Lahore

Images of Lahore
Art Galleries in Lahore
Moghul Architecture
Holy Places of Khalisa
Festival's of Lahore
Shopping Centers
Lahore Zoo

Museums:
Lahore Museum
Faqir Khana Museum
Mughal Museum

The city as we know it today reached its peak of glory during the Moghul rule, especially in the reign of Akbar the great, who made it his capital. His son Jehangir was buried here and its mausoleum are the place where tourists visit frequently. Close is the mausoleum of famous Mughal Empress Nur Jehan, who is known for introducing the rose plant and for initiating several cultural movements in the sub-continent.
Akbar the great held his court in Lahore for 15 years from 1584 to 1598. In addition, built the Lahore Fort as well as the city walls, which had 12 gates? Some of these still survive. The Jehangir and Shah Jehan, the builders of the Taj Mahal in Agra and Shalimar gardens in Srinagar and Lahore, built palaces and tombs. The last great Moghul emperor Aurangzeb(1638-1707) built Lahore's most famous monument, the great Badshahi mosque. At the time of river Ravi

Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh:
This mausoleum of the powerful ruler of the Sikh dynasty is situated just opposite to the Lahore fort. It is made of bricks and the archietecture is a mixture of Mughal and Hindu style with more crookedness of Hindu style. This building was built by Kharak Singh son of Ranjit Singh in 1848 AD The square roof has a single fluted dome which supports a chamber which has a small pavilion decorated with pietra dura work. In this pavilion is a marble urn in the form of lotus containing ashes of the Maharaja. Eleven smaller knobs holds the ashes of four queens and seven slave girls. The interior of the chamber is elaborately decorated with fresco paintings. This mausoleum is only opened for Sikh tourists and pilgrims.
Kharak Singh the successor of Ranjit Singh, died in 1840. It is believed that his death was hastened by poison at the behest of his son Naunihal Singh. What is incident, is that the son was also killed the same day by the fall of an archway. Their ashes rest side by side in the Domes of Ranjit Singh's mausoleum.

Shrine of Guru Arjan Dev:
This shrine was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the memory of Guru Arjan Dev the fifth Sikh Guru who compiled the Adi Granth, The principal part of Sikh scriptures. This shrine has highly gilded dome, which attracts many. Guru Arjan Dev was put in confinement for having collaborated with prince Khusrov, The rebellious son Emperor Jehangir. His followers assert that it is the same spot where Guru Arjan Dev miraculously disappeared in 1606 AD in the waters of River Ravi.

Hazuri Bagh:
Between the Badshahi mosque and the Lahore fort is the Hazuri Bagh. This is the square garden originally built by Aurangzeb as a serai or Mughal hotel. The two-storey building by the Southern gate was a boarding house for scholars who studied in the Mosque. The north gate of Hazuri garden is the Rosin Darwaza, The gate of light, so called because it used to be brightly lit at night.

Sarvwala Maqbara:
North of Dai Anga's tomb is the Sarvwala Maqbara, the cypress tomb. This is decorated with cypress trees in glazed tile mosaics. The burial chamber is at the top, about the five meters from the ground, and can be reached only by ladder. The surrounding garden has completely disappeared.

Bassant:
The fair is held in January at the time when mustard is blooming in the fields. In other words this is the spring festival. Now a days people of Lahore enjoy it by kite flying competition and by visiting the shrine of saint Madho Lal Hussein, where they assemble to pay their benediction.

Mela Charaghan:
Mela Charaghan or lamp festival is held annually in the last week of March near Shalamar Gardens. At dusk lamps are lighted outside the gardens while the inner side is lighted with electric Lamps. Peoples in gay dresses and the playing fountains in the evening make the atmosphere very picturesque. On the day of festival the Shalamar garden is opened till late in the evening.

