Pakistan, 'Land of the Pure' Trivia Quiz

Answer: India

The name Pakistan evolved from an acronym first used in 1933 by Choudhry Rahmat Ali, referring to the five northern areas of the British Raj: Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh and Baluchistan - he used the first letters of the first four listed, and added the terminal -tan to get PAKSTAN.

Inserting an 'i' not only made it easier to pronounce, it brought the name stylistically in line with many other countries in the region which use -istan in their names to mean 'Land of the' whatever group comes at the start of the name: Afghanistan is an example.

The country now known as Pakistan was originally West Pakistan, with East Pakistan (now the independent country of Bangladesh) the other part of the Dominion.

Answer: Faisal Mosque

Mosques are places of worship in the Islamic religion, and when Faisal Mosque was built in 1986 it was the largest mosque in the world, until a larger one was built in Morocco in 1993. Designed to look like the tent of a desert Bedouin (because King Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia provided most of the financial support for its design and construction), it sits near the Margalla Hills, the western end of the Himalaya range.

At the Partition of India, Pakistan was intended to be a homeland for Muslims, with the rest of India under the control of Hindus. This plan, of course, totally ignored the existence of other religious groups, and the fact that many Muslims living in southern parts of India had no desire to either move or remain and be disenfranchised. The same problems were faced by Hindus in the north, and by Sikhs everywhere. There was a great deal of civil unrest and repression in the turmoil that followed, and disputes over who should control the region of Kashmir continued over half a century later. In 1971 conflicts between West Pakistan and East Pakistan led to war, and the resulting establishment of two separate nations, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Answer: Khyber Pass

The Khyber Pass has long been an important trade route (it was part of the Silk Road) and a place of strategic military importance. Invasions of India have most commonly come through the Khyber Pass, including those of Darius I in 515 BCE, Alexander the Great in 326 BCE, and Genghis Khan in 1220.

The area of the pass is mostly settled by Afridi tribes on the Pakistan side, and by Shinwari clans on the Afghan side. Both of these groups are Pashtun in ethnicity, and have united to make a living by charging those who wish to use the pass with a safe-conduct fee; their control of the area is strong, and government officials have had little success in trying to establish a more lawful control of the area. Nevertheless, the Pass is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

The scenery is splendid, even if the area is unsafe.

Answer: Islamic

Some of the earliest buildings still standing in Pakistan date from the Indus civilisation, around 2500 BCE - you can see examples in Kot Diji, if you are in the area. Around the first century BCE Buddhist and Greek influences took over - the ruins of Takht-i-Bhai in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are a good example.

The arrival of Islamic rule in the eighth century CE led to a sharp change, and the transition from pre-Islamic to Islamic architecture. This period is characterised by the use of geometric designs such as can be seen in the photo used for this question.

A number of other important buildings from this era (and the subsequent Mughal Empire) survive, including the fortress of Lahore. British colonialism, starting around 1800 CE, saw the development of a style that fused traditional European architecture with Indian-Islamic features. Post-colonial architecture (starting from the middle of the 20th century) is marked by an attempt to establish a uniquely Pakistani style of architecture.

Answer: He was named Pakistan's official national poet

Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) is considered by many (especially, but not only, in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) to be one of the finest poets in the Urdu language. He not only wrote poetry in Persian and Urdu, but also wrote philosophical treatises, and is widely cited as one of the prime movers behind the revival of Islamic culture (both spiritual and political) that led to the establishment of Pakistan.

Answer: Field hockey

Most of the popular sports in Pakistan are remnants of British colonialism. Cricket has the largest public following, and in 2015 international cricket returned to Pakistan after a lengthy period when they had to play their 'home' matches in Dubai, as their home country was considered too dangerous following an attack on a touring Sri Lankan team in 2009.

The national sport has been decreed to be field hockey, and Pakistanis have performed with much success in international competition. This includes Olympic Gold medals in 1960, 1968 and 1984, and Hockey World cup titles in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994.

Answer: pants shirt

The shalwar kameez mode of dress originated in Persia, and spread throughout Islamic areas. It is worn in most Muslim countries, but there are local variations that make them not all appear to be the same thing to the untrained eye. The shalwar are loose pants, often with a drawstring waist.

They may be short or long, and often narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a shirt or tunic, usually long enough to reach past the hips (and sometimes to the ground). The collar can take on many styles, and sometimes the side seams are open below the waist, creating a tunic effect that gives greater freedom of movement for the wearer.

The traditional garment is both modest and practical - modern variants may be neither!

Answer: Henna

Henna designs are traditionally applied (not only in Pakistan, but also around the entire Indian subcontinental area, and across to northern Africa) as part of the celebrations for many occasions, especially weddings and religious feasts, such as Eid-el-fitr at the end of Ramadan.

In a wedding, brides are the most highly decorated, with motifs representing luck, joy and fertility; other women have simpler designs applied. The henna paste itself produces a red-brown color that is darker when the henna remains on for longer times, and whose color intensifies as the ink oxidises over a period of 24-48 hours. How long it lasts depends on a number of factors, but is usually between one and three weeks, by which time the stained layers of skin have been replaced. Contemporary mehndi often also incorporate decorations - glitter, sparkles, small gems - and sometimes also extra lines in other colors.

Answer: Dholak

The dholak, like its larger cousin the dhol (which was actually the drum in the photo) and the smaller dholki, is a two-headed drum that is played with the hands. Each head produces a different note, usually at intervals of a fourth or a fifth. It may be played by holding it on the lap and accessing both ends, by standing it on the floor and kneeling to play on a single end, or by hanging it from a strap hung around the shoulders so that it can be played while standing. The accompanist of the qawwali is also likely to have a tabla, and play it with one hand while using the other for the dholak.

Qawwali songs are in a tradition developed in Delhi by a Sufi saint during the 13th century, combining traditions from Persia, Arabia, Turkey and India to produce a form that is understood to be spiritual in content, even when the lyrics are not explicitly so. The references to love and longing may sound as if they refer to more carnal interests, but are understood to refer to devotion to the divine, however that may be interpreted. Since qawwali is performed widely in southern Asia, this does vary! In Pakistan, the songs are likely to be written in Urdu or Punjabi, although some older traditional ones are in Persian, and some contemporary musicians prefer to use local dialects.

Answer: Goat

The genus Capra includes a number of species of goats, including the domestic goat, the wild goat, the ibex and the markhor. The name of the markhor is possibly derived from the Persian words 'mar' (snake) and 'khor' (eater). The name may be related to the local belief that the animals can kill snakes and eat them, then produce foam from their mouth as they chew their cud which dries on the ground to form a material that is useful in the treatment of snakebite, as it helps remove the venom from a bite.

Then again, the name may just be related to its amazing corkscrew horns, and their snake-like appearance.