Lahore — The City Of the Mughals Lahore City Map Lahore Emblem Province Punjab Location  - Longitude  - Latitude  - Altitude AMSL Area Population  - City (1998 census) 6.5 million  - (1998 census)  - Unofficial source (2005) 8 million  - Rank 30th in world Density persons/ km² [1] Calling Code 042 Time zone PST +05:00 ahead of GMT Number of towns 10 Number of UCs City Mayor (Nazim) Main Amir Mahmood City District Govt Official Website South section of the Hazuri Bagh, looking south towards the Roshnai Gate The Minar-e-Pakistan, south-side view Lahore (لاەور) is a major city in Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. A native of Lahore is called a Lahori. It is located near the river Ravi and the Indian border, at 31.5710 North, 74.3130 East. Lahore has 8.5 million inhabitants and thus is the second largest city in Pakistan, (Karachi being the largest). It is considered to be the 24th largest city of the world. Punjabi is the language of the province, and is the most widely spoken language in Lahore. Punjabi spoken by the people of Lahore is known as Lahori Punjabi due to a mixture of Punjabi and colloquial Urdu spoken in Lahore. Lahore is largely thought of as the cultural centre of Pakistan ever since its accession by Mughal rulers since the 16th century A.D.This is apparent by the vast array of historic buildings, presence in architecture and scenery. A truly beautiful city, with thousands of years of history. It was the capital of the Mughal empire, and was going to be the capital of Pakistan, but the idea was dropped on the basis that the city was too close to India which could have meant security problems. Contents 1 History 2 Sites of interest 2.1 Roshnai Gate area 2.2 Masti Gate area 2.3 The Lohari Gate 2.4 The Kashmiri Gate 2.5 Bhati Gate area 2.6 The Shairan Walan Gate 2.7 Delhi Gate area 2.8 Anarkali 2.9 Chauburji 2.10 Gawal Mandi 2.11 Ichhra 2.12 Mall Road 2.13 Shalimar Gardens 2.14 Shahdara 2.15 Shimla Pahari 2.16 Shopping 2.17 Restaurants 2.18 Legendry Traditional Lahori Resturants/Cafes 3 Basant in Lahore 4 Towns of Lahore 5 Education in Lahore 5.1 Major Universities and Colleges 6 Economy and business 6.1 Infrastructure and development 6.2 Railways HQ 6.3 Railway Station area 6.4 The Allama Iqbal International Airport 7 Financial Institutions 7.1 Banks 7.2 Insurance 7.3 Stock Exchange 8 Industry and Manufacturing 8.1 Handmade Carpets Industry 9 Famous Lahoris 10 See also 11 External links History According to a legend, Lahore was named by Loh (called Luv in Sanskrit), the once ruler, son of Rama, the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana. The city came under Muslim rule due to the raids of Mahmud of Ghazni, who placed it under the rule of his beloved slave, Malik Ayaz. When Qutb-ud-din Aybak was crowned in 1206 here, he became the first Muslim Sultan of the Indian 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 Mughals, Aurangzeb, ruling from 1658 to 1707, built the city's most famous monuments, the Badshahi Masjid and the Alamgiri Gate next to the Lahore Fort. The Sikhs ruled it in the 18th and 19th centuries, making Lahore the capital of sovereign Punjab. However the last bloody Anglo-Sikh war resulted in a British victory thus bringing Lahore under the rule of the British crown. On partition of British India in 1947 into India and Pakistan, Lahore passed into the newly formed Pakistan. The famous British author and poet, Joseph Rudyard Kipling, lived in Lahore during the 1880s, where his parents were also working. Kipling began working as an editor for a local newspaper and continued tentative steps into the world of poetry; his first professional sales were in 1883. Sites of interest Roshnai Gate area The Badshahi Masjid, one of the world's largest mosques and one of humanity's greatest architectural treasures, is located just outside the Northeast corner of the Walled City. Opposite is the historic Lahore Fort which houses the famous Sheesh Mahal, or Palace of Mirrors. Between the two buildings 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. Very close to that is the shrine of Syed Ali Hajveiri (ra), who is popularly known as Data Ganj Bukhsh and is famous as the Patron Saint of Lahore. The shrine is referred to by many as, "Data Sahib." 