National Horse and Cattle Show:
The show has been described as an eloquent expression of Pakistan's heritage and an authentic account of its agricultural and industrial achievement's. It is held in Lahore Fortress stadium at the end of February or at First week of March.
The fortress stadium, the venue of the show is thronged by active participants, foreign visitors and peoples who watch the festival with great enthusiasm, verve and aplomb.
A large number of them are interested in watching and appreciating the best breeds of livestock. Many derive pleasure by watching other activities such as display parade of animals, dances by horses and camels, polo matches, tent pegging, dog shows and their races, vaudeville acts of stuntmen, mass display of military band, rhythmically physical exercise by the children. Tastefully decorated industrial floats and torch light tattoo shows.
Additional attractions include a subtle interplay of lights to weave enticing patterns at night and breath taking acts by foreign groups.
The show began as a modest exhibition organized by the army to project the cattle wealth of the country in the early fifties. Today it is an international event to which come dignitaries from abroad and visitors and foreign tourists.
The organizing committee comprises representatives of a number of agencies including army, rangers, LMC schools, the police, industrialists and the art councils.

Anarkali Bazaar:
Anarkali is the most fascinating of the city's many bazaars. The alleys and lanes of this bazaar are full of exciting wares, especially traditional crafts like leatherwear, embroided garments, glass bangles, beaten gold and silver jewelry, creation in silk- anything that you wish to bargain.
It is named after the Akbar's Courtesan called Anarkali, who, according to legend was put to death by Emperor Akbar for having a love affair with prince Salim, later known as Jehangir.
Old brass and copper are another good buy from the shops around the Charing Cross. Some good buys can be found in the brass bazaar in the old city but it is difficult to find and is usually unpolished or still coated in tin. Brass is poisonous and cannot be used for food until tinned.

Other Famous Bazaars:

• Sarafa Bazaar.
• Copper and Brass Bazaar.
• Kashmiri Bazaar.
• Liberty Market.
• Main Market Gulberg.
• Shah Alam Market.
• Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam.
• Sooha Bazaar.
• Urdu Bazaar.

Located in the heart of the town and set in modern style. The Lahore zoo founded in 1872 is one of the oldest zoo in sub continent. The material used in some of the construction even bears the marks of 1853. The Lahore zoo attracts a large crowd throughout the year.
Driving along the Sharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, just ahead of the charring cross and opposite to the WAPDA House is the main gate of the Zoo.
Close to the main gate are the four murals, each of the elephant, a giraffe, a great Panda and an Urial which are set very artistically in the background of waterfall. The driveway is lined with desert concrete, which has also been used in the construction of the leopard house.
In 1982 the Punjab wild life department took over the management and since than remarkable changes have been taken place. The Zoo can clearly be divided into old building and new building. Besides the two aviaries of peafowl house and a round aviary housing songbirds. The lion house is the probably the oldest structure retained in the zoo. The Lion house is the most attractive building of olden type comprising seven dens at the back. At the front are two very nice grottos, to which the animals in dens are removed in succession for exercise.
Peafowl house is the probably the oldest enclosure in the zoo. From the main central portion, four arms just out. Roosts have also been provided. Inside the housing the roof is set in old barracks styled, reddish tiles, the house has recently been renovated.
The elephant house is modeled on the pattern of elephant house at London zoo. There are four internal dens and three external enclosures, to accommodate elephants, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses. The public is separated from the animals by ditches.
The monkey house is an attractive section comprising two blocks of three and four cages respectively. The cages are high and narrow and contain some ingenious climbing aids which monkeys use and enjoy. The interior of the monkey house has recently been improved. Glazed tiles have been plastered on the walls to ease the cleanliness of the walls.
The Leopard house is the conventional design, as seen in many zoo's. There are two small interior cages with exterior runs for small cats. One of which houses the rare caracal cat.
The pheasantry is an originally designed attractive enclosure with four row cages for the birds. There are special varieties of peafowl's and pheasants in this section. A pheasantry for small birds is also present which houses birds like cockatoos budgerigars and other parrots.
Zoo possesses some of the oldest trees in Lahore, which may be about 400 years of age. Large numbers of interesting trees shrubs and other plants are recently planted. Large lush green grounds are used by visitors for picnic and rest. The children parks have been provided the facility of slides swings and jumping devices.

