Holiday in Rawalpindi

About Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi, affectionately called Pindi, is the sister city of the Pakistani capital Islamabad and one of the oldest cities in South Asia. While Islamabad was built as a modern planned city in the 1960s, Rawalpindi has a history of over 3,000 years. The city was once the headquarters of the British Indian Army and is now home to the Pakistan Army's headquarters. Raja Bazaar is the vibrant heart of Rawalpindi: a labyrinthine network of narrow alleys where everything from spices to fabrics to traditional jewelry is sold. The atmosphere is overwhelming — thousands of vendors, the honking of rickshaws, and the aroma of freshly prepared snacks. The Rawalpindi Cricket Grounds (Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium) are among the most important venues for international cricket in Pakistan. Cricket here is more than a sport — it is a way of life. The old town of Rawalpindi houses several historic Gurdwaras (Sikh temples), Hindu Havelis, and the Faisal Mosque is just 20 minutes away in sister city Islamabad — the fifth-largest mosque in the world with space for 300,000 worshippers. From Rawalpindi begins the legendary Karakoram Highway (KKH), the highest paved international road in the world, which leads through the Karakoram Mountains over the Khunjerab Pass (4,693 m) to China. This road opens up some of the most spectacular mountain landscapes on Earth: Hunza Valley, Nanga Parbat (8,126 m), and Attabad Lake.