Lahore
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{{Pakistani Cities |name= Lahore |flag= Pk-punj.gif |emblem= Lahore Emblem.jpg |province=Punjab |city_image= Badshahi Mosque July 1 2005 pic32 by Ali Imran.jpg |n1= 31 |n2= 33 |n3= 36 |e1= 74 |e2= 21 |e3= 00 |altitude= 218 metres |area= 1,014 |census_year= 1998 |estimate_year= 2006 |census_pop= 5,143,495 |estimate_pop= 6,485,175 |density= 6,396 |code=042 |towns= 9 |uc= 150 |mayor= Mian Amer Mehmood |footnotes= Lahore Government Website }}
Lahore (Urdu: لاھور) is a major city of 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. Lahore is estimated to have approximately 6.5 million inhabitants. This makes it the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi. It is considered to be one of the thirty largest cities 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 the Mughal Empire since the 16th century CE This is apparent by the vast array of historic buildings, architecture from pre-Mughal, Mughal and British periods, and cultural events held throughout the year.
The recently renovated Data Durbar of Hazrat Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al-Hajweri, is perhaps the most famous example of architecture from pre-Mughal times. Mughal architecture can be seen in the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens. Various buildings originally built by the British (such as the Lahore High Court) still retain their Mughal-Gothic style.
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Geography
Lahore city 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.
Climate
The climate of Lahore faces many extremes climates during the months of May, June, and July. During these months temperatures soar to 45–50 degrees Celsius which is the hottest time of the year. Following the end of July and beginning of August the monsoon seasons starts with heavy rainfall throughout the city as well as the province.
The minimum temperature varies between 39 and 26 degrees Celsius respectively, while December, January and February are the coldest months when temperature can drop to −1 degree Celsius and dropped to its lowest ever in January 2006 at −2.
History
Image:Friday prayes at b.jpg According to legend, Lahore was named after King Lav (son of Lord Ram) who ruled Lahore in ancient times. A temple of Lav can still be found in the Lahore fort which however is closed. Lahore came under Muslim rule in 713 CE when Umayyad Muslim Arab army led by Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Punjab, and the present Pakistan from Kashmir to the Arabian Sea. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni placed it under the rule of his governor, Malik Ayaz. When Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aybak was crowned in 1206 here, he 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, a Mughal emperor who is now buried in the city. Shah Jahan, his son, was born in Lahore and is famous for building the world-renowned Taj Mahal in India. He, like his father, extended Lahore Fort and built many other structures in the city, showering more affection on his hometown than any other city. 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 next to the Lahore Fort. The Sikhs ruled it in the 18th and 19th centuries, making Lahore the capital of the Sikh state. However the last Anglo-Sikh war resulted in a British victory thus bringing Lahore under the rule of the British crown.
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. In 1940, the Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution which demanded a separate state for the Muslims of British India. In 1947 Pakistan gained independence from British colonial rule. At the time of independence, Lahore was heavily affected by large-scale riots between Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs.
Government and administrative division
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 |
Other neighbourhoods |
Demographics
According to the 1998 census 86.2%, or 6,896,000 of the population are Punjabis, 10.2% or 816,000 are MuhajirsTemplate:Fact. There are known to be more than a million Pashtun refugess in Lahore(the vast majority of whom are settling), probably about 15% of the population. Finally, the Seraikis at 0.4% number about 32,000. Many languages are spoken in Lahore, including Punjabi, Urdu and English.
Economy
The center to Lahore's economy is the LSE, Lahore Stock Exchange, Pakistan second largest stock exchange which is linked to the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) the largest in the country. The single biggest investment is of over 200 million dollars . 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, (the highest price per share on the LSE.)
The city of Lahore never sleeps with food & restaurant businesses open all night long. They serve traditional dishes for dinner, till its time for serving breakfast in the morning. The markets are usually open long into the night. Lahore is the second largest financial hub of Pakistan after Karachi, and has various industrial areas including Kot Lakhpat and the new Sundar Industrial Estate (near Raiwand). Lahore will soon be home to the tallest hotel in Pakistan, the new Pearl Continental Hotel.
