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 Lahore
is a Municipal city, has been the capital of Punjab
for nearly a thousand years, and the administrative
head-quarters of a Division and District of the same
name. It is situated one mile to the south of the river
Ravi, and some 23 miles from the eastern border of the
district. The city is built in the form of a parallelogram,
the area within the walls, exclusive of the citadel,
being about 461 acres. It stands on the alluvial plain
traversed by the river Ravi. The city is slightly elevated
above the plain, and has a high ridge within it, running
east and west on its northern side. The whole of this
elevated ground is composed of the accumulated debris
of many centuries. The river, which makes a very circuitous
bend from the East, passes in a semi-circle to the North
of Lahore.
Lahore has a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. It is a fine
place to watch the world rush by. The improbable mix
of painted trucks, cars, bullock carts, buses, handcarts,
scooters with whole families. A classical city, according
to the words of Nur Jahan.
"I have purchased Lahore with my life, By giving
my life for Lahore, Actually I have purchased another
Paradise," Empress Nur Jahan
HISTORY
Lahore is undoubtedly ancient. Legend had it that it
was founded by Loh, son of Rama, the hero of the Hindu
epic, the Ramayana. Some others think that the name
means Loh-awar, meaning a "Fort as strong as Iron".
It waxed and waned in importance during the Sultanate.
But, Muslim rule began here when Qutub-ud-din Aibak
was crowned in Lahore in 1206 and thus became the first
Muslim Sultan of the subcontinent.
It reached its full glory under Mughal rule from 1524
to 1752. It was Akbar's capital for the 14 years from
1584 to 1598. He built the massive Lahore Fort on the
foundations of a previous fort and enclosed the city
within a red brick wall boasting 12 gates. Jahangir
and Shah Jahan (who was born in Lahore) extended the
fort, built palaces and tombs, and laid out gardens.
Jahangir loved the town and he and his wife Nur Jahan
are buried at Shahdara. Shah Jahan was born in Lahore
and added buildings. The last of the great Mughals,
Aurangzeb (1658-1707), gave Lahore its most famous monument,
the great Badshahi Masjid and the Alamgiri gateway to
the fort.
During the eighteenth century, as Moghul power dwindled,
there were constant invasions. Lahore was a suba- a
province of the Empire. There were subadars, provincial
rulers with their own court. These Governors managed
as best they could though for much of the time it must
have been a rather thankless task to even attempt. The
1740s were years of chaos, and between 1745 and 1756
there were nine changes of Governor. Invasions and chaos
in local government allowed bands of warring Sikhs to
gain control in some areas. Lahore ended up being ruled
by a triumvirate of Sikhs of loose character and the
population of the city invited Ranjit Singh to invade.
He took the city in 1799. Holding the capital gave him
some legitimacy; he became Emperor. The Sikh period
was bad news for the protection of ancient buildings.
Some survived, misused and knocked about a bit and a
few new ones were added. Nevertheless, descriptions
of Lahore during the early 19th century refer to it
as a "melancholy picture of fallen splendour."
The British added a great many buildings, plenty of
"Moghul Gothic", as well as some shady bungalows
and gardens. Early on, the British tended to build workaday
structures in sites like the Fort, though later they
did start to make an effort to preserve some ancient
buildings. The Lahore Cantonment, the British residential
district of wide, tree-lined streets and white bungalows
set in large, shaded gardens, is the prettiest cantonment
in Pakistan. Since Independence in 1947, Lahore has
expanded rapidly as the capital of Pakistani Punjab.
It is the second-largest city in the country and an
important industrial centre.
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