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| Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan and provincial capital of Punjab. Apart from being the cultural and academic center of the country, Lahore is the Mughal "show-window" of Pakistan. The origins of Lahore are shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Reminiscence of its hoary past are the remains of a subterranean temple in the northern part of the Royal fort, attributed to Lord Rama, the legendry hero of Ramayana. Lying on the main trade and invasion routes to the sub-continent, Lahore has been ruled and plundered by a number of dynasties and heroes. However it touched the zenith of its glory during the rule of Mughals. The Mughals, who were famous as builders, gave Lahore some of its finest architectural monuments that are extinct today. |
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APPROACH: ROYAL FORT LAHORE: |
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| Although most parts of the Royal Fort were constructed around 1566 A.D. by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar the great, there is evidence that a mud fort was in existence here in 1021 A.D. as well, when mahmood of Ghazna invaded this area. Akbar demolished the old mud fort and constructed most of the modern Fort, as we see it today, on the old foundations. Construction of the fort dates back to the early Hindu period. |  |
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The Royal Fort is rectangular. The main gates are located alongside the center of the western and eastern walls. Every succeeding Mughal Emperor as well as the Sikhs, and the British in their tom, added a pavilion, palace or all to the Fort. Emperor Jehangir extended the gardens and constructed the palaces that we see today in the Jehangir's Quadrangle, while Shah-Jehan added Diwan-e-Khas, Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) and his own sleeping Chambers.Aurangzeb built the impressive main gate which faces the Hazoori Bagh lying in between the Badshahi Mosque and the Fort. The famous Sheesh Mahal or palace of mirrors, is in the north-east corner of the Fort. This is the most beautiful palace in the Fort and is decorated with small mirrors of different colors set. The part of the wall of the Elephant Steps towards the Fort's inner gate are scarred by bullet marks, bearing testimony to the Sikh Civil War of 1847 A.D. A party of Sikhs had mounted their guns on one of the minarets of the mosque across the courtyard from where they fired on their opponents. The Sleeping Chamber of Mai Jindan houses a very interesting museum with relics from Mughal and the Sikh periods.
Shalimar Gardens: |
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Three miles east of Lahore are the famous Shalimar Gardens laid out by the Mughal EperorShah-Jehan in 1642 A.D. The Gardens are spread out in typical Mughal style and are surrounded by high walls with watch-towers at the four corners. Originally, the gardens were spread over seven ascending terraces, but only three remain now which cover an area of about 42 acres. The brick-work of the floors of the three terraces have been repaired according to their original designs which differ on all three terraces. There is a marble pavilion under which water flows and cascades down over a carved, marble slab creating a water-fall effect |
Across the water-fall is a marble throne. At the end
of the second terrace is a beautiful structure called
Sawan Bhadon, a sunken tank niches on its three sides.
Water cascades down from it in sheets in front of the
niches, producing the sound of falling rain. In the
olden times, small oil lamps were placed in the niches
which reflected myriad colors, through the water.
Similar gardens have the proud privilege of being the
stage of all important state receptions. Minar-e-Pakistan: Badshahi Mosque: |
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| The emperor or the Badshahi Mosque is across the courtyard from Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort. The Mosque which is made up entirely of sand-stone was built by Emperor Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughals, in a record time of the two and-a-half years. Its construction was completed by 1674 A.D. It has a beautiful gate-way which measures 21.33 meters in length and a courtyard that measures 161.5 x 160.6 meters and is said to be the largest mosque courtyard in the world for outdoor prayers. |  |
The marble domes cover seven prayer chambers. For
lofty minarets stand at the four corners of the mosque,
each with an outer circumference of 20 meters, soaring
up to 54 meters. In the chambers above the gate of the
mosque, are housed relics attributed to the Holy Prophet
of Islam peace be upon him, His Daughter and His
Son-in-Law and are said to have been brought to the
sub-continent by Amir Taimur. Within the Mosque almost
all the colors have been used for painting the floral
designs but the overall effect remains one of sobriety,
piousness and simplicity.The Golden Mosqeu: Allama Iqbal's Tomb: |
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Outside the Badshahi mosque, near its steps, lies the tomb of Allama Iqbal, the poet-philosopher of the East. The mausoleum is a mixture of Afghan and Moorish style of architecture and is constructed entirely of red sandstone which was quarried and brought from Rajasthan. |
Mausoleum of Emperor Jehangir:
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Anarkali's Tomb: The tomb of Nadira Begum alias Anarkali, is situated in a corner of the Civil Secretariat of Punjab Governent at Lahore.The tomb is circular in shape and rooted with a vast and lofty dome supported from inside by eight massive arches 12 feet 3 inches thick. It is a masterpiece of solid masonry work early Mughal period and is neatly and beautifully fitted up. |
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Lahore Museum: Hiran Minar: |
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Hiran Minar is set in peaceful evirons near Lahore. It was constructed by Emperor Jehangir as a monument to Hansraj, one of his pet antelopes. It is a popular picnic resort with a lake and boating facilities |