On the far side of Zamzma is the Lahore Central Museum built in Mughal Gothic style and opened in 1894 is the best museum in Pakistan with superb collection of relics of rich cultural heritage of Lahore. The rare collection of Mughal paintings, statues of Buddha in various attitudes

This museum is inside the private home, This Toshakhana is the private museum of the Faqir's family, it is also a microcosm of Lahore history of which the Faqirs themselves are very much part. The 6th generation of Faqirs today traces their family background to an 18th century ancestor, who came from Bukhara to the holy city of Uch Sharif. The first founder of the family was a Faqir or religious ascetic who had three sons, all devout Muslims in a Sikh court, who contrived to win Ranjit Singh's favor. One version is that one of the brothers cured a persistent infection in Ramjet's good eye. Since Ranjit was an illiterate, he heavily relied on the brothers specially Faqir-Aziz-ud-Din who acted as combined Prime Minister, interpreter and travel agent. Faqir Nuruddin was the Royal Physician and founded a hospital for poor Muslims in Lahore, today known as the Mayo Hospital.
All official visitors to Ranjit brought ceremonial gifts to Ramjet's court. Lord Auckland, The British governor gave Ranjit a picture of Queen Victoria in her coronation robes framed in gold, set with turquoises and rimmed with the orders of the garter and the bath plus a magnificent aigrette. These gifts were in turn bestowed upon the favorites by Ranjit Singh including the Fairs brothers, which included a miniature brass cannon which ingeniously fired at noon each day. Pieces of English cut glass and china lamps, clocks and watches. Some of these are in the Lahore museum as part of the faqirs family bequest.
Ranjit Singh also appropriated many treasures from his Moghal predecessors like calligraphic manuscripts, including Quran's and several hundred exquisite 17th and 18th century paints, which are made in a process now, lost, by grinding precious stones such as emeralds and amethysts to a powder. Many of these miniatures found their way to the Faqir Khana.
Other collections include clothes worn by the 18th century Moghul emperors, carpet from their courts, a collection of Sikh weapons, vital accessory in any imperial oriental court, a stone poison filter recently tested by a drug company, guaranteed to work.
Later generations traveled the world and assembled Chinese and Japanese paintings cracked imari bowls, song celadons, damaged Indian bronzes, Persian coins, Budhist stone carvings, ring made from freak stone formations, brass knick knacks, old hand blown green glass bottles, tea kettles and teapots. a quantity of tarnished silver plates , a print of Mona Lisa and selection of walking sticks.
The collection was first displayed in 1909, inaugurated by British dignitaries Sir Edward and Lady Maclagan.

Situated at Poonch house, Multan Road, Lahore. It was established in 1950. Industrial and commercial Museum is meant to depict country's economic resources both in the form of raw products and worked objects. Its collection is arranged in one gallery and one large hall of the building. The main hall displays a long range of variety of material such as well plated musical instruments, table lamps of camel skin from Multan and Bhawalpur, Cotton, Silken-woolen and embroided textiles from all important cites of Pakistan. Copper and brass wares from Peshawar and Lahore, dolls from Lahore and Karachi, decorative and functional ceramics from Sialkot, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Lahore. Beside that, there are some agricultural, chemical pharmaceutical and forest products of Pakistan, sports and plastic goods, metallic as well as plaster of Paris and clay toys, national models, and stuffed birds e.t.c. There are good specimens of glassware, silver jewelry, ivory artifacts, alabaster objects, oil and wash color paintings etc. in the gallery there are few handicrafts, medical instruments and plywood goods from Sialkot are displayed.