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. Shahi Mohalla offers a large variety of traditional food, including the famous Phajje ke Paye. The Minar-e-Pakistan is a white marble construction and is fashioned as a commemorative tower that was built to remind its visitors of the famous "Pakistan Resolution" passed by the All India Muslim League, in 1940. This resolution was the first public expression of intent on the part of the mulims of United India to build their own homeland - Pakistan - A country that would guarantee them their freedom and liberty. The Minar (or Tower) is located in Iqbal Park, across the road from the Badshahi Masjid complex. The Shalimar Gardens in Lahore Masti Gate area Just behind the Lahore Fort is the Masti Gate entrance. This area is dominated by 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 Begum, named after the mother of Jahangir. The Lohari Gate This Gate is very close to Bhati Gate and it was build, like many other gates, to keep the enemies out. Now, it is surrounded by shops and has significance of great architenture. In urdu "loha" means Iron. The gate is named Lohari because on the out side of this gate many Lohars (Black Smiths) lived and they had their workshops there. The Kashmiri Gate The Kashmiri Gate faces the direction of Kashmir. Inside the area there is a shopping area called "Kashmiri Bazaar". Bhati Gate area View of Jamia Hajveria 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. The Shairan Walan Gate The Shairan Walan (Gate with lions) 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). 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. Anarkali Tomb of Anarkali Anarkali Bazaar is one of Lahore's most historic markets with every type of shop imaginable. Foreign-made goods are readily available, as well as all domestic products, from brassware to tailored suits. Chauburji Chauburji, Lahore On the road that led southwards to Multan, the Chauburji gateway remains of an extensive garden know to have existed in Mughal times. The establishment of this garden is attributed to Mughal princes in 1646, which appears in one of the inscriptions on the gateway. The gateway consists of four towers and contain much of the brilliant tile work mostly turquoise colored with which the entire entrance is covered. One of the towers at the northwestern corner collapsed, its foundations perhaps eroded by the waters of the flooding Ravi. This has however been restored as much as was reasonably possible and the gateway now looks as it might have done during the time of its Mughal patroness. The restoration was carried out by the Department of Archeology in the late in1960's. The architecture of Chauburji represents a strong blend of Mughal architecture with ancient Muslim style of building. The red brickwork is typical of the Muslim buildings of the sub-continent; the doorways and windows running through the interior corridors are exemplary of the living style that characterized the Mughal buildings. However, the main purpose of building Chauburji appears strictly to be monumental, as its presence in the heart of Lahore signifies a strong sense of Mughal architectural beauty. The delicately lofty building standing alone in an island of traffic on the Multan Road is now commonly known as Chaburji because of its four (chau) minarets (burji). Originally it was gateway to the Garden of Zebunnisa or Zebinda Begum, the accomplished daughter of Aurangzeb. This garden is believed to have been extended from Nawankot in the south to the main city of Lahore towards north. However, no traces of such an expansive garden are now available. A fragmentary inscription on the eastern archway records that the garden was built in A.H. 1056 i.e. 1646. According to this inscription it was built by Sahib-e-Zebinda (one endowed with elegance), Begum Dauran (the lady of Ages) and was bestowed upon Mian Bai, Fakhrunnisa (the pride of Ladies). Gawal Mandi Food Street Gawal Mandi aka Food Street Ichhra Tomb of Shah Jamal, Pappu Sain Mall Road Lahore Museum, Lawrence Gardens, Aitchison College, Punjab Assembly, Summit Minar [2] 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 Shopping Lahore's most famous tech-bazaar is the Hafeez Center, located on the Gulberg Main Boulevard and Electronics Market at Hall Road. Other well known and popular malls are the Liberty Market Center in Gulberg and Pace Shopping malls located in Gulberg and Model Town. Purani Anarkali has some amazing ethnic gems and jewelry as well as khussas (traditional flat shoes). If you are interested in clothing, then private boutiques are scattered