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Chhanga Manga: Harappa: Jallo Park: There are four famous parks in Lahore namely: - Bagh-e-Jinnah Race Course Park, Gulberg Road. These parks have amusement avenues such as play lands for children, mini zoos, aviaries and miniature lakes as well as peddle and steamboats. Wahga Border: This check post is about 30 kms from Lahore and is
the cross-over point for travelers into India by the
land route. It is open daily to foreigners only (except
Indian and Pakistani nationals) from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. PST. The above couple let by a Persian poet describes the primordial environment of the historic city of Multan. But that has changed now and not only the city of Multan but the district itself has been transformed into a green, fertile area. It is fact becoming an industrial town. The city has its own charm, culture and crafts. The origin of the name ‘Multan’ is obscure and so is the period of its founding. It has been Mulosan pulu by Hiuen Tsang and Alberuni called it Multana, which ultimately came to be called Multan. History |
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| The history of Multan prior to the arrival of Arabs in
the 8th century A.D is obscure. Alexander is said to
have passed through the district in about 325-326 B.C,
but his route cannot be traced. It is probable that
Multan was the city of Malli which Alexander stormed
and where he was wounded. About 327 B.C. the
Macedonians were ousted by Chandragupta and the Maurya
dynasty remained in power till the beginning of the
second century A.D. From 30 B.C to 470 A.D., the
Kushan dynasty ruled over the area, and from 470 A.D
to 550 A.D., the White Huns are believed to have held
sway. Multan figured as the capital of an important province of the kingdom of Sindh in the writings of the early Arab geographers. At the time the Arabs first came to Sindh, the country was ruled by Raja Chach, a Brahmin. Multan was conquered by Arabs under Muhammad Bin Qasim in 712 A.D . After defeating Raja Dahir, a descendant of Chach. |
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Thereafter, the town remained for the three centuries the out post of Islam in India, under the caliph of Baghdad. It remained nominally subject to the Lodhies, Ghaznavids and Muhammad Ghauri upto the end of 12th century. From the beginning of the 13th century for the next three centuries , the history of Multan is practically the history of the incursions from western and central Asia. In 1397 came the invasion by Taimur, whose troops occupied Uch and Multan, sacked Tulamba, raided the Kohkhars of Ravi and past across Biass to Pakpattan and Delhi. In 1528, comes the peace full transfer of the province of Multan to the emissaries of the Mughal Emperor Babar. Under the Mughal Emperors, Multan enjoyed a long period of peace between 1528-1748 and was known as Dar-ul-Aman. In 1752 Multan became a province owing allegiance to Afghan kings. It was then ruled by Pathan governors and Daud Putra chiefs of Bahawlpur for some time. After 1771, Multan witnessed continued warfare between Sikhs and the Nawabs of Multan. Between 1818 and 1845, it remained under the Sikh rule and finally came under the British rule in 1849. The City |
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The city of Multan is bound on the north by the
depression lying between it and the front and on all
other sides by a brick wall. It has six gates i.e.
Lohari gate, Pak gate, Bohar gate, Delhi gate, Haram
gate and Daulat gate.
The old city has narrow colorful bazaars full of local handicrafts and narrow winding lanes. There are many places of historical, cultural and recreational interest in the city. |
The Fort Shrines |
| The devastation of Khorasan and Western Iran was to the benefit of this part of Pakistan, for it led to the setting in this city of a large Gardezi Syeds and Qureshis from Khwarizm, amongst whom Shiekh Bahauddin Zakaria is a famous saint. About the same time Pir Shams Sabzawari from Sabzwar and Kazi Qutubuddin from Kashan came to Multan. Baba Farid Shakar Ganj was born in a village of Multan , and settled in Pakpattan. Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki passed through Multan to Delhi and Syed Jalal, the spiritual leader of many families in Multan, Muzaffargarh and Bahawalpur came to Uch. |  |
Sultan Sikhi Sarwar’s father also emigrated form Bukhara
to Sarwar Shah Kot in Multan district. These venerable men
contributed greatly to spreading Islam in this area. The
saints and shrines of Multan have been attracting a large
number of devotees all year round. One of the foremost scholars of Islam, Sheikh Baha-ud-din
Zakaria’s shrine is located in the fort. He was born in 1170
A.D., studied in Turan and Iran and received instructions
from Sheikh Shahab-ud-din Suharwardi at Baghdad. His
mausoleum was built by the saint himself. It was a unique
style of architecture of that period, a only other being at
Sonepat in India. It also houses the graves of most of the
eminent members of the Qureshi family, including that of
Nawab Muzaffar Khan.The mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e –Alam, the grand son of
Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria, this also located near the main
gate of the Multan fort. He was also a man of great
religious and political influence during the Tughlaq region
and was in Multan when it was visited by Ibn-e-Batuta. The
Mausoleum was originally built by emperor Ghias-ud-din
Tughlaq but was given up by his son Muhammad Tughlaq in
favor of Shah Rukn-e-Alam . Besides its religious
importance, the mausoleum has a unique architectural value.
Its dome is considered to be the second largest in the
world. The mausoleum has recently being given the Agha Khan
award for the best Muslim architecture. Some of the
interesting statistics of its architecture are: (a) Total height of the road level is 150ft Festivals, Fairs and Meals |
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