 Lahore,
often referred to as
the cultural capital
of Pakistan, is also
the capital of the
province of the
Punjab—the land of
five rivers. The
province, irrigated
by the rivers Indus,
Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi
and Sutlej
encompasses the most
fertile lands in the
country, resulting
in verdant fields
and rich harvests.
It is also a land of
contrasts ranging
from its alluvial
plains to the sandy
desert of Cholistan
and from the dense
pine forests of the
Himalayas' foot
hills to the Potowar
Plateau.
Lahore is the second
largest metropolis
of Pakistan, and
like all large urban
centers, presents
the visitor with a
variety of scenes
and experiences.
Through many
centuries, this city
has absorbed and
integrated many
cultures that were
brought in the wake
of the invasions
from the northwest.
You will find here
an exciting mix of
old and new—the
bustling old bazaars
situated in the
centuries-old Walled
City, and modern
shopping centers in
the contemporary
planned areas such
as Gulberg, where
wide boulevards
beckon you to a new
world. The narrow
winding streets are
lined with historic
buildings, not only
in the Walled City
but in the downtown
as well. Apart from
the impressive
Mughal
edifices—along with
the magnificent
citadel, one of two
citadels to boast of
contributions of the
four Great Mughals—you
will also find a
kaleidoscope of
British-period
buildings,
representing
stylistic variations
from Indo-Gothic to
Anglo-Mughal style.
The city of Lahore
offers a multitude
of experiences to
the visitor. It is
not only a city of
wide boulevards,
grand buildings,
public spaces and
gardens but also of
many worlds. There
is the imperial
character endowed by
the Mughals and the
British along with
intense mercantile
activity, the hushed
world of the tomb
enclosures and the
winding streets
leading to them, the
ambience of the
Walled City evolved
over centuries,
expressing
extraordinary
architectural and
urban forms. And, as
you move south, the
brash contemporary
environment of new
developments as an
ancient city comes
to terms with the
pressure of
commercialization
and nouveau riche
values.
Shopping in Lahore
can be an exciting
adventure. Where the
contemporary
shopping centers
such as Liberty in
Gulberg or the
Fortress Stadium
display the best of
the avant-garde and
high fashion
ensembles, Anarkali
and the Walled City
bazaars offer a
variety
offhand-crafted and
traditional items,
unmatched anywhere
else.
To understand
Lahore—and Lahoris,
fiercely proud of
their city—it is
best if you spend
some time in
exploring the many
faces and many
worlds of this
place, for each one
is enthralling in
its own way.
How must you see it?
There is not one
travel mode that we
would recommend, for
few cities offer
such a variety for
exploration. Where a
car is handy for
getting to far-off
places, the Mall (Shaharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam),
even though it is
quite a stretch from
one end to another,
for at least a
selected part it is
worth traversing it
on foot. For
exploring the Mall,
a more comfortable
and enjoyable
experience is to
ride a tonga on a
pleasant evening.
Unfortunately
though, tongas are
no longer allowed on
the Mall but you
could have a sneak
ride after sunset
when there is little
vehicular traffic.
For the Walled City,
the best strategy is
to park your car at
the gates and either
walk or else travel
in a rickshaw. Take
one of the snazzy
new rickshaws the
chandgari (moon-car)
or Qingqi (Chingchi
as locally
pronounced), which
is an open gaily
painted Chinese
model. Just make
sure that you hold
on tight and do not
allow urchins,
living dangerously,
to hang onto it,
trailing for a free
ride.
For experiencing the
mazars, you may have
to walk quite a bit,
for cars will not go
into many of the
narrow streets,
although rickshaws
can enter many
places where the
former cannot.
Nevertheless you
must be prepared to
walk, which allows
you to savor the
atmosphere to a
greater degree than
any vehicle could.
Although there are
no arrangements for
bicycles, in many
areas it would be
pleasant to ride a
bike and stop to
examine at your
leisure. The most
enjoyable areas for
hiking are Lawrence
Gardens, the winding
streets of the Golf
Estate with minimal
traffic, the Mayo
Gardens, or the
Canal Bank Road
where
 the canal is
lined with
picturesque drooping
willows.
Several schemes are
afoot today through
which efforts are
being made to
improve many aspects
of Lahore. In the
recent past it has
acquired many new
bridges and new
roads along with
widening of old
roads and efforts
are being made to
clean up and restore
many of the historic
structures. This is
one aspect of Lahore
and the
administration must
be acclaimed for its
effort. However, if
you follow all our
rahguzars, you will
encounter areas
where a reasonable
level of
accessibility and
cleanliness is still
to be achieved.
The lifeline of
Lahore is the Mall,
"one of the finest
public roads," when
laid out in 1851 by
Lt. Col. Napier,
linking the original
British cantonment
in Anarkali to the
newly established
cantonment of Mian
Mir. Its stone
topped road was laid
over a base of brick
rather than stone
soling, affecting
the saving of two
thousand rupees on
an overall outlay of
twelve thousand five
hundred rupees. A
walk down the Mall
is enjoyable not
only for the
impressive
British-imperial
edifices, but also
for the intervening
spaces and spacious
lots. For, in spite
of commercial
structures and
multistory
buildings, Lahore
has been able to
retain a feeling of
openness that is
found in few? Other
cities of Pakistan,
Capturing views of
these spectacular
buildings through
the foliage of
enormous trees and
the ever-changing
interplay of light
and shade, can be an
exhilarating
experience.
