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Lahore (لاهور) is a city in Pakistan, capital of the province of Punjab.

It is located near to the river Ravi and the Indian border. Lahore has 6.5 million inhabitants and thus the second biggest city in Pakistan (Karachi being the biggest). It is considered to be the 38th biggest city of the world.

History

According to legends Lahore was founded by Loh, son of Rama, the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana.

The city became Muslim when Qutub-ud-din Aibak was crowned in 1206 and thus became the first Muslim Sultan of the subcontinent. From 1524 to 1752 Lahore was part of the Mughal Empire. During Akbar's rule, Lahore was the capital of the empire from 1584 to 1598. During this time a massive fort, the Lahore Fort, was built on the fundaments of an older fort in the 1560s. This fort was later extended by Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The last of the great Mughals, Aurangzeb, ruling from 1658 to 1707, built the city's most famous monuments, the Badshahi Masjid and the Alamgiri Gate to the Lahore Fort.

Sites of interest

Roshnai Gate area

The Badshahi Masjid, one of the world's largest mosques, is located just outside the Northeast corner of the Walled City. Opposite is the historic Lahore Fort which houses the famous Sheesh Mahal. Between the buildings two is a garden known as Hazuri Bagh in which Maharaja Ranjit Singh built a baradari, a decorated marble pavilion. Every Sunday afternoon story-tellers, poets and singers gather in the garden to continue their oral tradition, often reciting Waris Shah's Heer, Bulleh Shah, Farid Ganjshakar or other Punjabi literature. The Mausoleum of Muhammad Iqbal is also located in this garden, near the Eastern wall of the Badshahi Masjid. On the Northern side of the garden is the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh. The Southern side of Hazuri Bagh is bounded by the wall of the Walled City, with the Roshnai Gate serving as an entrance. Roshnai Gate leads into the Shahi Mohalla quarter of the Walled City, also known as Hira Mandi. Although Shahi Mohalla is notorious for being the red-light district of Lahore, it also offers a large variety of traditional food, including the famous Phajje ke Paye. The Minar-e-Pakistan (thought of by many as being architecturally corrupt in comparison to its surroundings) is located in Iqbal Park across the road from the Badshahi Masjid complex.

Masti Gate area

Just behind the Lahore Fort is the Masti Gate entrance. This area is dominated wholesale shoesellers, or both traditional and Western style shoes. Further down the street is located one of the cities oldest mosques, the Mosque of Mariyam Zamani, named after the mother of Jahangir.

Bhati Gate area

The Bhati Gate entrance is located on the Western wall of the Old City. The area inside the gate serves is well known throughout the city for its food. Just outside of Bhati Gate is Data Durbar, the mausoleum of the Sufi saint Ali Hajweri (also known as Data Sahib Ganjbaksh). Every Thursday evening musicians gather here to perform Qawwali music.

Delhi Gate area

Delhi Gate is an entrance on the Eastern wall of the Walled City, named because it faces the road towards Delhi (now part of India). Wazir Khan, Sonehri Masjid. Inside the gate on the left hand side is located the Shahi Hammam, or "Royal Baths". Further down the bazaar, one will find the beautiful Wazir Khan Mosque, named after a viceroy of the Punjab during the reign of Shah Jahan. Further inwards, the road leads towards the Sonehri Masjid.

Railway Station area

Station, Dai Anga Mosque, Landa Bazaar

Anarkali

Tomb of Anarkali

Gawal Mandi

Food Street

Ichhra

Tomb of Shah Jamal, Pappu Sain

Mall Road

Pak Tea House, Lawrence Gardens

Shalimar Gardens

Tomb of Lal Hussain, Mela Chiraghan, Shalimar Gardens

Shahdara

Tomb of Jahangir, Tomb of Noor Jehan

Shimla Pahari

The mausoleum of Bibi Pak Daman

Major Universities

• Government College University
• Lahore College for Women University
• Lahore University of Management Sciences
• University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
• University of the Punjab

Development

The recent road building programme has improved accessibility. A motorway was completed in 2000, linking Lahore to Islamabad, the capital. This apparently coincided with the appearance of McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the new shopping centres all over the city. The Airport has been renovated and renamed to Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Related articles

• Lollywood
• List of cities in Pakistan
• Demographics of Pakistan
• List of capitals of subnational entities
• List of metropolitan areas by population
• Punjab, Pakistan
• Punjab

External links

• Lahore City Government
• Lahore Bazaar