# Multan

> city in Punjab, Pakistan

**Wikidata**: [Q185453](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q185453)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multan)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/multan

## Summary

Multan is a major city located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It serves as the administrative capital of both Multan District and Multan Division, situated near the Chenab River at an elevation of 122 metres above sea level. According to the 2017 census, Multan has a population of 1,871,843 residents.

## Key Facts

- **Classification**: City and big city (large human settlement)
- **Country**: Pakistan
- **Location**: Multan District, Punjab; near the Chenab River
- **Coordinates**: 30.197777777777777 latitude, 71.47111111111111 longitude
- **Elevation**: 122 metres above sea level
- **Area (City)**: 286 square kilometres
- **Area (Metropolitan)**: 3,721 square kilometres
- **Population (2017 Census)**: 1,871,843
- **Population (2015 Estimate)**: 3,117,000
- **Population (2010 Estimate)**: 1,606,481
- **Postal Code**: 60000
- **Local Dialing Code**: 061
- **Time Zone**: Pakistan Standard Time
- **UN/LOCODE**: PKMUX
- **Website**: http://www.multan.gov.pk/ (English)
- **Legislative Body**: Municipal Corporation Multan
- **Office of Head of Government**: Mayor of Multan
- **Significant Historical Event**: Siege of Multan
- **Twin Cities**: Konya (Turkey), Bursa (Turkey), Rasht (Iran)
- **IPA Transcription (Urdu)**: mʊltaːn
- **Aliases**: Mooltan, Moultan, Multán, Multa-n, Multa n, Multān, Mûltan, Multân, ムルタン, 木尔丹, 木尔坦, المولتان, مولتان, الملتان

## FAQs

**Where is Multan located?**
Multan is located in the Punjab province of Pakistan, within Multan District. It sits near the Chenab River at coordinates 30.1978°N, 71.4711°E.

**What is the population of Multan?**
According to the 2017 census, Multan has a population of 1,871,843. Earlier estimates recorded 1,606,481 in 2010 and 3,117,000 in 2015.

**What is the administrative role of Multan?**
Multan serves as the capital of both Multan District and Multan Division. The city is governed by the Municipal Corporation Multan, with the Mayor of Multan serving as the head of government.

**What are the twin cities of Multan?**
Multan is twinned with three cities: Konya and Bursa in Turkey, and Rasht in Iran.

**What historical event is associated with Multan?**
The Siege of Multan is recorded as a significant event in the city's history.

**What is the geographic area of Multan?**
The city proper covers 286 square kilometres, while the metropolitan area spans 3,721 square kilometres.

## Why It Matters

Multan holds substantial administrative, historical, and cultural significance within Pakistan. As the capital of both a district and a division, it serves as a critical hub for governance and regional administration in Punjab province. Its strategic location near the Chenab River has historically contributed to its importance as a settlement. The city's recognition across numerous international encyclopedic sources—including Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Encyclopædia Britannica, and Meyers Konversations-Lexikon—demonstrates its longstanding global relevance. With Wikipedia articles in over 78 languages and extensive cataloguing across major library systems (Library of Congress, National Library of Israel) and geographic databases, Multan is firmly established as a globally recognised urban centre.

## Notable For

- Serving as the dual administrative capital of Multan District and Multan Division
- Being recognised as both a "city" and "big city" classification
- Maintaining international sister city relationships with three foreign municipalities
- Having extensive global documentation across major encyclopedic works dating back to the 19th century
- Presence in 78+ language editions of Wikipedia, indicating worldwide recognition
- Cataloguing in major international authority systems including VIAF, GND, and Library of Congress
- Hosting the historical Siege of Multan military event

## Body

### Geography and Location

Multan is positioned at coordinates 30.197777777777777° latitude and 71.47111111111111° longitude in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city sits at an elevation of 122 metres above sea level. It is located in or next to the Chenab River, a significant water body in the region. The city proper encompasses 286 square kilometres, while the broader metropolitan area extends to 3,721 square kilometres.

### Administrative Structure

Multan operates as the capital city of both Multan District and Multan Division, making it a central administrative hub in the region. The legislative body governing the city is the Municipal Corporation Multan. The chief executive office is held by the Mayor of Multan. The city's postal code is 60000, and the local telephone dialing code is 061. Multan operates on Pakistan Standard Time.

### Demographics

Population data for Multan shows variation across different measurement periods and methodologies:

- **2010**: Estimated population of 1,606,481
- **2015**: Population recorded at 3,117,000
- **2017**: Census-recorded population of 1,871,843 (preferred value)

The 2017 census figure is marked as the preferred and most authoritative population statistic.

### International Twin City Relationships

Multan maintains formal twinning relationships with three cities:

- **Konya** - A major city in Turkey
- **Bursa** - A major city in Turkey  
- **Rasht** - A city in Iran

### Historical Significance

The Siege of Multan is documented as a significant event associated with the city. This military engagement forms part of the city's recorded historical narrative.

