10 Famous and Historical Museums in Pakistan

Interested in seeing historical sites and museums all over the world? Do you realize that Pakistan also has a sizable number of museums to explore? We’re here to give you information on some of the top museums in Pakistan that are definitely worth going for a trip down memory lane.

Museums in Pakistan

We have listed 10 best museums in this article that everyone should visit at least once.

Pakistan Monument Museum, Islamabad
PAF Museum, Karachi
Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi
Lahore Museum, Lahore
Lok Virsa Museum, Islamabad
Taxila Museum, Taxila
Frere Hall, Karachi
Army Museum, Lahore
Pakistan Maritime Museum, Karachi
Peshawar Gandhara Museum, Peshawar

Pakistan Monument Museum, Islamabad

The Pakistan Monument Museum, which is designed like a growing flower, represents the country’s forward-thinking future while still preserving the memories of its varied past. While strolling around the modern, minimalist museum, learn about the rich, diverse history of pre-partition Pakistan. With the help of the colorful mannequins on exhibit, you can learn more about the various customs, hardships, and successes in chronological order. View the library’s rare books and manuscripts, as well as artefacts belonging to Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Iqbal.

Visiting Hours

Tuesday to Sunday: 10am – 8pm
Monday: Closed

Location: Garden Avenue Shakarparian Hills, Islamabad.

PAF Museum, Karachi

The Pakistan Air Force Museum was founded in 1990 and is located in Karachi. But as it grew between 1999 and 2004, it added restaurants, kid’s play spaces, and rides. The Pakistan Air Force’s arsenal of fighter planes and armaments from World War I and II is on display in the main museum. Prior to accessing the main museum area, however, the majority of weapons and planes are on exhibit in the park area.

Visiting Hours

Saturday to Sunday: 8am – 9pm
Monday to Friday: 8am – 10pm

Location: Shahra-e-Faisal, Karachi.

Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi

The Hindu Marwari Shivratan Mohatta had the Mohatta Palace Museum constructed as his opulent home in 1927. The magnificent structure’s architect, Ahmed Hussein Agha, took design cues from Anglo-Mughal architecture seen in Pakistan and India. Before being transformed into a museum to promote Pakistani culture, the building housed Fatima Jinnah, the sister of the country’s founder, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The museum now contains 44 galleries that feature objects from various parts of the nation and historical periods. Additionally, the palace frequently hosts art exhibitions. A large number of stone figures also adorn the majestic structure.

Visiting Hours

Tuesday to Sunday: 11am – 6pm
Monday: Closed

Location: 7 Hatim Alvi Road, Block 5 Old Clifton, Karachi.

Lahore Museum, Lahore

The Lahore Museum is located in Lahore and was constructed during the British era (1849-1947). The structure is impressive and features red bricks after Mughal elements. The Lahore Museum is one of Pakistan’s most popular museums and houses one of the country’s oldest collections of cultural, artistic, and historical artifacts. It displays historical antique coins, Gandhara sculpture, rare manuscripts, and tiny paintings. This museum’s collections have drawn a large audience of academics, researchers, visitors, and schoolchildren.

Visiting Hours

Saturday to Thursday: 9am – 3:30pm
Friday: Closed

Location: Lower Mall Road, Lahore.

Lok Virsa Museum, Islamabad

The Lok Virsa – National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage administers and manages the Heritage Museum, also known as the Lok Virsa Museum. The museum represents the history and culture that highlights the country’s current cultural diversity. The museum’s main goal is to educate and uplift Pakistan’s current and future generations while also building a treasure for the country that is more priceless than any bank’s vault.

Visiting Hours

Tuesday to Sunday: 10am – 8pm
Monday: Closed

Location: Garden Avenue Shakarparian Hills, Islamabad.

Taxila Museum, Taxila

A substantial collection of Gandharan art is kept at the Taxila Museum. The majority of the exhibits of the Taxila Museum came from ancient Taxila’s ruins. Near the museum, there are a lot of historical sites. More than 4000 pieces, including stones, gold, silver, sculptures, statues made of stones, tools, pottery, ancient coins, and a wide range of other items, are on show here.

Visiting Hours

Saturday to Sunday: 10am – 5pm
Monday to Friday: 9am – 4pm

Location: Shahpur Road, Bhir Mound City Walls, Taxila.

Frere Hall, Karachi

The Frere Hall building, which was built in 1865 in the Gothic-Venetian Victorian style and served as Karachi’s town hall before being converted into an art gallery and museum, is regarded as one of the nation’s most recognisable buildings. Stone busts, including one of King Edward VII, and several oil paintings are included in its collection. For those who want to spend hours reading, the lovely building also has a library.

Visiting Hours

Sunday: Closed
Monday to Saturday: 9am – 5pm

Location: Cantt, Karachi.

Army Museum, Lahore

The Allama Iqbal International Airport and the Army Museum are both nearby in Lahore. It offers a gateway into the lives of our armed forces and opened its doors to the public in 2017. The contemporary building houses army tanks that have been used in battle, an engraved list of the names of the Shuhada-e-Pakistan with space for an expanding list, as well as statues of commanders-in-chief and chiefs of army staff who have served the Pakistani Army since independence up to the present. A sort of armory has been set up inside, exhibiting all the various weapons used by our ground forces to safeguard the country, along with historical statues of wars that have been fought in the past and photographs of significant personalities that line the walls.

Visiting Hours

Sunday to Wednesday: 9am – 4pm
Thursday to Friday: Closed

Location: Amjad Chaudhry Road, Lahore.

Pakistan Maritime Museum, Karachi

Similar to the air force, Pakistan’s naval forces have a museum in the city that is situated next to a lake and a park. Six galleries and an auditorium make up the 28 acres of beautiful lawns on which the Pakistan Maritime Museum is located. The audience of this museum is introduced to numerous maritime artifacts through relief models, dioramas and sculptures, paintings, taxidermy, and actual ancient weapons through the use of interactive teaching. The PNS Mujahid (M164), the minesweeper, and the Breguet Atlantic aircraft are perhaps the most eye-catching exhibits at this museum.

Visiting Hours

Saturday to Sunday: 9am – 11pm
Monday to Friday: 9am – 10pm

Location: Habib Ibrahim Rehmatullah Road, Karsaz, Karachi.

Peshawar Gandhara Museum, Peshawar

Peshawar Gandhara Museum is a place where you can learn about the major tribes’ lifestyles and snap pictures of the building’s artistic outside. The museum was built in 1907 as a monument to Queen Victoria and features a fusion of British, South Asian, Hindu, Mughal, Islamic, and Buddhist architectural influences. Visit the museum to view Buddha sculptures and a sizable collection of Buddhist artifacts that detail the Buddha’s life. Examine the pre-Islamic currency collection before moving on to the Mughal and Persian art museum, which features replicas of mosque facades, weapons, and metal objects.

Visiting Hours