Founding of Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan, a planned city built in the 1960s on the Potohar Plateau, at the foot of the Margalla Hills, to replace Karachi as the seat of government. President Ayub Khan chose a site near Rawalpindi, partly because of the cooler climate and its closeness to the army headquarters, and also for strategic reasons. The Greek planner Constantinos Doxiadis prepared the master plan, which laid out the city as a grid of sectors, each with its own parks and markets. Rawalpindi served as the interim capital in the early years. The Faisal Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, dominates the city's skyline. Islamabad is known for its green spaces and quiet pace.

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