As mentioned
earlier, removed
from the impressive
and towering British
buildings is another
world—a universe of
sufis and
saints—accessed from
streets that wind
through various
parts of the city.
Not as well kept nor
necessarily motor
able, it is a trek
worth the effort, as
you enter a world of
serenity and peace
far removed from the
bustle of daily
life. Make sure you
have good walking
shoes when you
decide to take this
tour. Along these
routes you will meet
the ordinary people
of Lahore, generous
to a fault with
their time and
information and
happy to guide
newcomers to their
destinations.
Experiencing this
realm is like
therapy, with the
hushed quietness
that permeates the
atmosphere of tomb
enclosures full of
graves of devotees
or relatives of the
saints. In many
cases, the ultimate
destination is lined
with little shops
and cabins packed
with traditional
offerings, with a
lasting impression
conveyed by a mass
of fresh rose petals
exuding their own
fragrance, and
giving you a
foretaste of the
reverence felt
towards the saints.
Many mazar
enclosures provide
space for dovecotes
and doves, adding
another dimension to
the quality of the
environment.
It is a multitude of
tombs and shrines
that you encounter
if you go through
the narrow by lanes
of Lahore, and you
are struck by the
remarkable quality
of the city and its
citizens where the
living and dead
coexist comfortably
together. In many
old localities,
veering from the
bustle of the
bazaar, you may
enter a doorway and
find yourself
unexpectedly
cloistered within a
world of peace and
quiet, struck by the
tranquility of the
tomb, and the shade
of large trees in
the courtyard. There
is hardly another
city which endows
you with instant
spiritual comfort at
the turning of a
corner. On this
route of the Sufis,
it is green color
that dominates the
color of piety and
spirituality. This
is a world of
fragrance of fresh
roses, of oil lamps
and pigeons, and the
hushed tones of
devout prayers. To
enter it you must
demonstrate proper
veneration, by
removing your shoes
and ensuring
appropriate
garb—ankle-length,
long-sleeved dresses
in the case of
women.
Another world that
you can enter is the
grand world of the
Mughal tombs and
Mughal edifices. You
walk into the
magnificent imperial
structures which
overwhelm you with
their imposing
presence. The
gardens and spaces
may be no longer
well kept or even
definable, but from
the remains can be
conjured up in one's
imagination
beautifully
embellished
structures in their
glory dominating the
landscape. These are
precincts that have
been made accessible
through new or
widened roads,
although some of the
most interesting,
and many neglected
monuments are
approached even
today by long walks.
The distances at
which the monuments
are located are
evidence of the
extent of the Mughal
city. Today, the
intervening edifices
are no more, but the
extant structures
portray the
impressive Mughal
city that Lahore
once was.
Then of course there
is the citadel and
its surroundings.
This is one of the
two citadels where
you can see the
works of all the
four Great Mughals—Akbar,
Jahangir, Shahjahan
and Aurangzeb—the
other being Agra. It
is a kingdom aloof
from other parts of
the city. Even
though part of the
Walled City, it is a
world of regal
proportions, with
vast expanses of
gardens and
enclosures where the
spaces surrounding
the buildings are of
equal importance. It
is the open spaces
in which much of the
splendor of the
Mughal emperors,
including their
umara (nobles) and
glittering cavalry
was on display, and
where their much
 oved sport of
animal fights took
place. The Great
Mughals' love of the
outdoor and nomadic
lifestyle was in
evidence in their
garden court
settings filled with
temporary shamiana
(cloth awnings)
palaces and
pavilions and the
cavalcade of their
retinue.
The other world of
Lahore is the domain
of the inner
city—the Walled City
of Lahore. This is a
sphere of bustle and
activity, and is
worth experiencing
for the enormous
multiplicity of
activities and
functions that you
will see there.
Although many of the
original structures
have either been
lost or much
modified, you can
experience the
traditional urban
fabric as you walk
through deeply
shaded narrow
streets. Within
these winding lanes
are the bazaars, the
tombs of saints and
mosques such as
Wazir Khan and the
Sonehri Masjid—portraying
the importance of
the intermixing of
commerce, religion,
industry and
residential quarters
that have
traditionally been
the ingredients of a
24-hour cycle of
living, an
integrated community
and a thriving
centre. It is a
world that you must
not miss when you
visit Lahore.
Lahore boasts some
of the best
monuments of the
Sikh and Hindu eras.
Some of them are
prominently located
and others a little
difficult to find.
Once again, entering
them transports you
to a haven of
solitude.
Lahoris celebrate
Basant, or the
festival of spring
with great fervour.
It is worth timing
your visit during
the month of
February, when the
whole city is bathed
in a wonderful
celebration of color
and kites, and when
from the famous Mian
Salahuddin haveli in
the Walled City to
the five-star
hotels, you can be
part of a variety of
celebrations. The
Basant festival is
attended by
thousands of
tourists who throng
the city just to
experience this
unique occasion.
Lahore is at its
best at the time
with many festivals
taking place. The
most famous are the
music and puppet
festivals, which are
renowned all over
the world. Although
the art galleries
and active theatre
groups provide an
year-round activity,
at this time the
city offers a
cultural experience
par excellence. |
