Daman-e-Koh

Daman-e-Koh

Pakistan’s formation, tumultuous and full of turmoil, necessitated the formation of a new national capital. The forging of a new conscious political identity was the foremost reason, along with the fact that the existing, almost de-facto, capital Karachi was already under pressure socially, politically and economically. Karachi was not, in addition, a satisfactory solution from the points of view of climate, tradition and the existing buildings, which were inadequate in number and not quite up to the standards required by a capital.

The layout and structure of the existing port city did not allow it to take on the functions of a modern capital. On the other hand, the influx of refugees intensified the existing problems and created new ones. The solution to these problems was instituting a new capital, which could be planned, developed and built according to the Government’s requirements and prerogatives. The location, after significant research and several reports on various settings for the capital, was chosen adjacent to the garrison city of Rawalpindi. And the city was named Islamabad. Islamabad, Pakistan. The City of Islam, Land of the Pure.