Lahore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lahore لاہور |
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| General Information | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Location | |
| Altitude | 218 metres AMSL |
| Area | 1,772 km² |
| Calling code | 042 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| No. of Towns | 9 |
| Population | 5.143 M (1998) |
| Estimate | 9.0 M (2006) |
| density | 3,660 persons/km² |
| Government | |
| No. of Union Councils | 150 |
| No. of NGOs Working | |
| Emblem | |
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| Website | |
| Lahore Government Website | |
Lahore (Urdu: لاہور, Punjabi: لہور) is the capital of the province of Punjab, and the second most dense city in Pakistan, also known as the Gardens of the Mughals or City of Gardens, after the significant rich heritage of the Mughal Empire. In most popular culture Lahore is known as the Heart of Pakistan. It is located near the river Ravi and the Indian border, Wagah.
Due to Lahore's rich history, the Mughal and colonial architecture has still been preserved in all its splendour. Mughal architecture such as, the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens and the mausoleums of Jehangir and Nur Jehan are very popular tourist spots in the city. Various colonial buildings originally built by the British, such as the Lahore High Court, General Post Office (GPO) and many of the older universities still retain their Mughal-Gothic style.
Punjabi is the language of the province, and is the most widely spoken language in Lahore, although Urdu and English are becoming more popular with younger generations. Many people of Lahore who speak Punjabi are known as Lahori Punjabi due to a mixture of Punjabi and colloquial Urdu. According to the 2006 census, Lahore's population is expected to top 10 million. It is the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi. Lahore is the 5th largest city in South Asia and 23rd of the largest cities of the world.
[edit] History
[edit] Ancient Lahore
According to legend, Lahore was named after King Lav (son of Hindu god Rama) who is believed to have ruled Lahore in ancient times; the town of Kasur to the south was named after his twin brother King Kush or Kusha.
Ptolemy, the celebrated astronomer and geographer mentions a city called Labokla in his [[Geographia]], situated on the route between the Indus and Palibothra, or Pataliputra (Patna), in a tract of country called Kasperia (Kashmir), described as extending along the rivers Bidastes (Jhelum), Sandabal or Chandra Bhaga (Chenab), and Adris (Ravi). This city may be modern Lahore.
The oldest written authentic document about Lahore was written by an anonymous writer in AD 982 and is called Hudud-i-Alam. It was translated by V. Minorsky into English and published in Lahore in 1927. In this document, Lahore is referred to as a small 'shahr' - Town - with "impressive temples, large markets and huge orchards". It points out to "two major markets around which dwellings exist", and it also points out to "the mud walls that enclose these two dwellings to make it one". The original document can be currently found in the British Museum.
[edit] Early Muslim Era
The Sultan is to the right, shaking the hand of the sheykh, with Ayaz standing behind him. The figure to his right is Shah Abbas I who reigned about 600 years later.
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran
There is only a very few references of Lahore until it was captured by Mahmud in 10th century. During 1021, Mahmud appointed the throne to Ayaz, making Lahore the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire. Malik Ayaz, son of Aymáq Abu'n-Najm, was a Turkic slave who rose to the rank of officer and general in the army of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (also known as Mahmud Ghaznavi).
His rise to power was a reward for the devotion and love he bore his master. The romance of the Sultan and his slave boy Ayaz is part of Islamic legend. The Sultan is seen as an example of the man who, because of the power of his love, becomes "a slave to his slave." Ayaz became the paragon of the ideal beloved, and a model of purity in Sufi literature. The two, Ayaz and Mahmud of Ghazni have gained pride of place among the favorite pairs of lovers in Persian literature.
In 1021 the Sultan raised Ayaz to kingship, awarding him the throne of Lahore, which the Sultan had taken after a long siege and a fierce battle in which the city was torched and depopulated. As the first Muslim governor of Lahore, he rebuilt and repopulated the city. He also added many important features, such as a masonry fort which he built in 1037-1040 on the ruins of the previous one, demolished in the fighting, and city gates (as recorded by Munshi Sujan Rae Bhandari, author of the Khulasatut Tawarikh in 1695-96 C.E.). The present Lahore Fort is built in the same location. Under his rulership the city became a cultural and academic center, renowned for poetry. It is said that in old age "Sultán Mahmúd . . . spent his whole time in the society of Malik Ayáz, neglecting the business of the state."[1] The tomb of Malik Ayaz can still be seen in the Rang Mahal commercial area of town.