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 (for women), the MM Alam Road (for continental food), the new Jail Road which has one of the largest office buildings in Lahore, and the new eight-lane Boulevard Road which has some of Lahore's largest 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, which will be larger than Abu Dhabi.
Sites of interest
The Walled City
The Roshnai Gate
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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, Hazrat Baba Fareed Shaker Gunj 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.
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. The Minar (or Tower) is located in Iqbal Park, across the road from the Badshahi Masjid complex.
The Masti Gate
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 built, like many other gates, to keep the enemies out. Now, it is surrounded by shops and has significance of great architecture. In Urdu "loha" means Iron and the gate is named Lohari because many Lohars (Black Smiths) lived and had their workshops just outside this gate.
The Kashmiri Gate
The Kashmiri Gate faces the direction of Kashmir. Inside there is a shopping area called "Kashmiri Bazaar".
The Bhati Gate
The Bhati Gate entrance is located on the Western wall of the Old City. The area inside the gate 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) This gate was made by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and had 2 Lions( Shers) in cages at the gate as a symbolic gesture to warn any invader.
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
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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 in 1960'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).
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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.
Gawal Mandi
Food Street in Gawalmandi is a centre of traditional Pakistani food. The site is surrounded by centuries old Kashmiri-Persian buildings and places like Landa Bazaar and Baansan-wala Bazaar. The food street is open to traffic in the morning but as the sun sets, the street is blocked off. Hungry visitors arrive and stay till very late at night, enjoying some of the best local food available in Lahore.
Ichhra
In Ichhra there is the Tomb of Shah Jamal a sufi saint. The famous Pappu Sain performs at the shrine every Thursday evening. There is another man named Goonga Sain who plays dhol at the same time. Pappu Sain plays dhol downstairs while Goonga Sain plays upstairs.
Shalimar Gardens
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Shahdara
The site of the Tomb of Jahangir and the Tomb of Noor Jehan.
Shimla Pahari
In Shimla Pahari is the mausoleum of Bibi Pak Daman. Legend has it that it holds the graves of five ladies from the prophet Muhammad's household (Ahl Al-Bayt). It is said that these ladies came here after the event of Karbala on the 10th day of the month of Muharram in 61 AH (October 10, AD 680). Image:Mcdonald's.jpg
Shopping
Lahore's most famous tech-bazaar is the Hafeez Center, located on the Gulberg Main Boulevard and Electronics Market at Hall Road. Here you will find all the latest mobile's and music CD's that one is looking for. It is a very busy shopping centre which one will be able to find all types of software or components for your personal computer and good prices and with the guidance of computer experts.
Other well known and popular malls are the Liberty Market Center in Gulberg and Pace. When Pace was opened it was very similar to your local Wal-mart or Tesco stores, however, due to popularity the owner converted it into a mall with many shops that offered a wide variety of goods ranging from clothes, groceries to house decorations. There are also many shopping malls located in Gulberg, Model Town, MM Alam Road and Defence. Apart from these are many high rise shopping malls in Gulberg Main Boulevard. Purani Anarkali has some amazing ethnic gems and jewelry as well as khussas (traditional flat shoes).
Restaurants and cafés
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. Food Street has undergone a massive restoration project in which Gawaalmandi was cordoned off and street cafes were established under the lights of the restored havelis. More recently another similar food street has been added near Anarkali.One of Lahore's most famous 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. At different points in the life of this property, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim families have owned it. A famous Lahore cafe is the Pak Tea House in Anarkali which is a favourite haunt for intellectuals and artists.
Festivals and celebrations
Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha
The two Eids, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha commemorate the passing of the month of fasting, Ramadan, and the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Prophet Ishmael for Allah. During these days there are national holidays and many festivals and events take place to celebrate Eid.
Basant
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.