### Global Recognition and Documentation

Multan is extensively catalogued in major reference works and international databases. The city is described by or included in:

- Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
- Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1926–1947)
- New Encyclopedic Dictionary
- The Nuttall Encyclopædia (listed as "Multan")
- Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 4th edition (1885–1890)
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition (entry: "1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Multan")
- Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana
- Great Russian Encyclopedia Online (2017) - entry "МУЛТАН"
- Brockhaus Enzyklopädie Online
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online - place/Multan
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam - entry "multan"
- Grove Art Online - ID T060260

### Digital and Database Identifiers

Multan is indexed across numerous international identification systems:

**Library and Bibliographic Systems**:
- Library of Congress Authority ID: n81022143
- VIAF (Virtual International Authority File): 132529642
- GND (German National Library): 4246341-5
- IDRef (France): 123330637
- National Library of Israel J9U ID: 987007552782405171

**Geographic and Mapping Systems**:
- GeoNames ID: 1169825
- Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names: 7002481
- OpenStreetMap Node ID: 307617596
- Google Maps Customer ID: 13463282144106632239
- UN/LOCODE: PKMUX
- GNS Unique Feature ID: -2769709

**Encyclopedic and Knowledge Systems**:
- Freebase ID: /m/027_dl
- BBC Things ID: 6eac958e-189d-4e65-ac60-f2ea034f87c4
- Deník Tag ID: 53825
- Online PWN Encyclopedia ID: 3944307
- Quora Topic: Multan-Punjab-Pakistan-1
- Who's On First ID: 890443585
- YLE Topic ID: 18-232147

**Cultural Heritage Systems**:
- Vici.org ID: 18833
- Museum Digital Place ID: 12166
- Kulturenvanteri Taxonomy ID: 2689
- Münzkabinett ID: location/2051

### Wikimedia and Open Knowledge Presence

Multan maintains a strong presence across Wikimedia projects:

- **Wikipedia Title**: Multan
- **Wikipedia Languages**: Available in 78+ languages including English, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, German, French, Spanish, and many others
- **Wikidata Description**: "city in Punjab, Pakistan"
- **Commons Gallery**: Multan
- **Commons Category**: Multan
- **Topic's Main Category**: Category:Multan
- **Wikikids ID**: Multan

### Visual Documentation

Several images document the city:

- **Main Image/Montage**: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/MultanMontage.jpg
- **Page Banner**: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Multan_banner_Ghanta_Ghar_Chowk.png

### Associated Categories

The city has organised categories for various aspects:

- **People Born Here**: Category:Births in Multan
- **People From Here**: Category:People from Multan
- **People Who Died Here**: Q44717206
- **Views of the City**: Category:Views of Multan

### Music and Arts

Multan is recognised in music and cultural databases:

- **MusicBrainz Area ID**: 3d39e186-4d1d-42c8-82cb-d410612d841f

### Online Services and Social Platforms

The city appears across various online services:

- **Official Website**: http://www.multan.gov.pk/ (English language)
- **Facebook Location ID**: 104063639628876
- **OpenWeatherMap City ID**: 1169825
- **Curlie Directory**: Regional/Asia/Pakistan/Provinces/Punjab/Localities/Multan/
- **Google Play Store ID**: Multan
- **Hindustan Times Topic**: multan
- **The Independent Topic**: multan

### Linguistic Variants

The city's name appears in numerous linguistic forms reflecting its historical and cross-cultural recognition:

- **English variants**: Mooltan, Moultan
- **Arabic script**: المولتان, مولتان, الملتان
- **Japanese**: ムルタン
- **Chinese**: 木尔丹, 木尔坦
- **Other transliterations**: Multán, Multa-n, Multa n, Multān, Mûltan, Multân

### Academic and Research References

Multan is referenced in specialised academic systems:

- **Yale LUX ID**: place/5f8d69cf-abbc-40f0-8d1d-8655d245c9dc
- **Edition Humboldt Digital ID**: H0018211
- **NE.se ID**: multan
- **SNARC ID**: September 6
- **De Agostini ID**: Multan
- **Larousse ID**: ville/Multan/134361
- **Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID (former scheme)**: 0044807

### Lexical Information

- **Lex ID**: Multan
- **IPA Transcription**: mʊltaːn (Urdu language)

### Site Statistics

- **SiteLink Count**: 78 (indicating presence across 78 Wikimedia project language sites)

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. MusicBrainz
4. [Pakistan’s 10 most populous cities revealed. SAMAA TV. 2017](https://www.samaa.tv/news/2017/08/pakistans-10-populous-cities-revealed/)
5. [Source](https://vici.org/vici/18833)
6. GeoNames
7. BBC Things
8. [Source](https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/pk.htm)
9. [Multan - Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Multan,+Punjab,+Pakistan/@30.1814786,71.3345716,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x393b315778dea7d9:0xbad72fc74e55d42f!8m2!3d30.1575958!4d71.5247726)
10. [Source](https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/multan)
11. museum-digital