikh invaded and occupied Multan. The Muslims faced severe restrictions during the Maratha and Sikh rule.
• In 1758, the Maratha Empire’s general Raghunathrao marched onwards, conquered Lahore and Attock and defeated Timur Shah Durrani, the son and viceroy of Ahmad Shah Abdali. Lahore, Multan, Kashmir and other districts on the eastern side of Attock were under the Maratha rule for the most part.
• In Punjab and Kashmir, the Marathas plundered the prosperous Mughal cities. Maratha general Bapuji Trimbak was given the charge of guarding Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan from Afghans. Maratha rule in Multan was short-lived as Durrani re-captured the city in November 1759.

( Modified from Wikipedia )