The society and culture of Pakistan comprises numerous diverse cultures and ethnic groups: the Punjabis, Kashmiri

and Sindhis in the east; the tribal cultures of the Baloch and Pashtun in the west; and the ancient ardic and Taji! communities in the north" These Pa!istani cultures have been greatly influenced by many of the surrounding countries# cultures, such as the Tur!ish, Persian, $fghan, and %ndians of South $sia, &entral $sia and the 'iddle (ast" %n ancient times, Pa!istan was a major cultural hub" 'any cultural practices and great monuments have been inherited from the time of the ancient rulers of the region" )ne of the greatest cultural influences was that of the Persian (mpire, of which Pa!istan was a part" %n fact, the Pa!istani satraps were at one time the richest and most productive of the massive Persian (mpire" )ther !ey influences include the $fghan (mpire, 'ughal (mpire and later, the short lived but influential, the British (mpire" Pa!istan has a cultural and ethnic bac!ground going bac! to the %ndus *alley &ivili+ation, which e,isted from -.//01.// B"&", and was remar!able for its ordered cities, advanced sanitation, e,cellent roads, and uni2uely structured society" Pa!istan has been invaded many times in the past, and has been occupied and settled by many different peoples, each of whom have left their imprint on the current inhabitants of the country" Some of the largest groups were the #$ryans#, 3ree!s, Scythians, Persians, 4hite 5uns, $rabs, Tur!s, 'ongols, $fghans, Buddhists and other (urasian groups, up to and including the British, who left in the late 167/s" The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural comple, of South $sia, the 'iddle (ast and &entral $sia from the earliest times, and is analogous to Tur!ey#s position in (urasia"819 There are differences in culture among the different ethnic groups in matters such as dress, food, and religion, especially where pre:%slamic customs differ from %slamic practices" Their cultural origins also reveal influences from far afield, including Tibet, ;epal, %ndia and eastern $fghanistan" $ll groups show varying degrees of influence from Persia, Tur!estan and 5ellenistic 3reece" Pa!istan was the first region of South $sia to receive the full impact of %slam and has developed a distinct %slamic identity, historically different from areas further west"819 $ncient sites in Pa!istan include: <orastrian =ire temples, %slamic centres, Sufi Shrines, Buddhist temples, Si!h, 5indu and Pagan temples and shrines, gardens, tombs, palaces, monuments, and 'ughal and %ndo:Saracenic buildings" Sculpture is dominated by 3reco: Buddhist frie+es, and crafts by ceramics, jewellery, sil! goods and engraved woodwor! and metalwor!" Pa!istani society is largely multilingual, multi:ethnic and multicultural" Though cultures within the country differ to some e,tent, more similarities than differences can be found, as most Pa!istanis are mainly of $ryan heritage or have coe,isted side by side along the %ndus >iver for several thousand years, or both" 5owever, over ?/ years of integration, a distinctive @Pa!istani@ culture has sprung up, especially in the urban areas where many of the diverse ethnic groups have coe,isted and in many cases, intermarried" (ducation is highly regarded by members of every socio:economic stratum, with the country now

having a literacy rate of AAB, up from CB at the time of independence" Traditional family values are highly respected and considered sacred, although urban families increasingly form nuclear families, owing to socio:economic constraints imposed by the traditional culture of the e,tended family" The past few decades have seen emergence of a middle class in cities such as Karachi, Dahore, >awalpindi, 5yderabad, Euetta, =aisalabad, Su!!ur, Peshawar, Sial!ot, $bbottabad and 'ultan" >ural areas of Pa!istan are regarded as more conservative, and are dominated by regional tribal customs dating bac! hundreds if not thousands of years"