Rawalpindi (Punjabi, Urdu: راولپنڈى‎, Rāwalpiṅḋī), commonly known as Pindi (Punjabi: پنڈی), is a city in the Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 4th most populous metropolitan area of Pakistan.[2] The center of the Rawalpindi is only 14 kilometres (9 mi) from the center of Islamabad. Due to the high interdependence and intertwined areas of the two cities, they are known as the twin cities of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. In the 1950s, Rawalpindi's population was smaller than Hyderabad and Multan, but the city's economy received a boost during the building of Islamabad (1959–1969), during which Rawalpindi served as the national capital. Rawalpindi is in the northernmost part of the Punjab province, located 275 km (171 mi) to the north-west of Lahore. It is the administrative seat of the Rawalpindi District. Also, Rawalpindi is the military headquarters, also referred to as GHQ (General Headquarters) of the Pakistani Armed Forces.

Its location is very central as it has capital to its north, Punjab to its south, KPK Province to its west and Azad Kashmir to its east. For this reason the tourists use the city as a stop before traveling towards the northern areas. Rawalpindi is easy accessible as several highways come into the city including National Highway (G.T Road) and Motorway. Numerous shopping bazaars, parks and a cosmopolitan population attract shoppers from all over Pakistan and abroad. The city is home to several industries and factories. Islamabad International Airport is actually located in Rawalpindi city, and serves both cities and several neighboring districts for international flights. Moreover, part of the facility is also the infamous Chaklala Airbase (PAF Base Nur Khan)

Contents  [hide] 
1	History
1.1	Mughal rule
1.2	Afghan and Sikh rule
1.3	British rule
1.4	Post-independence
2	Boundary and expansion
3	Climate
4	Economy
4.1	Major business
5	Civic administration
6	Demographics
7	Culture
7.1	Markets and bazaars
7.2	Military headquarters
7.3	Parks and places of interest
7.4	Architecture
8	Languages
8.1	Punjabi
8.2	other languages
9	Sports
10	Education
11	Transport
11.1	Bus rapid transit
11.2	Rail
11.3	Airport
11.4	Roads
11.5	Bus, auto rickshaw and taxi
12	Telecommunication
13	Parks
14	Media
15	Hospitals
16	See also
17	References
18	External links
History[edit]
Rawalpindi has been inhabited for thousands of years, it is believed that a distinct culture flourished on this plateau as far back as c. 1000 BC. The material remains found at the site prove the existence of a Buddhist establishment contemporary to Taxila and of a Vedic civilisation. The nearby town of Taxila has another significance; according to the Guinness Book of World Records it has the world's oldest university - Takshashila University.[3] In Takshashila, 19 km (12 mi) north-west of Rawalpindi, traces of at least 55 stupas, 28 Buddhist monasteries, 9 temples, a copper plate inscribed with the name Takshashila, a vase with Kharoshthi script among other things have been found.[4]

Sir Alexander Cunningham identified certain ruins on the site of the cantonment with the ancient city of Ganjipur or Gajnipur, the capital of the Bhatti tribe in the ages preceding the Christian era. Graeco-Bactrian coins, together with ancient bricks, occur over an area of 500 ha (2 mi²). Known within historical times as Fatehpur Baori, Rawalpindi fell into decay during one of the Mongol invasions in the 14th century.[5]

It appears that the ancient city went into oblivion as a result of the White Hun devastation. The first Muslim invader, Mahmud of Ghazni (979-1030), gave the ruined city to a Gakhar Chief, Kai Gohar. The town, however, being on an invasion route, could not prosper and remained deserted until Jhanda Khan, another Gakhar Chief, restored it and named it Rawalpindi after the village Rawal in 1493.

Mughal rule[edit]
Rawalpindi remained under the rule of the Gakkhars under the suzernaity of the Mughal Empire until Muqarrab Khan, the last Gakkhar ruler, was defeated by the Sikhs under Sardar Milka Singh in 1765. The present native infantry lines mark the site of a battle fought by the Gakhars under their famous chief Sultan Mukarrab Khan in 1765. Sardar Milka Singh invited traders from the neighboring commercial centers of Jhelum and Shahpur to settle in the territory.[5]

Afghan and Sikh rule[edit]
After the third Battle of Panipath in 1761, Afghans under Ahmed Shah Abdali annexed the region as part of the kingdom of Afghanistan. Early in the 19th century Rawalpindi became for a time the refuge of Shah Shuja, the exiled king of Afghanistan, and of his brother Shah Zaman. Rawalpindi was taken by Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1818 after defeating the Afghans. Rawalpindi remained part of the Sikh Empire till the defeat of the Sikh Empire at the hand of British East India Company in 1849.