all over the city. The expensive ones are on the Main Boulevard Gulberg and Defence Y Block Market. Restaurants Western fast food outlets are making inroads in the local food scene While Lahore has a great many traditional and modern restaurants, the turn of the century has seen the appearance of western fast food chains such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway Sandwiches, Dunkin Donuts, Nando's and Kentucky Fried Chicken in new shopping centres all over the city. A major tourist attraction in Lahore is the famous Food Street in the old historic district of Gawaalmandi. Gawalmaandi had almost legendary status as the place to go for authentic Lahori cuisine. Food street has been a massive restoration project in which Gawaalmandi was cordoned off and a street cafe was established under the lights of the restored havelis. One of Lahore's most famous restaurant is "Coocoo's Den", located in the old city just behind the legendary Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort. The restaurant has a magical ambiance and is housed in a 300 year old "kothi" style, 5 story house. At different points in the life of this property, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim families have owned it. It is currently owned and operated by a Professor from Lahore's National College of Arts. Sitting on the verandah's while enjoying food from the area - most of which has been cooked by the same family, to the same recipe for hundreds of years - one can glance through the Hindu Idol figurines, gazing upon a statue of the Virgin Mary which forms the foreground of the massive and awe-inspiring red sandstone construction that is the Badshahi (Royal) Mosque. Legendry Traditional Lahori Resturants/Cafes Pak Tea House, Anarkali, Lahore Phajay kay Paye, Heera Mandi, Lahore Sardar kee Machli/Sardar's Fish, Mozang Chungi, Lahore Waris Nihari, Paisa Akhbar, Lahore Muhammadi Nihari, Mozang Chungi, Lahore Bhayay kay Kabab/Bhaya's Kabab, Model Town, Lahore Bashir Dar-ul-Mahi/Bashir's Fish Corner, Mozang Chungi, Lahore Basant in Lahore Basant is a Pujabi festival thats marks the coming of spring. Basant celebrations in Pakistan are centered in Lahore and people from all over the country and abroad come to the city for the annual festivities. Kite flying competitions take place all over the city's rooftops during Basant. Towns of Lahore Gulberg Gulberg II Gulberg III Faisal Town Johar Town Wapda Town Defence housing authority or DHA Model Town Cantt Iqbal Town Education in Lahore Lahore boasts hundred's of schools, private and public. The recent decade has witnessed a major surge in higher education institutions' numbers. Lahore is the city of the enlightened, and the land of people who love and respect knowledge. A list of premier education institutions in the city of Lahore is given below: Major Universities and Colleges University of the Punjab Old Campus, Mall Road Lahore Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS), a renowned institute in Lahore University of the Punjab University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore Government College University Aitchison College Lahore University of Management Sciences University of Central Punjab Lahore College for Women University Lahore School of Economics (LSE) COMSATS Insitute of Information Technology University of Lahore National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (formerly FAST) King Edward Medical College Forman Christion College, A charted University. Iqra university Beaconhouse informatics Allama Iqbal Medical College National College of Arts (NCA) Economy and business The center to Lahore's economy is the LSE, lahore stock exchange which is linked to the karachi stock exhange. The single biggest investor has over 200 million dollars invested in the exchange. It has all the Government corporations including WAPDA and WASA as well as other public companies including,Deewan motors, Habib bank, PSO and lever brothers, which has the highest price per share in LSE. The city of Lahore never sleeps. The food/resturant businesses are open all night long. They serve traditional dishes in dinner, till its time for serving breakfast in the morning. The markets are usually open night long. It is the second largest financial hub of Pakistan after Karachi, and has various industrial areas including kot lakpat and the new defence road(raiwand) etc. Lahore has also been decided as the