After the fall of the Ghaznavid Empire, Lahore was ruled by various Muslim dynasties known as the Delhi Sultanate including the Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyid, Lodhis and Suris. When Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aybak was crowned in 1206 here, he became the first Muslim Sultan of the subcontinent. It was not until 1524AD that Lahore became part of the Mughal Empire.
[edit] Mughal Era
Lahore touched the peak of glory during the rule of the Mughals. The Mughal emperors beautified the city with some of the finest architectural buildings and gardens that have survived the hazards of time. It was this reputation of Lahore that fascinated the English poet John Milton who wrote in 1670: "Agra and Lahore, the Seat of Great Mughal."
In 1585 AD Mughal emperor Akbar decided to make Lahore the capital of the Mughal Empire. 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 ruins of an older fort. A few buildings within the fort were added by his heir and son, Jahangir, the Mughal emperor who is buried in the city. Shah Jahan, his son, was born in Lahore. He, like his father, extended the Lahore Fort and built many other structures in the city, such as the Shalimar Gardens.The last of the great Mughals, Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1658 to 1707, built the city's most famous monuments, the Badshahi Masjid and the Alamgiri Gate next to the Lahore Fort. This attracts many tourists yearly and is used by the Government to address the nation or social events.
[edit] 17th and 18th Century
During the 18th century, as Mughal power dwindled, there were constant invasions. Lahore was a suba, a province of the Empire, governed by provincial rulers with their own court. These governors managed as best they could though for much of the time it must have been a rather thankless task to even attempt. The 1740s were years of chaos and between 1745 and 1756 there were nine changes of governors. Invasions and chaos in local government allowed bands of warring Sikhs to gain control in some areas. Lahore ended up being ruled by a triumvirate of Sikhs of loose character and the population of the city invited Ranjit Singh to invade. He took the city in 1799 and became the ruler of Lahore.
[edit] British Rule
The second and final Anglo-Sikh war, resulted in the British victory, bringing Lahore under the rule of the British crown.
The British during their reign started the heera mandi (1849 -1947) compensated Lahore, by harmoniously combining Mughal, Gothic and Victorian styles of architecture. The GPO and YMCA buildings built to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria - an event marked by the construction of clock towers and monuments all over India. They built some important buildings, like the High Court. the Government College, the Museums, the National College of Arts, Montgomery Hall, Tollinton Market, the University of the Punjab (Old Campus) and the Provincial Assembly. At one end of The Mall stands the University - perhaps the largest center of education in Asia. The city has built a new Campus in the quieter environments on the Canal Bank, but the old University buildings are still functioning.
 The Alamgiri Gate, photographed in 1870. |
 George Craddock. 1880s. Railway Station at Lahore, Pakistan. |
 Street scene of Lahore 1890s. |
 Government Collage of Lahore 1880s. |
 Tolinton Market 1864. |
[edit] Role in Independence
The most important session of the Indian National Congress, the premier party fighting for Indian independence, was held in Lahore during December and January 1929 till 1930 where the "Complete Independence of India" was demanded for the first time by the Congress. Three heroic martyrs in India's struggle for freedom, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, were hanged in Lahore for their revolutionionary activities against the British Government on March 23, 1931. They were cremated and a monument stands at their final resting place in Ferozpur on the Sutlej River bank.
Lahore played host to a most important session of the Muslim League when the Lahore Resolution was passed on 23rd March 1940. At the time of independence from British colonial rule in 1947
[edit] Independence and Modern Era
At independence, Lahore was given the status of being the capital of the Punjab province in the new state of Pakistan. Since 1947, Lahore was heavily affected by large-scale riots between Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs that lead to huge structural damages to many historical monuments such as the Lahore Fort, Badshahi mosque and other colonial buildings. However, with UN protection groups the Government of Pakistan was able finance funds to make the monuments return to their formal glory. During 1974, the first Islamic Summit Conference was held in the city. In 1996 the ICC Cricket World Cup final match was held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and now Lahore will host the 2011 Cricket World Cup, where the semi final match will be played.
 Proposed tower of Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore |
 Alamgir Tower Lahore; under Construction 650ft tall shopping Mall. |
 Under construction Sheikh Zayed Center Lahore; Will be 7th tallest in South Asia once completed. |
[edit] Geography and climate
Lahore is bounded on the north and west by the Sheikhupura District, on the east by India and on the south Kasur District. The Ravi River flows on the northern side of Lahore. Lahore city covers a total land area of 404 km², but the city is still growing at a considerable rate. The city lies between 31°15′ and 31°45′ North latitude and 74°01′ and 74°39′ East longitude.
