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Situated on the east bank of the Ravi River,
Lahore is very old. Legend traces its origin to
Loh, the son of Rama Chandra, the hero of the
Ramayana, but history records that it began as a
dependency of the 8th century AD Hindu ruler,
Lalitiditya. In the early 11th century it came
under Muslim rule and evolved as a centre of
Islamic culture and learning as well as trade
and commerce. In the 13th century it was
depopulated and razed to the ground by the
Tartar-Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan. Timurlane
and his Muslim Turks also arrived and destroyed
the city.
Lahore was a cultural and intellectual centre
during both the Mughal and British eras, and
it's an atmosphere which still pervades today,
but it is the diversity and contrast of the
different sections of the city which make Lahore
interesting. Apart from local tourists with
their blaring transistors, you could almost be
back in the Moghuls era.
Lahore is 213 meters above sea level and has
a population of approximately 3 million. The
temperature here drops down to 10C in winter,
but in summer can soar to 40C or more. The best
time to visit is straight after the monsoon
period when the weather is cool and pleasant.
 The
Old City
In the Mughal days the Old City was
surrounded by a 9 meter high brick wall and had
a rampart running around it with a most
connected with the River Ravi which served as a
protection for the city. A circular road around
the rampart gave access to the city through
thirteen gates. Some of the imposing structures
of these gates are still preserved.
In the bazaars of the Old City one still
comes across tiny shops where craftsmen can be
seen busy turning out master-pieces in copper,
brass, silver as well as textiles in the
traditional fashion.
 See Also:
Gates of Lahore
 Although
most parts of the Royal fort were constructed
around 1566 AD by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar the
Great, there is a evidence that a mud fort was
in existence here in 1021 AD as well, when mud
fort and constructed most of the modern Fort, as
we see it today, on the old foundations.
Constructions of the fort dates back to the
early Hindu period.
The Royal Fort is rectangular. The main gates
are located alongside the centre of the western
and eastern walls. Every succeeding Mughal
Emperor as well as the Sikhs, and the British in
their turn, added a pavilion, palace of wall to
the Fort. Emperor Jehangir extended the gardens
and constructed the palaces that we see today in
the Jehangir's Quadrangle, while Shah Jehan
added Diwan-e-Khas, Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque)
and his own Sleeping Chambers. Aurangzeb built
the impressive main gate which faces the Hazoori
Bagh lying in between the Badshahi Mosque and
the fort. the famous Sheesh Mahal or Place of
Mirrors, is in the north-east corner of the
fort. This is the most beautiful palace in the
fort and is decorated with small mirrors of
different colors set.
The part of the wall of the elephant Steps
towards the forts inner gate are scarred by
bullet marks, bearing testimony to the Sikh
Civil War of 1847 AD. A party of Sikhs had
mounted their guns on one of the minarets of the
mosque across the courtyard from where they
fired on their opponents. the Sleeping Chamber
of Mai Jindan houses a very interesting museum
with relics from Mughal and the Sikh periods.
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The Imperial or the Badshahi Mosque is across
the courtyard from Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore
Fort. The Mosque which
is made up entirely of red sand-stone was built
by Emperor Aurangzeb, the last of the great
Mughals, in a record time of two and-a-half
years. Its construction was completed by 1674
AD. It has a beautiful gate-way which measures
21.33 meters in length and a courtyard that
measures 161.5 x 160.6 meters and is said to be
the largest mosque courtyard in the world for
outdoor prayers. The marble domes cover seven
prayer chambers. Four lofty minarets stand at
the four corners of the mosque, each with an
outer circumference of 20 meters, soaring up to
54 meters.
In the chambers above the Gate of the mosque,
are housed relics attributed to the Holy Prophet
of Islam Peace be upon him, his daughter and his
son-in-law and are said to have been brought to
the sub-continent by Amir Taimur. Within the
Mosque almost all the colors have been used for
painting the floral designs but the overall
effect remains one of sobriety, piousness and
simplicity.
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Minar-e-Pakistan is a new landmark in Lahore
and stands in the Iqbal Park to commemorate the
date when a resolution
was passed there back in 1940 demanding the
creation of separate homeland for the Muslims of
this sub-continent. The Minar is a blend of
Mughal and modern architecture and has been very
boldly designed. The Minar is about 60 meters
tall.
