| Part ofa series on the |
| Culture of Pakistan |
|---|
 |
| Traditions |
| folklore |
Music and performing arts |
| Sport |
Monuments |
Theculture of Pakistan (Urdu:ثقافتِ پاکستان,romanized: S̱eqāfat-e Pākistān) lies at the intersection ofTurco-Persian,Arab, andHindustani cultural traditions.[1] Over centuries, the region has developed a distinct cultural identity, shaped by a fusion ofMiddle Eastern,Central Asian andNorth Indian influences.[2][3] Additionally, Pakistan's diverseethnic groups maintain unique cultural traditions, particularly in dress, cuisine, and religious practices, with certain pre-Islamic customs continuing to influence local traditions despite the overarching framework of Islamic culture. Marriages and other major events are also significantly different among the different ethnic groups.[citation needed]
Until 1979, Pakistan maintained a relatively liberal Islamic identity; however, theIslamization policies introduced that year led to a widespread infusion ofconservative Islamic principles into various aspects of culture and daily life. This shift significantly reshaped the historical values and traditions of the country's Muslim population, reinforcing religious conservatism in social and cultural norms.
Civil society in Pakistan is largely hierarchical, emphasisinglocal cultural etiquette and traditional Islamic values that govern personal and political life. The basic family unit is theextended family,[4] although for socio-economic reasons there has been a growing trend towardsnuclear families.[5] The traditional dress for both men and women is theshalwar kameez; trousers,jeans, and shirts are also popular among men.[6] In recent decades, the middle class has increased to around 35 million and the upper and upper-middle classes to around 17 million, and power is shifting from rural landowners to the urbanised elites.[7] Pakistani festivals, includingEid-ul-Fitr,Eid-ul-Azha,Ramazan,Christmas,Easter,Holi, andDiwali, are mostly religious in origin.[4] Increasing globalisation has resulted in Pakistan ranking 56th on theA.T. Kearney/FPGlobalization Index.[8]
Pakistan has literature inUrdu,Persian,Sindhi,Punjabi,Pashto,Balochi,English, and many other languages.[9] ThePakistan Academy of Letters is a large literary community that promotes literature and poetry in Pakistan and abroad.[10] TheNational Library publishes and promotes literature in the country. Before the 19th century, Pakistani literature consisted mainly oflyric andreligious poetry andmystical andfolkloric works. During the colonial period, native literary figures were influenced by westernliterary realism and took up increasingly varied topics and narrative forms.Prose fiction is now very popular.[11][12]
Thenational poet of Pakistan,Muhammad Iqbal, wrote poetry inUrdu andPersian. He was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation and encouraged Muslims all over the world to bring about a successful revolution (regarding to the freedom from Colonial powers).[13] Well-known figures in contemporary Pakistani Urdu literature includeAllama Muhammad Iqbal,Faiz Ahmed Faiz,Mirza Ghalib,Ahmed Faraz,Parveen Shakir andSaadat Hasan Manto.Sadequain andGulgee are known for their calligraphy and paintings.[12] The Sufi poetsShah Abdul Latif,Bulleh Shah,Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, andKhawaja Farid enjoy considerable popularity in Pakistan.[14]Mirza Kalich Beg has been termed the father of modern Sindhi prose.[15] Historically, philosophical development in the country was dominated byMuhammad Iqbal,Sir Syed Ahmad Khan,Muhammad Asad,Maududi, andMohammad Ali Johar.[16]
Ideas fromBritish andAmerican philosophy greatly shapedphilosophical development in Pakistan. Analysts such asM. M. Sharif andZafar Hassan established the first major Pakistani philosophical movement in 1947.[clarification needed][17] After the 1971 war, philosophers such asJalaludin Abdur Rahim,Faiz Ahmed Faiz,Gianchandani, andMalik Khalid incorporatedMarxism into Pakistan's philosophical thinking. Influential work byManzoor Ahmad,Jaun Elia,Hasan Askari Rizvi, andAbdul Khaliq brought mainstreamsocial,political, andanalytical philosophy to the fore in academia.[18] Works byNoam Chomsky have influenced philosophical ideas in various fields of social and political philosophy.[19]
Pakistani music ranges from diverse forms of provincial folk music and traditional styles such asQawwali andGhazal to modern musical forms that fuse traditional and western music.[20]
Pakistan has various regional dances including:
These are very similar to stage plays in theatres. They are performed by well-known actors and actresses in theLollywood industry. The dramas and plays often deal with themes fromeveryday life, often with a humorous touch.