The weather of Lahore is extreme during the months of May, June, and July when the temperatures soar to 45–50 degrees Celsius which is the hottest time of the year. Following the end of July the monsoon seasons starts with heavy rainfall throughout the city as well as the province. December, January and February are the coldest months when temperatures can drop to −1 degree Celsius.
[edit] Government
The City-District of Lahore comprises nine administrative towns and one separate military cantonment but there are also some historic neighbourhoods of Lahore.
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Administrative towns
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Localities
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Neighbourhoods
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[edit] Demographics
- See also: Mosques of Lahore and Churches of Lahore
According to the 1998 census, Lahore's population was nearly 6.8 million. Mid 2006 government estimates now put the population at somewhere around 10 million, which makes it the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi. It is considered to be one of the thirty largest cities of the world. Also according to the 1998 census, 86.2%, or 6,896,000 of the population are Punjabis, 10.2% or 816,000 are Muhajir . There are known to be more than a million Pashtun in Lahore(the vast majority of whom are settling. Finally, the Seraikis at 0.4% number about 32,000.
Many languages are spoken in Lahore, including Punjabi, Urdu, Pashto and English. According to the 1998 census,96% of Lahore's population is Muslim Others Include Christians, Qadiani's and a small number of Hindus and Sikhs.
[edit] Cityscape
[edit] Architecture
The Architecture of Lahore reflects the history of Lahore and is remarkable for its variety and uniqueness. There are buildings left from the centuries ago rule of the Mughal Dynasty as well as from the era of the British Raj, whose style is a mixture of Victorian and Islamic architecture often referred to as "Mughal Gothic." In addition, there are newer buildings which are very modern in their design. An interesting point about Lahore's architecture is that unlike the emphasis on functional architecture in the west, much of Lahore's architecture has always been about making a statement as much as anything else.
[edit] Public Space
[edit] Shopping
Lahore's most famous tech-bazaar is the Hafeez Center (Which is the biggest computer market in all over Pakistan) located on the Gulberg Main Boulevard and Electronics Market at Hall Road. Here one can find the latest computer systems, accessories, mobile phones and music CDs. Other well known and popular shopping areas are the Liberty Market in Gulberg and at the Fortress Stadium. There are also many smart shopping malls in Gulberg, Model Town, M.M. Alam Road and Cantonment. Apart from these are many new shopping areas being developed in many of Lahore's brand new suburban developments, such as Bahria, Lake City, and the cantonment.
For traditional shopping, Anarkali and Ichhra bazaar is the most fascinating of the city’s many bazaars. The alleys and lanes of this bazaar are full of traditional wares like leather articles, embroidered garments, glass bangles, beaten gold and silver jewellery, creations in silk-anything that your wish for a bargain. Anarkali is named after the famous courtesan of Akbar’s court called Anarkali (Pomegranate Blossom). The grave of Sultan Qutbuddin Aibak, who died falling off his horse while playing polo is located in Anarkali. Mahmud Ghaznavi's General Malik Ayaz lies buried in the commercial area of Rang Mahal.
[edit] Restaurants and cafés
Lahoris are known for their taste & love for eating. While Lahore has a great many traditional and modern restaurants, recent years have seen the appearance of Western fast food chains, such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway Sandwiches, Dunkin Donuts, Nando's and Kentucky Fried Chicken all over the city. A recent tourist attraction in Lahore is the famous Food Street in the historic locales of Lahore (Gawalmandi, Anarkali, and Badshahi). Food Streets have undergone restorations and are cordoned off in the evenings for pedestrian traffic only, with numerous cafés serving local delicacies under the lights and balconies of restored havelis (traditional residential dwellings).
One of Lahore's most well-known outlets is Phajje ke Paye, with its original branch located in Hira Mandi.
Some of the trendiest restaurants in Lahore are concentrated on the M M Alam Road in Gulberg. Here, dozens of high-class culinary outlets, ranging from western franchises to very traditional, ethnic, or theme restaurants, attract all classes of Lahore's citizens. New restaurants are constantly opening, and the business is extremely competitive. It is said that eating well is a peculiarly Lahori attribute, and the innumerable crowded, boisterous restaurants of Lahore that are open late into the night are a visible testament to this passion.