city to build the tallest hotel in Pakistan, the new Pearl continental hotel. As Lahore expands the previous resedential areas are being turned into commercial centres and the suburban population is consistently moving away from these places. This has resulted in the development of the liberty market, which has everything for women. The MM alam road, the premium destination in the Lahore for continental food, the new jail road which has of one the largest office buildings in lahore only next to ones on Mall road, and the new 8 lane Main boulevard road which has one of Lahore's largest shopping centres on either sides. The sub-urban population from these areas are moving into less busy areas which resulted in a thriving construction industry. At the moment there are multiple mega housing projects in Lahore including, Bahria town, Lake city project, Edden villas etc. Infrastructure and development Lahore is one of the most accessible cities of Pakistan. In addition to the historic Grand Trunk Road a.k.a G.T. road, a motorway was completed in 2000, from Lahore to Islamabad, the capital. A new airport was built in lahore, replacing the old one which will be used for Haj flights now. Lahore also has the highest number of underpasses in Pakistan, due to an attempt by the government to link one end of the city to the other end. Railways HQ Lahore Railway Station Pakistan Railways HQ is also located in lahore. Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of Transportation in the farthest corners of the country and brings them closer for Business, sight seeing, pilgrimage and education. It has been a great integrating force and forms the life line of the country by catering to its needs for large scale movement of people and freight. The possibility of Karachi as a sea port was first noticed in the mid of 19th century and Sir Henry Edward Frere who was appointed Commissioner of Sind after its annexation with Bombay in 1847 sought permission from Lord Dalhousie to begin survey of sea port. He also initiated the survey for Railway line in 1858 . It was proposed that a railway line from Karachi City to Kotri, steam navigation up the Indus /Chenab up to Multan and from there an other railway to Lahore and beyond be constructed. It was on 13th May,1861 that first railway line was opened for public traffic between Karachi City and Kotri, the distance of 105 miles. The line between Karachi City and Keamari was opened on 16.6.1889.By 1897 the line from Keamari to Kotri was doubled. The railway line from Peshawar to Karachi closely follows Alexander's line of march through the Hindu Kush to the sea. Different sections on existing main line from Peshawar to Lahore and Multan and branch lines were constructed in the last quarter of 19th century and early years of 20th century. The 4 sections i.e. Scinde railways, Indian Flotilla company Punjab railway and Delhi railways working in a single company were later on amalgamated into Scinde, Punjab & Delhi railways company and was purchased by the Secretary of State for India in 1885 and in January, 1886 it was named North Western State Railways which was later on renamed as North Western Railways. At the time of partition, North Western Railway's 1847 route mile was transferred to India leaving route miles 5048 to Pakistan. In 1954 The railway line was extended to Mardan and Charsada section and in 1956 Jacababad-Kashmore 2'-6 line was converted into broad gauge. Kot Adu-Kashmore line was constructed between 1969 to 1973 providing an alternate route from Karachi to up country. addenda by b.b.goyal, barnala: lahore railways station is beautiful. i have spent some time there. it looks more cute especially in night time when lights are glowing. http://www.bbgoyal.com and http://www.barnala.co.in. regards, The new Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore Railway Station area Lahore Railway Station, Dai Anga Mosque, Landa Bazaar The Allama Iqbal International Airport The new airport has been constructed in 2003 named Allama Iqbal International Airport after the national poet of Pakistan Mohammed Iqbal. It facilitates for the increasing demand by passengers and the growth of the city for which it was built to accommadate. It is served by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines and many other national and international airlines to cater for the ever increasing tourism to the city. Financial Institutions Banks