Islamabad

Islamabad (/ɪzˈlɑːməˌbɑːd/; Urdu: اسلام آباد‎, Islāmābād, Urdu pronunciation: [ɪsˌlɑːmɑˈbɑːd̪]) is the capital city of Pakistan located within the Islamabad Capital Territory. It has a population of 2 million and together with its neighboring twin city of Rawalpindi, the greater Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area is the third largest in Pakistan with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants.

Islamabad was built according to a carefully organized plan, divided into sectors along a grid of clean, tree-lined streets. The city is sheltered by the Margalla Hills, the foothills of the Himalayas and the home of rare species of leopard, deer, birds, and even porcupines. Several hiking paths end at Daman-e-Koh, a picnic spot with a splendid view of the entire city, including the massive modernist Faisal Mosque and even the Rawal Dam.

Since its foundation, Islamabad has attracted people from all over Pakistan, making it one of the most cosmopolitan and urbanized cities of Pakistan. As the national capital, Islamabad is the seat of the Government of Pakistan; the Presidential Palace (Aiwan-e-Sadr) is located here. Islamabad is also home to the Pakistan Monument, which is one of the two national monuments of Pakistan. Islamabad hosts a large number of foreign diplomats, politicians and government employees. The Capital Development Authority is responsible for managing the public works within the city.

Islamabad Capital Territory

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) (Urdu: وفاقی دارالحکومت‎) is one of the two federal territories of Pakistan. It includes Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and covers an area of 1,165.5 km² (450 mi²) of which 906 km² (349.8 mi²) is Islamabad proper. It is represented in the National Assembly by two constituencies, namely NA-48 and NA-49.

History

In 1960, land was transferred from the Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province for the purpose of establishing Pakistan's new capital. According to the 1960 master plan, the ICT included the city of Rawalpindi, and was to be composed of the following parts:

However, the city of Rawalpindi was eventually excluded from the ICT on its creation in the 1980s. The remainder of the territory is now subdivided into five zones, with Zone I designated to house all residential, industrial and government institutions.

Anantnag

Anantnag (Urdu: اننت ناگ‎ /əˈnæntˌnæg/ or /-nɑːg/  listen ; Kashmiri: anaṁtnāg; lit. "Countless springs") is a city and a municipality, capital of the Anantnag district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a large business and trading centre of Kashmir Valley.

Etymology

The name Anantnag is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit term for "countless springs"Nag also means water spring in the Kashmiri language. Thus Anantnag is believed to mean "numerous springs", because there are many springs in the town, such as Nag Bal, Salak Nag and Malik Nag. According to Marc Aurel Stein, the name of the city comes from the great spring Ananta Nag issuing at the centre of the city. This is also corroborated by almost all local historians including Kalhana, according to whom the city has taken the name of this great spring of Cesha Nag or Ananta Nag.

History

Anantnag is an ancient city that came into existence as a market town around 5000 BCE making it one of the oldest urban human settlements in the world. Before the advent of Muslim rule in 1320 CE, Kashmir was divided into three divisions, viz., Maraz in the south, Yamraj in the centre and Kamraj in the north of the Valley. Old chronicles reveal that the division was the culmination of the rift Marhan and Kaman, the two brothers, over the crown of their father. The part of the valley which lies between Pir Panjal and Srinagar, and called the Anantnag, was given to Marhan and named after him as Maraj. While Srinagar is no longer known as Yamraj, the area to its north and south are still called Kamraz and Maraz respectively. These divisions were later on divided into thirty four sub-divisions which after 1871 were again reduced to five Zilas or districts.