Punjab: Land, History, People

Five rivers, ten thousand years of history, one of the world’s most vibrant and resilient cultures – this is Punjab. Ihsan H. Nadiem, a distinguished archaeologist and museologist who spent decades excavating the province’s most ancient sites, distills the essence of the land and its people into a richly illustrated, highly readable portrait.

This is not a dry academic tome. It is a loving, comprehensive, yet entirely accessible survey of the entire sweep of Punjab’s history – from the prehistoric Indus Valley civilisation at Harappa, through the Buddhist era of Taxila, the rise of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire, British colonial rule, the trauma of the 1947 Partition, and the modern Punjabi identity in both Pakistan and India.

But the book is about far more than just political history. Nadiem, drawing on his 32 years of archaeological fieldwork and curatorship of museums at Harappa, Moenjodaro, Lahore Fort and Taxila, takes the reader deep into Punjab’s living heritage: the folk music, the Sufi shrines, the distinctive jhumar dance, the exquisite handicrafts (from phulkari embroidery to wooden furniture), the vibrant festivals (Basant, Vaisakhi, Gurpurab), the martial traditions, and the everyday warmth and resilience of the Punjabi people. A 240-page hardback (ISBN: 978‑969‑503‑434‑7) published in Lahore (2005), the book is generously illustrated with colour photographs and maps.

About the Author:
Ihsan H. Nadiem is a distinguished Pakistani archaeologist, museologist, and author of over 30 books on Pakistan’s cultural heritage. Born in Sahiwal, he studied at Government College, Lahore, and earned a postgraduate degree in Geography from the University of the Punjab. After training as an archaeologist on a government scholarship, he excavated at major sites such as Banbhore, Swat, Moenjodaro and Tulamba, and served as curator‑in‑charge of museums at Harappa, Umerkot, Moenjodaro, Lahore Fort and Taxila. He has published 27 books including the acclaimed Forts of Pakistan. He writes in a non‑technical style, aiming to make Pakistan’s rich heritage accessible to general readers.

Format: Hardbound