| Pakistan
has strong cultural and historical roots. Half a dozen civilizations
have flourished here and left their imprints. Historically,
Pakistan is one of the most ancient lands known to man. Its
cities blossomed even before Babylon was built: its people
practised the art of good living and citizenship long before
the celebrated ancient Greeks.
The amazing history of Pakistan can be traced back to at least
2500 BC, when a highly developed civilization flourished in
the Indus Valley Area. Excavations have brought to light evidence
of an advanced civilization existing even in the most ancient
times. Pakistan owes its many influences to the countless
visitors to the region. Around 1500 BC, the Aryans came and
influenced the Hindu civilization; later, the Persians occupied
the Northern regions from the 6th century BC up to the 2nd
century AD, while the Greeks were also here, arriving in 327
BC with Alexander the Great of Macedonia.
In 712 AD, the Arabs set foot in what is now Pakistan somewhere
near modern Karachi and ruled the lower half of Pakistan for
two hundred years. It was during this time that Islam took
roots in the soil and influenced the life, culture and traditions
of the people. 300 years later the Muslims from Central Asia
arrived and ruled almost the whole Subcontinent up to the
18th century AD before the British arrived to take control.
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