One of Lahore's unique café restaurants is "Coocoo's Den", located in the old city just behind the Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort. The restaurant is housed in a 300-year old "Kothi" style house of a famous artist. At different points in the life of this property, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim families have owned it. Another famous Lahore landmark is the Pak Tea House in Anarkali, long a favoured haunt of intellectuals and artists.
[edit] Museums
Lahore Museum was established in 1894 in Lahore, Pakistan, and is one of the major museums of South Asia. Lahore Museum is also known as Central Museum, and is located on The Mall. Rudyard Kipling's father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the curators of the museum.
It is located opposite the old University Hall, a Mughal style building on the Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam. The Museum contains some fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh door-ways and wood-work and contains a large collection of paintings dating back to Mughal, Sikh and British era.
Tollinton Market One of the earliest Raj buildings on the Mall, this building, according to the excellent guide by Thornton and Kipling “was hastily constructed for the Punjab Exhibition of 1864, and was not intended to be permanent; but want of funds has prevented hitherto the erection of a more suitable structure.” At its entrance stood the famous cannon Zamzamah, which was brought there from its previous location, near the Delhi gate. The exhibition displayed both specimens of the antiquities, arts and manufactures' of the Punjab and specimens of 'its raw products, vegetable, mineral and animal. Later, it became the most important municipal market outside the Old City selling fresh fruit, vegetables and other consumable items.
[edit] Gardens and Parks
Lahore is known as the City of Gardens. There were many gardens in Lahore during Mughal some of them were destroyed by course of history but many still survives till this day are the fine example of Mughal Gardens.
The Shalamar Gardens were laid out during the reign of Shah Jahan and mimic the Islamic paradise of the afterlife described in the Quran. The gardens follow the familiar char bagh model (four squares) with three descending terraces.
The Lawrence Gardens were established in 1862 and were originally named after Sir John Lawrence, late 19th century British Viceroy to India. The gardens were organized in an area covering 112 acres. The vow of the East India Company was that it would bring 80,000 saplings of 600 different species from every corner of the world, where in those days, the sun never set. After collecting money from the sale of Badami Bagh, the Soldier's Bazaar at Anarkali and from a grant by the "Company Bahadur”, the land was purchased in the year 1860.Today it is known as Lawrence Gardens
There are also many other garadens and parks in the city as well some old and some new some of them are: Hazuri Bagh, Iqbal Park, Mochi Bagh, Gulshan Iqbal Park, Model Town Park, Race Course Park, Nasir Bagh Lahore, Jallo Park, Wild Life Park, Changa Manga (Artificial Forest Near Lahore in Kasur district)
[edit] Education
Lahore holds some of the finest institutes of higher education in Pakistan, including a number of public and private universities. Most of the reputable universities are public, but in recent years there has also been an upsurge in the number of private universities. While most of the universities of Karachi are leading the role of premier educational institutions in Pakistan.
[edit] Transportation
Lahore is one of the most accessible cities of Pakistan. In addition to the historic Grand Trunk Road (G.T. road), a motorway was completed in 1997, from Lahore to Islamabad. Due to Lahore ever increasing traffic problems the government introduced many underpasses to ease conjestions and prevent traffic jams. According to official figures, Lahore has the highest number of underpasses in Pakistan. Lahore still has very high levels of air pollution and smog, mostly due to the industry growing at an ever-increasing rate. Air pollution levels are reaching record peaks and smog is so thick that on some days it is only possible to see a few metres ahead before a huge haze is visible.
The Pakistan Railways Headquarters is located in Lahore. Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of transportation for communters in Lahore. The railway connects the farthest corners of the country and brings them closer to Lahore for business, sight seeing, pilgrimage and education. The Lahore Central Railway Station is also located in the heart of the city, which was built during the British Colonial era.
As air travel has been on the rise, the Government built a completely new airport for the city that was constructed in 2003. It was named Allama Iqbal International Airport after the national poet of Pakistan Mohammed Iqbal. It is served by many international airlines as well as the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. With the opening of Allama Iqbal International Airport, the previous airport now operates as the Hajj Terminal to facilitate the great influx of pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj every year.