Independence Day
On August 14, every year all over Pakistan, the people of Pakistan celebrate the day Pakistan gained its independence from the British Raj for an independent state for muslims. There are lots of celebrations in Lahore, the streets are full of joyful people singing and dancing. Concerts are held with many pop and classical singers.
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Lahore Marathon
This elite event 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 come to Lahore to participate in this event.
It was first held on January 30, 2005, and this year it was held on January 29, 2006. More than 22,000 people participated in the race this year. The third Lahore Marathon is scheduled to be held on January 14, 2007 Template:Ref.
Mela Chiraghan
The Festival of Lamps or 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 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, colourful folk dances from all regions of Pakistan, mass-band displays and tattoo shows in the evenings.
Education institutions
Lahore boasts hundreds of schools, private and public. The recent decade has witnessed a major surge in higher education institutions' numbers. Lahore is considered one of the most open-minded and enlightened cities of Pakistan. A list of premier education institutions in the city of Lahore is given below:
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Major universities and colleges
- University of the Punjab
- University College of Information Technology (PUCIT)
- University of Central Punjab
- University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
- Government College University
- Aitchison College
- Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Lahore Grammar College for Women
- Lahore College for Women University
- Superior University Lahore
- Lahore School of Economics (LSE)
- COMSATS Institute Of Information Technology
- University of Lahore
- National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (formerly FAST)
- King Edward Medical College
- Forman Christian College
- Iqra University
- Allama Iqbal Medical College
- National College of Arts (NCA)
- University of Management and Technology
- Minhaj University, Lahore
- Institute of Management and Sciences
- Kinnaird College for Women
Industry and manufacturing
- IT companies
Lahore is home to many IT firms. Many IT companies have there offices in Lahore
- Handmade carpets
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.
Financial institutions
The fully computerised Lahore Stock Exchange is located on Mall Road near Holiday Inn and Awan-e-Iqbal. It is the second largest stock exchange in Pakistan after the Karachi Stock Exchange.
Transport
Image:Lahore railway station.jpg 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. 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.
Pakistan Railways Headquarters
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.
Lahore Central Railway Station
The Allama Iqbal International Airport
Image:Terminal.JPG 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 accommodate. It is served by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines.
Old airport/Hajj Terminal
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. The Hajj services are operated by the national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Famous people from Lahore
With the rich history of the Punjab, there were a number of important figues from Lahore. Listed below are some of the better known ones;
- Pre-independence (pre-1947)
- Allama Muhammad Iqbal
- Alfred Woolner
- Ashfaq Ahmed
- Bapsi Sidhwa
- Faiz Ahmed Faiz
- Khawaja Sultan
- Khawaja Khurshid Anwar
- Mian Mir
- Nayyar Ali Dada
- Noor Jehan
- Rudyard Kipling
- Shah Jahan
- Post-independence (post-1947)
- Abdul Hafeez Kardar
- Abdul Qadir
- Imran Khan
- Muhammad Salahuddin
- Munawar Zarif
- Nawaz Sharif
- Princess Sarvath Hassan
- Rangeela
- Sara Suleri
- Shahbaz Sharif
- Sultan Rahi
- Tariq Ali
- Uzma Gilani
- Wasim Akram
- Zarif
- Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan
- Hafiz Mohammad Saeed
See also
- List of cities in Pakistan
- List of capitals of subnational entities
- List of metropolitan areas by population
- List of educational institutions in Lahore
- Demographics of Pakistan
- The Lahore Fort
- Minar-e-Pakistan
- Shalimar Gardens (Lahore)
- Architecture of Lahore
- Mosques of Lahore
- Churches of Lahore
- Billboards of Lahore
- The Lahore Zoo
- Lollywood
- Pak Tea House
- Punjab (Pakistan)
References
External links
- Official & Information about Lahore
- Photographs of Lahore
- Images of Lahore
- Photographs of the walled city of Lahore
- Images of Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens
- Popular topics
- DANKA - Lahore's First Cultural Events Guide
- Articles: Handmade Oriental Rugs from Lahore
- Lahore Bazaar
- Weather reports
- Non-governmental organisations
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