Shah Shams Sabzwari Urs, Multan: Dates and Heat Tips

The urs of Shah Shams Sabzwari is held at his shrine in Multan over three days in early June. The Punjab Auqaf department's events calendar lists it as 1 to 3 June, and press reports from 2023 show it opening on 1 June. That puts it at one of the hottest times of the year in one of Pakistan's hottest cities, which shapes how you should visit.

This guide covers the urs itself: dates for 2026 and 2027, what happens at the shrine, and how to handle the heat. If you want the saint's history and the tomb as a sight on an ordinary day, see our guide to the Shah Shams Tabrez shrine.

Who is Shah Shams Sabzwari?

Shamsuddin Sabzwari is a Sufi saint of Multan, said to have lived between 1165 and 1276, according to Wikipedia's entry on the city's mausoleums. Family tradition traces him to Sabzevar in Iran, and the account goes that he travelled through Badakhshan, Tabriz and Baghdad before settling in Multan. Scholars describe him as clouded in legend, and his life is hard to pin down with certainty.

He is often confused with Shams-e-Tabrizi, the teacher of Rumi, who is a different person. The shrine is also known as Shah Shams Tabrez, after the family tradition of Tabriz. He is revered in more than one community, including Ismaili tradition, where his name appears in the ginan literature of Sindh and Punjab. The Nation's report on the urs quotes the shrine's sajjada nasheen on his role in spreading Islam across the subcontinent.

The tomb itself sits on the high bank of an old bed of the Ravi, east of the fort and near the Aam Khas garden. It is a square structure about 9 metres (30 feet) high with a hemispherical dome and glazed tile decoration, built by his grandson in 1330 according to Wikipedia.

When is the urs in 2026 and 2027?

The Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs department's events calendar lists the Shah Shams Sabzwari urs under Multan as 1 to 3 June. Notably, several of Multan's other urs on that calendar are listed by Islamic lunar date (for instance the urs of Baha-ud-Din Zakariya is listed as 5 to 7 Safar), but this one is given in Gregorian dates, so it does not move by about 11 days each year the way a lunar urs does.

Press reports back this up: Radio Pakistan and The Nation reported the 770th urs as beginning on Thursday 1 June 2023, which makes 2026 the 773rd by the same count. The calendar listing gives 1 to 3 June without a year, so it applies to 2026 and to 2027.

Many Pakistani religious events depend on moon sighting and the Islamic calendar, and a few shrines announce their dates only days ahead. Because we could not find a 2026 or 2027 news report for this particular urs, check the Auqaf calendar or the shrine's caretakers before travelling rather than relying on the listing alone.

What happens during the urs

The most detailed account we found is The Nation's report of the 2023 urs. By that account the programme was:

• The opening ghusal. The shrine's caretaker, the sajjada nasheen, opened the celebrations by performing the ritual washing of the mausoleum.
• Chadar and rose petals. A ceremonial cloth was laid on the grave, and rose petals were showered on the shrine.
• Naat khawani. Recitation of devotional poetry in praise of the Prophet.
• Qawwali. Sufi music, as at most urs in Punjab.
• Seminars on the saint's teachings.
• Closing prayers for national solidarity and public welfare.

The Auqaf department provides security arrangements for pilgrims during the days, according to Radio Pakistan's report.

This is a quieter urs than the largest in Punjab. The crowds are devotional and local, with many families from Multan and surrounding districts, rather than the drumming, all-night mass gatherings of a Data Darbar or Sehwan. If that is what you are after, see our guides to the Data Darbar urs and the Sehwan Sharif urs. We did not find reports of a large fair around the Shah Shams urs, so do not expect one.

Visiting in June heat

This is the part that matters most for a first-time visitor. Multan's summers are severe. Wikipedia's climate entry says May and June are the hottest months, with June's highest average temperatures reaching around 46 degrees C and heat waves that lead to many heatstroke cases. In 2026 the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast 44 to 48 degrees C for Multan between 8 and 11 June, and advised the public, especially children, women and elderly people, to avoid direct sun between 10 am and 4 pm (Dawn).

What that means for a visit:

• Go early or late. Early morning before about 9 am, or evening after the heat eases, is realistic. Midday is not.
• Carry water and drink it often. Oral rehydration salts are cheap and easy to buy at any pharmacy.
• Wear light cotton, covered. Shrines require modest dress anyway, and loose long sleeves protect you from the sun on the walk in.
• Mind the courtyard floor. You will be barefoot on stone or tile. Midday sun can make it too hot to stand on, which is another reason to visit when it is cooler.
• Take extra care with children and elderly relatives. If anyone feels dizzy, stops sweating or has a headache, get them into shade and cool water immediately.
• Monsoon rain usually begins later in the season. Wikipedia places the monsoon from June to September, with July the wettest month.

For a broader view of the seasons, our guide to the best time to visit Multan explains why most visitors choose winter.

Visiting the other shrines on the same trip

Multan's shrines are close together, and a morning visit to Shah Shams can be paired with others. The Shah Rukn-e-Alam tomb, with the second largest dome in South Asia according to Wikipedia, and the shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya both stand near the fort. Our shrines of Multan route puts them in a visiting order, and the Shah Rukn-e-Alam urs falls at a different time of year.

If you can only manage one stop in the heat, choose the one nearest your hotel and spend the afternoon indoors.

Etiquette at the shrine

• Dress modestly. Women should cover the head. Men should wear long trousers and sleeves.
• Remove your shoes at the entrance and leave them with the attendant.
• Keep your voice low, and do not photograph people praying. Ask before photographing anyone.
• Follow the instructions of the shrine staff on where men and women may enter.
• Don't step over or touch items you are not invited to touch.
• Donations and langar: you may be offered food or a place to sit. Accept politely; donate if you wish, but you are not obliged.

The shrine sees more visitors on Thursdays and Fridays, according to visitor information we found online (not an official source), so an ordinary weekday morning is quietest outside the urs.

Is it worth planning around?

If you are interested in Sufi shrines and happen to be in Multan in early June, the urs is a chance to see a devotional gathering that tourists rarely write about. If you are travelling only for sightseeing, the heat makes June a hard month, and you will see more, in more comfort, in winter. The tomb is there all year; the urs adds ritual and music, not a better building.

Browse our experiences page for other gatherings through the year.

Frequently asked questions