However, despite all these swift improvements, Lahore still struggles to keep it's inhabitants safe on the road. The roads in Lahore are seen by many to be the most dangerous in Pakistan after Karachi as the number of vehicles on the road outnumbers the amount of roads and/or the amount of space in the road. For this reason, there is a massive manic and street-rush everyday as millions of Lahories travel to their respective destinations through unorganised yet fast-moving traffic. Traffic accidents are rife and crossing the road still seems to be an impossible challenge for many. Government is applying measures to improve traffic condition by construction is overhead bridges, under passes and also by spreading traffic and roads awareness between people through media, public workers, NGOs and police. There are also plans to create a mass transit system in the city as well as high speed railway between Lahore and Rawalpindi.
[edit] Economy
The center to Lahore's economy is the LSE, Lahore Stock Exchange, Pakistan's second largest stock exchange which is linked to the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE). It has offices of all the Government corporations including WAPDA and WASA as well as other public companies such as Deewan Motors, Habib Bank, Pakistan State Oil and Lever Brothers. Lahore also hosts the largerst IT companies such as Inov8 Limited & Sysnet Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd. Most of these are located in the IT park near the airport which accounts for nearly 70 percent of the country's software export. Food and restaurant businesses remain open all night long. The shopping markets are usually open late into the night. Lahore is the second largest financial hub of Pakistan and has various industrial areas including Kot Lakhpat and the new Sundar Industrial Estate (near Raiwand).
As Lahore expands the previous residential areas are being turned into commercial centres and the suburban population is constantly moving outwards. This has resulted in the development of the Liberty Market, the MM Alam Road, the new Jail Road which has some of the largest office buildings in Lahore, and the new eight-lane Main Boulevard which has some of Lahore's largest and finest shopping centres.
The suburban population from these areas are moving into less busy areas which results in a thriving construction industry and several large housing projects in Lahore. These include Bahria Town, Lake City project, Eden Villas and a project by the Dhabi Group (a joint Pakistan-UAE partnership) to construct a new city on the outskirts of Lahore.
Lahore is famous as the hub of handmade carpet manufacturing in Pakistan. At present, hand-knitted carpets produced in and around Lahore are among Pakistan's leading export products and their manufacturing is the second largest cottage and small industry. Craftsmen in Lahore have the ability to produce any type of carpet using all the popular motifs: medallions, paisleys, traceries and geometric designs in various combinations. 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. Lahore is famous for single-wefted designs in Turkoman and Caucasian style, and double-wefted Mughal types.
[edit] Culture
Lahore's culture is unique due to it's history. Known as the cultural capital or the Heart of Pakistan for the same reason, the city has been the seat to The Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire and the capital of Punjab in the Mahmud Ghaznavi's Empire (11th century) and the British Empire. In Pakistan's History Lahore was the city where the declaration for Pakistan was Made. The city was the only known major city of the British Empire which would come into the new Muslims State and thus was very important. It was the largest City in the newly formed Pakistan at that time and provided the easiest access between two countries with it's porous border with the city of Amritsar. There was a high proportion of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims living close in the city and thus it suffered the most revolts, demonstrations, bloodshed and mobs at the time of independence. Lahore was also wanted by the Sikhs as it used to be their Capital before the British. Lahore was also going to be made the Capital, but the idea was dropped as it was too close to India. All this mixes up to a culture which is not common in other parts of Pakistan. The history, institutions, food, clothing, films, music, fashion and a liberal community lifestyle attracts many from all over the country.
Lahore is a very festive city, the people of Lahore celebrate many traditions throughout the year, blending moghal, western and current trends. As Lahore has a large Muslim population, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are celebrated; many people decorate their houses and light candles to light up the streets and houses; roads and businesses are lit up for days during these public holidays.
Basant is a Punjab festival that 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. During the last years, the event has been banned by the court because of the casualties and power installation losses it causes every year.
The Festival of Lamps or Mela Chiraghan is an important and popular event in Lahore. This is celebrated at the same time as Basant, every spring on the last Friday of March, outside the Shalimar Gardens. People from all walks of life gather to participate.
The National Horse and Cattle Show is one of the most famous annual festivals, it is held in Spring in the Fortress Stadium. During the week long activities, there is a display of livestock, horse and camel dances, tent pegging, colourful folk dances from all regions of Pakistan, mass-band displays and tattoo shows in the evenings.
On August 14, the people of Pakistan celebrate the day Pakistan gained its independence from the British Raj. There are lots of celebrations in Lahore, the streets are full of people singing and dancing. Parades of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Airforce are held early in the morning. Concerts are held with many pop and classical singers.