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The
Golden Mosque
Golden Mosque is also situated in the
Kashmiri Bazaar. It was built in 1753 AD by
Nawab Syed Bhikari Khan, who was Deputy governor
of Lahore, It is remarkably beautiful with three
golden domes.
Wazir
Khan's Mosque
In the old part of the town and off the
Kashmiri Bazaar, reputedly the most beautiful
Mosque in the sub-continent is situated. The
Mosque was built in 1683 AD by Hakim Ilmuddin
who was Minister to shah Jehan and was generally
known as Wazir Khan. It is a marvelous specimen
of the work and arabesque paintings.
Three miles east of Lahore are the famous
Shalimar Gardens laid out by the Mughal emperor
Shah Jehan in 1642 AD. The Gardens are spread
out in typical Mughal style and are surrounded
by high walls with watch-towers at the four
corners. Originally, the gardens were spread
over seven ascending terraces, but only three
remain now which cover an area of about 42
acres. The brick-work of the floors of the three
terraces have been repaired according to their
original designs which differ on all three
terraces. There is a marble pavilion under which
water flows and cascades down over a carved,
marble slab creating a water-fall effect. Across
the water-fall is a marble throne. At the end of
the second terrace is a beautiful structure
called Sawan Bhadon, a sunken tank niches on its
three sides. Water cascades down from it in
sheets in front of the niches, producing the
sound of falling rain. In the olden times, small
oil lamps were placed in the niches which
reflected myriad colors, through the water.
Shalimar gardens have the proud privilege of
being the stage of all important state
receptions. Outside its walls the annual
festival of Mela Chiraghan is held every March,
special lights on the first and second terraces
of the Gardens have been installed and the area
is illuminated half-an-hour after sun set.
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Shrines/Mausoleums
Shrine
of Data Sahib
Close to the junction of the Lower Mall and
the Circular Road is the shrine of Data Sahib.
Data Sahib was a great sufi saint whose
well-known work, "Kashf-ul-Mahjub" has been
translated from the original Persian into
several European languages and is considered a
classic. Attached to the Shrine is a beautiful
mosque.
Allama
Iqbal's Tomb
Outside the Badshahi Mosque, near its steps,
lies the tomb of Allama Iqbal, the
poet-philosopher of the East. the mausoleum is a
mixture of Afghan and Moorish styles of
architecture and is constructed entirely of red
sandstone which was quarried and brought from
Rajasthan.
Mausoleum
of Emperor Jehangir
The tomb of the fourth great Mughal emperor,
Jehangir, lies three miles north-west of Lahore
across the River Ravi. It has a majestic
structure made of red sand-stone and marble. the
outer entrance to the tomb opens out into a
court-yard which was used as a caravan Serai
during Mughal times. An entrance to the right
leads into a Mughal garden with exact
geometrical pattern balancing each side. The
marble tomb is approached from four corridors
leading from the garden. Three of these
corridors are closed by intricate marble
screens. The marble grave is elaborately inlaid
with floral designs and the 99 Attributes of God
are inscribed on its two sides. On the top is a
verse from the Holy Qur'an. The tomb was built
by Queen Noor Jehan and the Emperor's son Shah
Jehan, around 1637 AD.
Noor
Jehan's Tomb
The Empress Noor Jehan, "Light of the World"
was the only empress whose name appeared on the
coins of the Mughal empire. She was buried in
1845 AD at Shahdara (Lahore) outside Jehangir's
mausoleum across the railway line.
Her tomb once had a marble cenotaph which she
had built herself during her life time. After
the decline of Mughal rule, the tomb suffered
extensive damages along with her husband's tomb
at the hands of Sikh marauders when they gained
power during the early part of nineteenth
century. Both were stripped of most of its
original beauty and splendors. All treasures and
tiles, it is said were carted off to decorate
the Golden Temple of Amritsar India.
