Pakistan Monument

About this place

The Pakistan Monument is a national monument and heritage museum on the western part of the Shakarparian Hills in Islamabad, built as a symbol of the unity of the Pakistani people. Its height makes it visible across Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It takes the form of a flower with seven huge granite petals, and it is a favourite evening outing for families in the capital. The four large petals stand for the country's main cultures, Punjabi, Baloch, Sindhi and Pashtun, while the three smaller ones stand for other cultures, including Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. All the petals converge over a central platform. The architect was Arif Masoud, work ran from 2004 to 2006, and it opened on 23 March 2007. You climb to the platform and walk among the petals, whose inner walls carry carvings of landmarks from Pakistan, with a star beneath you and an opening to the sky above. Nearby a heritage museum presents the country's history. From the edges you look over the city and hills, above all at sunset. It is lit at night and looks quite different. It is about 2 km in a straight line from central Islamabad and about 5 km from Faisal Mosque, so you can combine them in an evening. The best time is just before sunset, and weekends are busier.