The World Performing Arts Festival is held every autumn (usually in November) at the Alhambra cultural complex, a large venue consisting of several theatres and amphitheatres. This ten day festival consists of musicals, theatre, concerts, dance, solo, mime and puppetry shows. This has a rich international character with nearly 80% of the shows performed by international performers. On average 15-20 different shows are performed every day of the festival [2].
[edit] Sports
Gaddafi Stadium is a Test cricket ground in Lahore, Pakistan. It was designed by Pakistani architect Nayyar Ali Dada and completed in 1959. After its renovation for the 1996 Cricket World Cup, the stadium has a capacity of over 60,000 spectators for high profile matches or events. Near by is an athelitics stadium, a basketball pitch, an Al Hamra open air hall similar in design to the coliseum and the worlds largest Field Hockey stadium, all of these in a single huge complex.
The Lahore Marathon, is part of an annual package of six international marathons being sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank across Asia, Africa and Middle East. The Lahore marathon race carries prize money of approximately US$ 100,000. More than 20,000 athletes both from Pakistan and all over the world participate in this event. It was first held on January 30, 2005, then on January 29, 2006. More than 22,000 people participated in the race during 2006. The third marathon was held on January 14, 2007 [3].
[edit] Gallery
 Newly restored Tollinton Market on The Mall - one of Lahore's busiest thoroughfares |
[edit] Sites of interest
[edit] Other Sites
- Gates of Lahore
- Akbari Gate
- Bhati Gate
- Delhi Gate
- Kashmiri Gate
- Lohari Gate
- Masti Gate
- Mochi Gate
- Mori Gate
- Roshnai Gate
- Shahalmi Gate
- Shairanwala Gate
- Taxali Gate
- Yakki Gate
- Mausoleums
- Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal
- Bibi Pak Daman
- Samadhi of Ranjit Singh
- Tomb of Shah Jamal
- Tomb of Lal Hussain
- Tomb of Anārkalī
- Tomb of Jahangir
- Tomb of Empress Nur Jehan
- Tomb of Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan
- Amusement Parks
- Joy Land
- Sindbad
- Sozo Water Park
- Famous Roads
- The Mall (shopping and business)
- Jail Road (business)
- M M Alam Road (restaurants and shopping)
- Main Boulevard (commercial and shopping)
- Canal Bank (residential and educational)
- Ferozepur Road (commercial and sports)
- Food Street (outdoor cafés)
- Red Light District
- Shahi Mohalla (heera mandi)
- Tourist Street
- Hotels
- Avari Hotel
- Pearl Continental Hotel
- Holiday Inn
- Best Western
- Grand Hyatt (2010)
- Hyatt Regency (2009)
- Royal Palm Golf and Country Club & Intercontinental Hotel
[edit] In Popular culture
Being a Film Hub, most of the Pakistani films are shot and their stories are based in Lahore or in the surrounding villages. Most Punjabi stage shows are also set in neighbourhoods of Lahore. Many popular Sitcomes such as Kollege Jeans and Rubber band are set in educational instituions of Lahore. In Many Indian Movies Lahore has been protrayed to show the many pre independence proceddings as well as numerous problems that occured during partition e.g. 1947 Earth. Many films show Lahore as setting for it's historical importance e.g. in Shahrukh khan's Veer-zara. Pakistan and India have fought two battles near Lahore and those can also be found in many commerical films as well as documentries. Another popular culture centered around the city are the infamous dancing girls. A Novel was also written about these. Lahore's Red light area is the oldest surviving red light area in south Asia, and due to its famous yet somehow discreet visitors including, politicans, businessmen, and even princes in the mughal era, the area is projected in numerous books, television series and movies, which includes stories around prostitues. In a recent Music video shoot, the indian actress, Urmilla and a Pakistani popular band Fuzon worked together to promote peace between the two countries. The video was Shot in Lahore, to show Pakistan's culture and heritage and its links with India and and a documentry was also shot. The minar-e-Pakistan or the Tower of Pakistan is shown at the end of all national anthems on Public owned TV stations and can be found on many Pakistani currenty notes, stamps and official media.
[edit] Sister Cities
Lahore has 11 sister cities[4] including:
[edit] Notable People
- Malik Amjad Ali Noon,A famous young politician of Sargodha division village Ali Pur Noon.