Qutbuddin
Aibak's Tomb
He was appointed Governor of India in 1191 AD
by Muhammad Ghauri. He established the Slave
Dynasty on the death of Muhammad Ghauri in 1206
when he assumed independence of his reign and
was followed by nine other slave kings. He was a
patron of the building art and is known to have
erected some monumental stone buildings in Delhi
and elsewhere. A very avid player of polo, he
died in Lahore in 1210 AD while playing the
game. His tomb can be visited in Anarkali
Bazaar.
Asif
Khan's Mausoleum
In the courtyard near Jehangir tomb lies
buried his brother-in-law, Asif Khan, father of
Shah Jehan's beloved Queen Arjumand Bano. He
lies in a tomb today shows little of its former
splendor.
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Lahore
Museum
Opposite the old University Hall, a Mughal
style building on the Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam,
houses the Lahore Museum. the Museum contains
some fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh door-ways
and wood-work and has a big collection of
paintings dating back to Indo-Pakistan, Mughal,
Sikh and British times. It has also a collection
of musical instruments, ancient jewellery,
textile, pottery and armory. There are also
relics from the Graeco-Pactrian times as well as
some Tibetan and Nepalese exhibits.
Faqirkhana
Museum
A very large and interesting private Museum
known as Faqirkhana lies inside the Bhati Gate
and is worth visiting. The museum houses a
variety of old paintings, including some by
great masters, original manuscripts in different
languages and artifacts from South East Asia and
the Indo-Pak sub-continent.
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Fairs
and Festivals
Mela
Chiraghan
The Festival of Lamps of Mela Chiraghan is a
very important and popular event. This is
celebrated every Spring on the last Friday of
March outside the Shalimar Gardens. During the
Festival, people from all walks of the life
gather from all over the province to actively
participate in the Festival.
National
Horse and Cattle show
One of the most famous annual festivals. the
National Horse and Cattle Show is also held in
Spring in the Fortress Stadium. During the week
long activities there is a display of the finest
livestock, horse and camel dances, tent pegging
colorful folk dances from all regions of
Pakistan, mass-band displays and tattoo shows in
the evening.
Basant
- Kite-flying Festival
With the advent of Spring, skies of Lahore
are resplendent with all types of sizes of
kites. The entire population participates in
kite-flying matches to herald the coming of
Spring.
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Anarkali
Bazaar
Anarkali bazaar is the most fascinating of
the city's many bazaars. The alleys and lanes of
this bazaar are full of exciting wears,
especially traditional crafts like leather wear,
embroidered garments glass bangles, beaten gold
and silver jewellery, creations in silk.
Anything that you wish for a bargain, it is
named after the famous courtesan of Akbar's
court called Anarkali (Pomegranate Blossom).
Anarkali too has its share of historical
monuments. There is the grave of Emperor
Qutbuddin Aibak, who died falling off his horse
playing polo. And Mahmud Ghaznavi's General
Malik Ayyaz buried in the commercial area of
Rang Mahal.
Excursions
from Lahore
Hiran
Minar
Hiran Minar is set in peaceful environs near
Lahore. It was constructed by Emperor Jehangir
as a monument to Hansraj, one of his pet
antelopes. It is a popular picnic resort with a
lake and boating facilities.
Chhanga
Manga
Chhanga Manga is a man-made forest 68 kms
from Lahore. There is a lake, and a miniature
railway which winds its way through its forest.
Chhanga Manga has 12,510 acres of plantations.
It is a popular picnic spot spread over 50 acres
with a lake and row boats, motor boats,
children's park, swimming pool, cafeteria,
canteen and rest-houses.
Jallo
Park
The Park is 28 kms from Lahore. It can be
visited by road and by rail. A rail-car leaves
for Jallo Railway Station every half hour.
Spread over an area of 450 acres, It has
expanses of lawns, a forest research centre, a
children's park, zoo, a small museum and a gift
shop.
Pakistan-India Border
This check-post is about 30 kms from Lahore and
is the cross-over point for travelers into India
by the land route. It is open daily to
foreigners only (except Indian and Pakistani
nationals) from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. PST.
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Bahawalpur - Multan -
Harappa |
Islamabad -
Shah Faisal Mosque |
Taxila - Murree
- Abbottabad
See Also:
Lahore
City
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