Lahore Beautiful Historic city the Capital of Punjab

Lahore Beautiful Historic city is the capital of Punjab Pakistan and the second largest city in the country. With a rich history dating back over a millennium, Lahore is a main cultural centre of Pakistan. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains an economic, political, transportation, entertainment, and educational hub.

Lahore Beautiful Historic city

Apart from being cultural and academic center of the country, Lahore is the Mughal “show-window” of Pakistan Reminiscence of its hoary past are the remains of a subterranean temple in the northern part of Royal Fort, attributed to Rama, the legendary hero of Ramayana. Lying on the main trade and invasion routes to the South Asia, Lahore has been ruled and plundered by a number of dynasties and hordes. However, it touched the zenith of its glory during the rule of the Mughals. The Mughals, who were famous as builders, gave Lahore some of its finest architectural monuments that are extinct today.

History of Lahore Beautiful Historic City

Legend has it that Lahore was founded by two sons of Rama about 4,000 years ago. Historically, it has been proved that Lahore is about, 2000 years old. Hieun-tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim, has given a vivid description of Lahore city which he visited in the early parts of the seventy century A.D.Lahore is the capital of Punjab Pakistan and the second largest city in the country. With a rich history dating back over a millennium, Lahore is a main cultural center of Pakistan. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains an economic, political, transportation, entertainment, and educational hub. Apart from being cultural and academic center of the country, Lahore is the Mughal “show-window” of Pakistan Reminiscence of its hoary past are the remains of a subterranean temple in the northern part of Royal Fort, attributed to Rama, the legendary hero of Ramayana. Lying on the main trade and invasion routes to the South Asia, Lahore has been ruled and plundered by a number of dynasties and hordes.

Rule of the Mughals

It touched the zenith of its glory during the rule of the Mughals. The Mughals, who were famous as builders, gave Lahore some of its finest architectural monuments that are extinct today. Lahore District and Division Punjab Province of Pakistan. Lahore Beautiful Historic city the Capital of Punjab. Lahore Beautiful Historic city.For 200 years, beginning from about 1525 A.D, Lahore was a thriving cultural centre of the great mughal Empire. Mughal Emperors beautified Lahore with palaces, gardens and mosques. During the British regime, many monuments sprang up in Lahore which blended beautiful, with the Mughal, gothic and Victorian styles of architecture.

Minar E Pakistan Lahore District Division Punjab Province of Pakistan

Places of interest in Lahore

Minar-e-Pakistan

Minar-e-Pakistan is the landmark of Lahore which stands in the Iqbal Park to commemorate the date (23 March) when a resolution was passed here back in 1940 demanding creating of a separate homeland for the Muslims of South Asia. The Minar is a blend of Mughal and modern architecture and has been very boldly designed. It is about 60 meter tall.

Shalimar garden Lahore District Division Punjab Province of Pakistan

Shalimar gardens

Five kilometer east of the old city, are the famous Shalimar Gardens laid out by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1642 A.D. The Gardens are spread out in typical Mughal style and surrounded by high walls with watchtowers 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 brickwork of the floors of the three terraces has been repaired according to their original designs which differ on all three terraces. There is a marble pavilion under which water flow and cascades down over a carved, marble slab creating a waterfall 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 with riches 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, oil lamps were placed in the niches which reflected myriad colors, through the water. Shalimar gardens have the privilege of being the stage of all important state reception. Outside its walls, the annual festival or Mela Ghiraghan (Festival of Lamp) is held every March. Special lights on the first and the second terraces of the Gardens have been installed and the area is illuminated half-an-hour after sunset.

Kim’s Gun or Zamzama

Immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in his accounts, is this famous gun now popularly known as the Kim’s gun. It is placed just outside the Lahore Museum on Sharah-e-Quaid –Azam in front of the old campus of the Punjab University.

Wazir Khan Mosque Lahore District Division Punjab Province of Pakistan

Mosques of Lahore

Wazir Khan‘s Mosque

In the old part of the town and off the Kashmiri bazaar, reputedly the most beautiful Mosque of South Asia is located. The Mosque was built in 1683 A.D by Hakim Iimuddin, who was a Minister to Shah jehan, generally known as Wazir Khan. It is a marvelous specimen of the work and arabesque paintings.

Badshahi Mosque

The imperial or the Badshahi Mosque is across the courtyard from Almgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort. The Mosque, made up entirely of red sandstone, was built by emperor Aurangzed, the last of the great mughals, in a record time of two and a half years it was completed by 1674 A.D. It has a beautiful gate-way which measures 21, 33 meter in length and a courtyard that measures 161.5*160.6 meter 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 meter, soaring up to 54 meter. Within the Mosque, almost all the colors have been used to paint the floral design but the overall effect remains one of the society, piousness and simplicity.

Badshahi Mosque Lahore District Division Punjab Province of Pakistan

The Golden Mosque

Golden Mosque is also situated in the Kashmir Bazaar. It was built in 1753 A.D by Nawab Syed Bhikari Khan who was Deputy Governor of Lahore. It is a remarkably beautiful mosque with three golden domes.

Shrine of data Shahib (Hizrat Ali Hajveri)

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 in to several European languages and is considered a classic, Attached to the Shrine is a beautiful mosque.

Shrine Data Sahib

Mausoleum of Emperor Jahangir

The tomb of the fourth great Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, lies five kilometer northwest of Lahore across the river Ravi. It has a majestic structure made of red sandstone and marble. The outer entrance to the tomb opens out in to court-years which was used as a caravan serai during Mughal times. An entrance to the right leads in to a Mughal garden with exact geometrical patterns 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 tomb was built by Queen Noor Jehan and the Emperor’s son, Shah-Jehan, around 1637 A.D

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 which today shows little of the former splendor.

Noor Jehan Tomb Lahore District Division Punjab Province of Pakistan

Noor jehan’s Tomb

The empress Noor jehan, “Light of the world” was the only Emoress whose name appeared on the coins of the Mughal Empire. She was buried in 1645 A.D. at shahdara (Lahore) outside jehangir’s mausoleum across the railway line. Her tomb once had a marble cenotaph which she had build 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 when they gained power during the early part of nineteenth century.

Qutbuddin Albak’s tomb

He was appointed governor of India in 1191 A.D by Muhammad ghauri. He established the Slave Dynasty on the death of Muhammad ghauri in 1206 when he assumed independence of his region and was followed by nine other slave kings. He was 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 A.D while playing the game. His tomb can be visited in Anarkli Bazaar.

Anarkali’s tomb

The tomb of Nedria begum, alias Anarkli, is situated in a corner of the civil Secretariat of Punjab Government in Lahore. The tomb is circular in shape of rooted with a vast and lofty dome supported from inside by eight massive arches, each 4 meter thick. It is a masterpiece of solid masonry work of early mughal period and is nearly and beautifully fitted up.

Allama Iqbal Tomb Lahore District Division Punjab Province of Pakistan

Allama Iqbal’s Tomb

Outside the Badshahi Mosque, near it steps, lies the tomb of Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The national poet of Pakistan & philosopher of the East. The mausoleum is a mixture of Afghan and Moorish architecture and is constructed entirely of red sandstone.

Lahore Beautiful Historic city the Capital of Punjab

Lahore Beautiful Historic city