Lahore
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| Lahore لاہور |
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| General Information | |
| Province | Punjab |
| Location | |
| Altitude | 218 metres AMSL |
| Area | 1,772 km² |
| Calling code | 042 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| No. of Towns | 9 |
| Population | 5,143,495 1998 |
| Estimate | 6,485,175 2006 |
| density | 6,396 persons/km² |
| Government | |
| City Mayor (Nazim) | Mian Amer Mehmood |
| No. of Union Councils | 150 |
| Emblem | |
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| Website | |
| Lahore Government Website | |
Lahore (Urdu: لاہور) is the capital of the province of Punjab, and the second most populated city in Pakistan, also known as the Gardens of the Mughals or City of Gardens, after the significant rich heritage of the Mughal Empire. 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 presreved 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 Offics (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 become more popular with the younger generations. People of Lahore who widely 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 10 million, the second largest populated city in Pakistan, after Karachi. Lahore is the 5th largest city in South Asia and 23rd of the largest cities of the world.
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[edit] History
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 Kush.
Since the rise of the Persian Empire, Lahore has been given the status of being the capital of nearly every empire that has ruled the region. During 1021, Mahmud appointed the throne to Ayaz, making Lahore the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire. 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.
It was in 1585AD that 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.
As the Mughal Empire declined, the Sikhs captured and ruled the city from 1799 to 1849, making Lahore the capital of the Sikh empire. One of the most famous Sikh maharaja to rule Lahore was Ranjit Singh who lead the Sikhs to battle against Pashtun and the British. After the second and final Anglo-Sikh war, the NWFP was formed and resulted in the British victory, bringing Lahore under the rule of the British crown till the state of Pakistan was formed in 1947 by Muhammed Ali Jinnah.
Until 1947, Lahore was the capital of the province of the undivided Punjab which comprised of today's Pakistani province of Punjab and Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. 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. [1]
At independance, Lahore was given the status of being the capital of the Punjab province in the new state of Pakistan. Since 1947, Lahore played host to a most important session of the Muslim League when the Lahore Resolution was passed on 24th March 1940. At the time of independence from British colonial rule in 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.
[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
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 milliom, 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[citation needed], 10.2% or 816,000 are Muhajirs[citation needed]. 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. As well as Punjabi, Urdu and English have become more popular too. Furthermore, making Lahore the cultural centre of Pakistan.
[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) 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.) Lahore also hosts major IT companies established in Pakistan, notably NetSol Technologies Inc, Systems Limited, TechLogix, Xvor and FiveRivers Technologies.
Food and restaurant businesses remain open all night long in Lahore. The shopping markets are usually open late 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, 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-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 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 is a very festive city, the people of Lahore celebrate many traditions throughout the year, with blending of moghal, western and latest trends. As Lahore has large muslim population, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are celebrated in full swing with various concerts held in the city. Many people decorate their houses and light candles to light up the streets and houses.
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.
The Festival of Lamps or Mela Chiraghan is a very 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. During the festival, people from all walks of life gather to actively participate in the festival. 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 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.
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 joyful people singing and dancing. 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 mega 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].
The Lahore Marathon, an 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 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 is scheduled to be held on January 26, 2007 [3].
[edit] Educational institutions
Lahore boasts thousands of schools, private and public. The recent decade has witnessed a major surge in higher education institutions' numbers. A list of premier education institutions in the city of Lahore include: Aitchison College, King Edward Medical College (KEMC), Government College University (GCU), Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Allama Iqbal Medical College, Institute of Islamic Sciences, COMSATS Institute Of Information Technology, Crescent Model Higher Secondary School, Lahore School of Economics (LSE), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Oriental College Of Arts (OCA), University College of Information Technology (PUCIT), University of Central Punjab, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, University of Lahore, Fatima Jinnah Medical College, University of Management and Technology, University of South Asia, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, University of the Punjab, Kinnaird College for Women, National College of Arts, Lahore College for Women University and Government College of Science and Convent of Jesus and Mary.
[edit] Sites of interest
- General
- Minar-e-Pakistan (Minaret of Pakistan)
- Lahore Fort (The Citadel of the city)
- Lahore Zoo
- Hazuri Bagh Baradari
- Chauburji
- Shahi Mohalla
- 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
- Data Durbar
- 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
- Jallo Park
- Sozo Water Park
- Museums
- Gardens
- Shalimar Gardens
- Hazuri Bagh
- Iqbal Park
- Lawrence Gardens
- Mochi Bagh
- Gulshan Iqbal Park
- Race Courses
- Lahore Race Course
- Mosques
- Badshahi Masjid
- Dai Anga Mosque
- Data Durbar Complex
- Shia Masjid
- Suneri Mosque
- Wazir Khan Mosque
- Moti Masjid
- Masjid-e-Shuhda (Martyr's Mosque)
- Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum
- Churches
- Regal Church
- Hall Road Church
- Convent of Jesus & Mary
- Saint Anthony's Church
- 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)
- 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] Shopping
Lahore's most famous tech-bazaar is the Hafeez Center, 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 CD's. 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 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. It 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).
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] Transport
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 Lahorites 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.
[edit] Sister Cities
Lahore has 7 sister cities:
[edit] External links
Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity
- Official
- Unofficial
- Danka - Lahore's First Cultural Events Guide
- Photographs Of Lahore
- UrbanPakistan: Projecting Pakistan's Image
- Photographs of Lahore
- Photographs of the walled city of Lahore
- Photographs of the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens
- French Cultural Centre
- Weather of Lahore on BBC Weather
- Ansar Burney Trust
[edit] References
- ^ Punjab Tourism: Ferozepur History
- ^ World Performing Arts Festival
- ^ Lahore Marathon Website
- ^ - Glasgow 'twinned' with Lahore
| 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 | |