Four periods are recognised in Pakistani architecture:pre-Islamic,Islamic,colonial, andpost-colonial. With the beginning of theIndus civilization around the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE,[22] an advanced urban culture developed for the first time in the region, with large buildings, some of which survive to this day.[23]Mohenjo Daro,Harappa, andKot Diji are among the pre-Islamic settlements that are now tourist attractions.[citation needed] The rise ofBuddhism and the influence ofGreek civilisation led to the development of aGreco-Buddhist style,[24] starting from the 1st century CE. The high point of this era was theGandhara style. An example of Buddhist architecture is the ruins of the Buddhist monasteryTakht-i-Bahi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[25]
The arrival of Islam in what is today Pakistan meant the gradual end of Buddhist architecture in the area and a transition toIslamic architecture. This shift introduced intricate geometric patterns, arabesques, and calligraphy, replacing the Buddhist emphasis on human and animal depictions, which are generally avoided in Islamic art and architecture. The most important building from this era still standing is thetomb of Shah Rukn-i-Alam in Multan. During the Mughal era, design elements of Persian-Islamic architecture became fused with architectural styles native to India, leading to new architectural revival. Lahore, as the occasional residence of Mughal rulers and a once Mughal capital, contains many important buildings from the empire. Most prominent among them are theBadshahi Mosque, thefortress of Lahore with the famousAlamgiri Gate, the colourful,Mughal-styleWazir Khan Mosque,[26] theShalimar Gardens in Lahore, and theShahjahan Mosque inThatta.
In the British colonial period, predominantly functional buildings of the Indo-European style developed from a mixture of European and Mughal architectural traditions. Post-colonial national identity is expressed in modern structures such as theFaisal Mosque, theMinar-e-Pakistan, and theMazar-e-Quaid. Several examples of architectural infrastructure demonstrating the influence ofBritish design can be found inLahore,Peshawar, andKarachi.[27]
Most sports played in Pakistan originated and were substantially developed by athletes and sports fans from the United Kingdom who introduced them during theBritish Raj.Field hockey is thenational sport of Pakistan; it has won three gold medals in theOlympic Games held in1960,1968, and1984.[28] Pakistan has also won theHockey World Cup a record four times, held in1971,1978,1982, and1994.[29]
Cricket, however, is the most popular game across the country.[30] The country has had an array of success in the sport over the years, and has the distinct achievement of having won each of the majorICC international cricket tournaments:ICC Cricket World Cup,ICC World Twenty20, andICC Champions Trophy; as well as theICC Test Championship.[31] Thecricket team (known asShaheen) won theCricket World Cup held in1992; it was runner-up once, in1999. Pakistan was runner-up in the inauguralWorld Twenty20 (2007) in South Africa and won theWorld Twenty20 in England in 2009. In March 2009, militantsattacked the touringSri Lankan cricket team,[32] after which no international cricket was played in Pakistan until May 2015, when theZimbabwean team agreed to a tour. Pakistan also won the2017 ICC Champions Trophy by defeating arch-rivalsIndia in thefinal.
Pakistan Super League is one of the largest cricket leagues of the world with a brand value of aboutRs. 32.26 billion (US$110 million).[33]
Association football is the second-most played sport in Pakistan and it is organised and regulated by thePakistan Football Federation.[34]Football in Pakistan is as old as the country itself. Shortly after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was created, andMuhammad Ali Jinnah became its first Patron-in-Chief.[35] The highest football division in Pakistan is thePakistan Premier League.[36] Pakistan is known as one of the best manufacturers of the officialFIFA World Cup ball.[37] The best football players to play for Pakistan areKaleemullah,Zesh Rehman,Muhammad Essa,Haroon Yousaf, andMuhammad Adil.
Pakistan has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events: the1989 and2004 South Asian Games; the1984,1993,1996 and2003 World Squash Championships; the1987 and1996 Cricket World Cup; co-hosted the ICC Champion Trophy 2025 and the1990 Hockey World Cup. Pakistan is set to host the2025 South Asian Games.[38]
There are also sometraditional games of Pakistan, such askabaddi, which are popular.[39]
Pakistani cuisine lies at the crossroads ofCentral Asian,Middle Eastern,North Indian, andIranian culinary traditions, with some practices, such as the use of nuts in garnishing, tracing back to the royal kitchens of the 16th-century Mughal emperors.[41][42]
The level of spice is typically low in most traditional cuisines, such as those ofPashtun,Balochi,Gilgiti,Balti,Sindhi, and southern and northern Punjab. However, in Central and Eastern Punjab, as well as in the cuisine of theMuhajir community—Indian immigrants primarily settled inKarachi, the country's financial hub—the food is often spicy. Muhajir cuisine, in particular, incorporates generous quantities of garlic,ginger,turmeric,red chili, andgaram masala.