- Imran Khan, legendary all-rounder, cricketer and current politician, social worker and vice chancellor of University of Bradford.
- Wasim Akram, legedary fast bowler, circketer.
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, An Astrophysicist 1983 Nobel prize winner, shared by William Alfred Fowler.
- Khurshid Kasuri Currently Pakistan's foriegn Minister
- Rudyard Kipling, Curator of the Lahore Museum and assistant editor of a small local newspaper, the Civil & Military Gazette in Lahore.
- Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a leading Industrialist.
- Shahbaz Sharif former chief minister of Punjab
- Pervaiz Elahi Sugar tycoon and current chief minister of Punjab
- Syed Babar Ali One of the richest people in Pakistan, the owner of Packages Ltd., the biggest shareholder of Nestle, tetra pak and Coca Cola (Pakistan) and the founder of LUMS
- Mohammad Yousuf, Cricket Player holding the record for the highest Test runs and Centuries in a Year.
- Atif Aslam, Currently the most successful Pop/rock artist in Pakistan
- Abrar-ul-Haq, Pakistan's most successful Pop/Bhangra artist.
- Armaan Shahid, known as Shaan is currently the most popular male movie actor in the country.
- Reema, Currently the country's most popular film actress.
[edit] Lahore in Literature
- Muhammad Iqbal, poet in Urdu and Persian
- Faiz Ahmed Faiz, poet in Urdu
- Saadat Hasan Manto, short story writer in Urdu
- Rudyard Kipling, novelist in English, author of Kim
- Bapsi Sidhwa, novelist in English, author of Cracking India and The Crow Eaters
- Mohsin Hamid, novelist in English, author of Moth Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist
[edit] See also
- Kasur, a brother city of Lahore
- Category Lahore in Commons
- Meo
[edit] References
- ^ Čištī, `Abd al-Rahmān, The History of India, Volume 2, chpt. 134
- ^ World Performing Arts Festival
- ^ Lahore Marathon Website
- ^ Lahore-Chicago declared twin cities
- ^ - Glasgow 'twinned' with Lahore
[edit] External links
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Source texts from Wikisource |
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Images and media from Commons |
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News stories from Wikinews |
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Learning resources from Wikiversity |
- Official
- Lahore City Government
- Lahore The City Of Beauti
- Lahore Stock Exchange
- Pakistan Railways
- Pak Free Web Directory
- Unofficial
- An Urdu Langual site
- About Pakistan & Lahore
- Photographs of the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens at UN's World Heritage Site
- Photos from Lahore by Waqas Usman
- Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh
- 1st Of its Kind (Lahore Ke Sair By Pictures and Detailed Text)
- Danka - Lahore's First Cultural Events Guide
- Photographs Of Lahore
- Visit Lahore
- UrbanPakistan: Projecting Pakistan's Image
- Photographs of Lahore
- Photographs of the walled city of Lahore
- French Cultural Centre
- Weather of Lahore on BBC Weather
- Ansar Burney Trust
- LAHORE LAHORE AYE: Where Hindus and Sikhs once lived By A Hamid
- VISIT LAHORE
- A Hameed s columns
- Take a tour to Lahore
- Forced Migration and Ethnic Clensing in Lahore Ishtiaq Ahmed
- Classifieds for Lahore
- Lahore Property Guide
- Notes on literature by Lahori and Pakistani writers
| Provincial and Territorial Capitals of Pakistan |  |
|---|---|
| Sindh: Karachi | Punjab: Lahore | NWFP: Peshawar | Balochistan: Quetta | |
| Northern Areas: Gilgit | Federally Administered Tribal Areas: Peshawar | Azad Kashmir: Muzaffarabad | |
| Federal Capital: Islamabad | |
| Administrative Divisions of Punjab (Pakistan) | |
|
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Lahore | |
| Districts | Attock | Bahawalnagar | Bahawalpur | Bhakkar | Chakwal | Dera Ghazi Khan | Faisalabad | Gujranwala | Gujrat | Hafizabad | Jhang | Jhelum | Kasur | Khanewal | Khushab | Lahore | Layyah | Lodhran | Mandi Bahauddin | Mianwali | Multan | Muzaffargarh | Nankana Sahib | Narowal | Okara | Pakpattan | Rahim Yar Khan | Rajanpur | Rawalpindi | Sahiwal | Sargodha | Sheikhupura | Sialkot | Toba Tek Singh | Vehari | |