National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Bank Alfalah United Bank Ltd (UBL) Allied bank Ltd (ABL) Habib Bank Ltd Habib Bank AG Zurich Bank of Punjab Soneri Bank Citibank Crescent Bank Standard Chartered ANZ Grindley's Saudi-Pak Meezan Bank Prime Bank Pak-Kuwait Investment Bank American Express ABN Amro Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) Faisal Bank Insurance Adamjee Insurance EFU State Life Saudi Pak Leasing Pak Kuwait Stock Exchange The fully computrized Lahore Stock Exchange is located on Mall Road near Holiday Inn and Awan-e-Iqbal. Industry and Manufacturing Handmade Carpets Industry Mughal Kashan Carpet Lahore is famous as the hub of handmade carpet manufacturing in Pakistan. At present, hand-knotted carpets produced in and around Lahore are among Pakistan's leading export products and their manufacture is the second largest cottage and small industry. Craftsmen in Lahore have the capacity to produce any type of carpet using all the popular motifs: gulls, medallions, paisleys, traceries, and geometric designs in various combinations. However, the new Institute of Carpet Designing and Weaving has been established in Bahawalpur to train teachers. The Lahore Design Centre at the Punjab Small Industries Corporation maintains a separate section of carpet designing to experiment with new designs. Ninety-five percent of the carpets are produced for export and Turkoman, Persian and Caucasian designs are crafted since they meet the popular taste abroad. Lahore is famous for single-wefted designs in Turkoman and Caucasian style, and double-wefted Mughal types (commonly referred as Pak Persian). To read more about the arts of Punjab (with a focus on Lahore in particular), visit this page on the Government of Pakistan's web site. One of the largest carpet exporter of Lahore include: Usman Carpet House Abbas Corporation Lahore Carpets Pak Persian Carpets Imran Brothers Jamal Rugs Asiatics Famous Lahoris Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Thinker, Philosopher and National Poet. Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one of contemporary Urdu's greatest poets Imran Khan, Former Captain of the National Cricket Team, Member National Assembly. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Qawwali Maestro, Hollywood Composer. Rudyard Kipling, Famous British Novelist, Author of The Jungle Book and Kim. Wasim Akram, Fast Bowling Great and Former Captain of the National Cricket Team. Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister, 1990-1993, 1997-1999. Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister 2002-2004. Shahbaz Sharif, Former Chief Minister of Punjab Sultan Rahi, Punjabi Legendry Movie Star of the Lahore-based Film Industry. Nayyar Ali Dada, Veteran Architect. Mian Mir, Famous Qadiri Sufi Saint, Spiritual Mentor for Dara Shikoh. Bapsi Sidhwa, Author of Ice-Candy Man, An American Brat, The Crow Eaters, The Bride etc. Abdul Qadir, Legendy Leg Spinner, National Cricket Team. Rangeela, Veteran Film Comedian. Uzma Gilani, Legendry TV Artist. Noor Jehan, One of Pakistan's most renowned singers. Princess Sarvath Hassan, Wife of the Prince Hassan of Jordon. Ashfaq Ahmed, Legendary Playwright, Thinker, Sufi, Philosopher. Tariq Ali, leftist activist and writer See also The Lahore Fort Minar-e-Pakistan Shalimar Gardens (Lahore) Architecture of Lahore Badshahi Masjid Mosques of Lahore Churches of Lahore Homes of Lahore Billboards of Lahore List of educational institutions in Lahore The Lahore Zoo Iqbal town Islampura Lollywood List of cities in Pakistan Demographics of Pakistan List of capitals of subnational entities List of metropolitan areas by population Pak Tea House Punjab, Pakistan Punjab External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Satellite image of Lahore from Google maps Articles: Handmade Oriental Rugs from Lahore Lahore's MetroBlog: Life and City of Lahore Images of Lahore Lahore City Government Lahore Bazaar itsPakistan - About Pakistan - Lahore City Photographs from undroon shehr (the walled city) of Lahore Panographic Images of Lahore Fort And Shalimar Garden Real time weather of Lahore on Yahoo (in Fahrenheit) Weather of Lahore on BBC (in degrees Celsius) Weather of Lahore on BBC (in Fahrenheit) Weather of Lahore on USA Today (in degrees Celsius & Fahrenheit) Pakistan railways University of Central Punjabde:Lahore zh:拉合尔 Search Term: "Lahore" Categories: Cities in Pakistan | Lahore