Lahore:
“Lahore” the city of lively people is the Capital of Punjab Province of Pakistan, with the population of about 14 Million. The main magnetism of the city is its beautiful construction and busy markets. There are centuries’ old traditional buildings in Lahore city in which the Mughals contributed the most to it.
The Mughal buildings are the most attractive. On an average person can simply spend two full days of visiting the attractions here. There are many mosques, memorial markets, evening musical programs and a variety way of life in the city. The Lahore Museum is the biggest one in Pakistan and house items from all over the country. The Lahore city is located just 25 kilometers away from the Indian border on the Grand Trunk road. It is the transit point between India and Pakistan.
There are quite a lot of daily air flights, express trains, and luxury bus services connecting Lahore with Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and all the major cities and towns of the country. Most of Pakistan’s fashion industry is based in Lahore.
Minar e Pakistan:
Minar-e-Pakistan “Tower of Pakistan” is a tower located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The tower was built between 1960 and 1968 on the site where the All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution (which was later called the Pakistan Resolution) on 23 March 1940 – the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the Muslims of British India, as espoused by the two-nation theory. The resolution eventually helped lead to the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
The tower is located in the middle of an urban park, called the Greater Iqbal Park. This monument was made by the famous architect Husnain Sulehri. The tower reflects a blend of Mughal/Islamic and modern architecture. The tower base is shaped like a flower.
The base is about 8 meters above the ground. The tower rises about 62 metres on the base, and the total height of the Minar is about 70 metres above the ground.
Lahore Fort “ Shahi Qila”
The Lahore Fort ’Royal Fort’ is a citadel in the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan.
The fortress is located at the northern end of Walled city of Lahore and spreads over an area greater than 20 hectares (49 acres).
It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which date to the era of Emperor Akbar. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendor and opulence.
Badshahi Mosque:
The Badshahi Mosque is an iconic Mughal-era congregational mosque in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The mosque is located opposite of Lahore Fort in the outskirts of the Walled City and is widely considered to be one of Lahore’s most iconic landmarks.
The Badshahi Mosque was built between 1671 and 1673 and by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The mosque is an important example of Mughal architecture, with an exterior that is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay.
It remains the largest mosque of the Mughal-era. The sixth Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, chose Lahore as the site for his new mosque.
Lahore Museum:
The Lahore Museum “Lahore Wonder House” is a museum located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
The museum houses an extensive collection of Buddhist art from the ancient Indo-Greek and Gandhara kingdoms. It also has collections from the Indus Valley Civilization, Mughal Empire, Sikh Empire and the British Indian Empire.
The Lahore Museum, along with the Zamzama Gun located directly in front of the building, is the setting of the opening scene in the novel Kim by Rudyard Kipling, whose father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the museum’s earliest curators.
Lahore Museum was originally established in 1865–66 on the site of the current Tollinton Market – a hall built for the 1864 Punjab Exhibition.
The present building was constructed as a memorial of Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria held in 1887.
Wazir Khan Mosque:
The Wazir Khan Masjid is a 17th-century Mughal masjid located in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The mosque was commissioned during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a part of an ensemble of buildings that also included the nearby Shahi Hammam baths. Construction of Wazir Khan Mosque began in 1634 C.E., and was completed in 1641. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Wazir Khan Mosque is renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as kashi-kari, as well as its interior surfaces that are almost entirely embellished with elaborate Mughal-era frescoes.
Shalamar Garden:
The Shalamar Gardens, are a Mughal garden complex located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The gardens date from the period when the Mughal Empire was at its artistic and aesthetic zenith and are now one of Pakistan’s most popular tourist destinations.
The Shalimar Gardens were laid out as a Persian paradise garden intended to create a representation of an earthly utopia in which humans co-exist in perfect harmony with all elements of nature. Construction of the gardens began in 1641 during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, and was completed in 1642.
Tomb of Jehangir:
The Tomb of Jahangir is a 17th-century mausoleum built for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
The tomb was built for Emperor Jahangir, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1605 to 1627 C.E
The mausoleum dates from 1637, and is located in Shahdara Bagh near city of Lahore, Pakistan, along the banks of the Ravi River. The site is famous for its interiors that are extensively embellished with frescoes and marble, and its exterior that is richly decorated with pietra dura.
The tomb, along with the adjacent Akbari Sarai and the Tomb of Asif Khan, are part of an ensemble currently on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Tomb of Noor Jehan:
The Empress Noor Jahan, “Light of the World”, was the only empress whose name appeared on the coins of the Mughal empire. She was buried in 1845 AD at Shahdara (Lahore) outside Jehangir’s mausoleum.
Tomb of Qutub ud Din Aibak
Qutb ud-Din Aibak (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a general of the Ghurid emperor Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori’s assassination in 1206, he established the Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526), and started the Mamluk dynasty, which would rule the Sultanate until 1290.
His Grave located in Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore,
Data Darbar:
Data Darbar is an Islamic shrine located in Lahore, Punjab.
It is the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia.
It was built to house the remains of al-Hujwiri, commonly known as Data Ganj Baksh, a Sufi saint from Ghazni in present-day Afghanistan, who is believed to have lived on the site in the 11th century CE.
The site is considered to be the most sacred place in Lahore, and attracts up to one million visitors to its annual urs “festival”.
Delhi Gate:
Delhi Gate is one of six remaining historic gates of the Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan. Delhi Gate and the adjacent Shahi Hammam.
The surrounding area includes several buildings of historical significance including the 17th century Wazir Khan Mosque, Shahi Hammam, and havelis. “The gates around the city of Lahore were built by the third Mughal emperor Akbar in the mid 1600s.
Tomb of Allama Iqbal “Poet of the East”
The Tomb of Allama Iqbal, or Mazar-e-Iqbal , is the final resting place of Muhammad Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan. Designed in the Mughal architectural style, the mausoleum is located next to the walls of the iconic Mughal-era Badshahi Mosque, within the Hazuri Bagh in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 1877 – 21 April 1938) was a South Asian Muslim philosopher, author, and politician.
His poetry is considered to be among the greatest of the 20th century.
Wahgha Border:
Wagah, is a village and union council (UC 181) located in the Wahga Zone near Lahore City District, Pakistan.
The town is famous for the Wagah border ceremony and also serves as a goods transit terminal and a railway station between Pakistan and India. Wahga is situated 600 metres (2,000 ft) west of the border.
It is famous for the lowering of the flags ceremony at the Attari–Wagah border, a daily ceremony that the security forces of India (Border Security Force) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have jointly followed since 1959. The drill is characterized by elaborate and rapid dance-like maneuvers and raising legs as high as possible, which have been described as “colorful”. It is both a symbol of the two countries’ rivalry, and a display of brotherhood and cooperation between the two nations.