Meals commonly include rice, often prepared with meat but also with vegetables, or bread such asnaan or roti, served with broth, meat, vegetables, or lentils.[43][44] Traditionally, meals are served on adastarkhān—a special rug lined with a plastic sheet to prevent spills and surrounded by cushions or pillows for added comfort. In modern households, however, the use of dining tables has become increasingly common.
Black tea with milk and sugar is widely popular throughout Pakistan and is consumed daily, often accompanied by cookies orhalva.[6][45] The consumption oftea in Pakistan, calledchai (چائے) is of central significance to Pakistani culture. It is one of the most consumed beverages inPakistani cuisine. Pakistan produces its own limited tea inShinkiari farms; however, it ranks as the third largest importer of tea in the world.[46] In 2003, as much as 109,000 tonnes of tea were consumed in Pakistan, ranking it at seven on the list of tea-consuming countries in the world.[46]
The privateprint media, state-ownedPakistan Television Corporation (PTV), andPakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) forradio were the dominant media outlets until the beginning of the 21st century. Pakistan now has a large network of domestic, privately owned 24-hournews media andtelevision channels.[49] A 2016 report by theReporters Without Borders ranked Pakistan 147th on thePress Freedom Index, while at the same time terming the Pakistani media "among the freest in Asia when it comes to covering the squabbling among politicians."[50] TheBBC terms the Pakistani media "among the most outspoken in South Asia".[51] Pakistani media has also played a vital role in exposing corruption.[52]
TheLollywood, Punjabi andPashto film industry is based in Lahore and Peshawar. WhileBollywood films were banned from public cinemas from 1965 until 2008, they have remained an important part of popular culture.[53] In contrast to the ailing Pakistani film industry, Urdutelevised dramas and theatrical performances continue to be popular, as manyentertainment media outlets air them regularly.[54]Urdu dramas dominate thetelevision entertainment industry, which has launched critically acclaimedminiseries and featured popular actors and actresses since the 1990s.[55] In the 1960s–1970s,pop music anddisco (1970s) dominated the country's music industry. In the 1980s–1990s,British influencedrock music appeared and jolted the country's entertainment industry.[56] In the 2000s,heavy metal music gained popular and critical acclaim.[57]
The national dress of Pakistan is the Persian originshalwar kameez, aunisex garment widely-worn aroundSouth Asia,[58][59] andnational dress,[60] of Pakistan. When women wear the shalwar-kameez in some regions, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called adupatta around the head or neck.[61] The dupatta is also employed as a form of modesty—although it is made of delicate material, it obscures the upper body's contours by passing over the shoulders. For Muslim women, the dupatta is a less stringent alternative to thechador orburqa (seehijab andpurdah). Besides the national dress, domestically tailoredsuits and neckties are often worn by men, and are customary in offices, schools, and social gatherings.[62]
Thefashion industry has flourished in the changing environment of the fashion world. Since Pakistan came into being, its fashion has evolved in different phases and developed a unique identity. Today, Pakistani fashion is a combination of traditional and modern dress and has become a mark of Pakistani culture. Despite modern trends, regional and traditional forms of dress have developed their own significance as a symbol of native tradition. This regional fashion continues to evolve into both more modern and purer forms. The Pakistan Fashion Design Council based inLahore organizesPFDC Fashion Week and the Fashion Pakistan Council based inKarachi organizesFashion Pakistan Week. Pakistan's first fashion week was held in November 2009.[63]
Pakistani food is similar to that of northern India, with a splash of Middle Eastern influence derived from other Muslim cultures over the centuries.
Pakistani cuisine—a fusion of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Persian, and Indian traditions.
The village's men and boys largely dress in sombre colours in the loose trousers and long shirt (shalwar kameez) worn across Pakistan. Older men often wear woollen Chitrali caps (pakol), waistcoats and long coats (chugha), made by Chitrali tailors (darzi) who skills are renowned across Pakistan.
the shalwar kameez happens to be worn by just about everyone in Pakistan, including in all of Gilgit-Baltistan.
What is common in all the cases is the wearing of shalwar, kameez, and dupatta, the national dress of Pakistan.
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Currency, governance, regulation | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | |||||||
| Transport | |||||||
| Industry |
| ||||||
| People and labour | |||||||
| Domestic economies | |||||||
| Business districts | |||||||
| See also | |||||||
