Multan

City in Punjab province, central Pakistan, 205 km/190 mi southwest of Lahore; population (1998) 1,197,400, (2007 calc) 1,506,400. Multan lies on the Chenab River, an important source of water for irrigation, and is the commercial centre for agricultural produce from its region, including cotton, wheat, wool, sugar, oil seeds, and indigo. Industries include textiles (including cotton and silk products and carpet manufacture), precision instruments, chemicals, pottery, and jewellery. It trades in grain, fruit, cotton, and wool. The emperors of Delhi ruled the city 1526–1779 and they were succeeded by first Afghan and then Sikh rulers until British rule began in 1849.

It is on a site inhabited since the time of Alexander the Great. There is an old fort and tombs of Muslim saints which date from the 14th century. The second of the Sikh Wars began here.

Multan is the home of Bahauddin Zakariya University, which dates from 1975.