Lahore
Lahore 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 . According to 1997/98 censes,
Lahore's population was nearly 6.8 million. Mid 2006 government estimates now
put the population at somewhere around 10 million, 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.
Punjabi is the language of the province, and is the most widely spoken language
in Lahore. People of Lahore who widely speak Punjabi are known as Lahori Punjabi
due to a mixture of Punjabi and colloquial Urdu . However, Urdu and English
have become more popular too. Lahore is largely thought of as the cultural
centre of Pakistan. It is widely called the "heart of Pakistan" in popular
culture.
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 . It was not until 1524AD that Lahore became part of
the Mughal Empire. It was in 1585 AD that Mughal emperor Akbar decided to make
Lahore the capital of the Mughal Empire. During Akbar's reign he built the fort
that was once the citadel of the city. After his death, his son Jahangir took
over control and Lahore remained the capital for over a century until the Mughal
Empire fell and the city was taken over by the Sikhs . The Sikhs ruled the
Punjab region for over half a century until the British Raj took control and
Lahore become part of the British empire until independence in 1947 AD.
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.
History of Lahore
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.Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni placed it
under the rule of his governor, Malik Ayaz .
When Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aybak was crowned in 1206 here, he became the first
Muslim Sultan of the subcontinent . 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 Jahangir, the Mughal
emperor who is buried in the city. Shah Jahan, his son, was born in Lahore. He,
like his father, extended Lahore Fort and built many other structures in the
city, showering more affection on his hometown than any other city. 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. As the Mughal Empire declined, the Sikhs captured and ruled the city from
1799 to 1849, making Lahore the capital of the Sikh empire. However the last
Anglo-Sikh war resulted in a British victory, bringing Lahore under the rule of
the British crown till the state of Pakistan was formed in 1947. Until 1947,
Lahore was the capital of the province of the undivided Punjab which comprised
of today's Pakistani province of Punjab and Indian's Gaddafi Stadium tates of
Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The most important session of the Indian
National Congress the premier party fighting for Indian independence was held at
Lahore in Dec-Jan 1929-30 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.
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. In 1974, Islamic Summit Conference was
held in this great city, in 1996 the ICC Cricket World Cup final match was held
at the in Lahore.

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
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.

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 Anarkali
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
Lahore Museum
Gardens
Shalimar Gardens
Hazuri Bagh
Iqbal Park
Lawrence Gardens
Mochi Bagh
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

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. etc..
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 Ayyaz
lies buried in the commercial area of Rang Mahal.

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 (Gawaalmandi, Anarkali, and Badshahi).

Lahore has 5 sister cities:
Fresno, California, U.S.A
Istanbul , Turkey.
Fez , Morocco
Mashad, Iran
Glasgow , Scotland

Economy of Lahore
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 etc.