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PLACES OF INTERESTS |
The most important historical monuments of the Mughals in Lahore are; the royal Fort, the Badshahi Mosque. The independence monument, the tombs of Emperor jehangir, Empress Noor jehan, Anarkali, Asif-jah and the famous Shalimar Gardens.
THE ROYAL FORT (SHAHI QALA)
Although most parts of the Royal fort were constructed around 1566 A.D.by the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great, there is evidence that a mud fort was in existence here in 1021 A.D. as well, when Mahmood of Ghazna invaded this area . Akbar demolished the old mud fort and constructed most of the modern Fort, as we see it today, on the old foundations. Construction of the fort dates back to the early 10th Centurey.
The royal fort is rectangular. The main gates are located alongside the centre of the western and eastern walls. Every succeeding Mughal Emperor as well as the Sikhs, and the British in their turn, added a pavilion, palace or wall to the fort. Emperor jehangir extended the gardens and constructed the palaces that we see today in the jehangir's Quadrangle, while Shah-jehan added Diwan-e-khas, Moti Masjid(pearl Mosque) and his sleeping chambers. Aurangzeb built the impressive main gate (Alamgiri gate) which faces the Hazoori Bagh lying in between the Badshahi Mosque andf the Fort. The famous Sheesh Mahal or Palace of Mirrors, is in the north-east corner of the Fort. This is the most beautiful palace in the fort, decorated with small mirrors of differentcolour sets.
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The part of the wall of the Elephant steps towards the fort 's inner gate are scarred by bullet marks, bearing testimony to the Sikh civil war of 1847 A.D. A party of Sikhs had mounted their guns onone of the minarets of the mosque across the courtyard from where they fired on their opponents. The Sleeping Chamber of Mai Jandan houses a very interesting museum with relics from Mughal and the Sikh periods.
SHALIMAR GARDENS
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Five kilometres east of old city, are the famous Shalimar Gardens laid out by Mughal Emperor Shah-jehan in 1642 A.D. The Gardens are spread out in typical Mughal style and are surrounded by high walls with watchtowers at the four corners. Originally, the gardens were spread over seven ascending terraces, but only three remain now which cover an area of about 42 acres. The brickwork of hte floors of hte three terraces have been repaired acording to their original designs which differ on all three terraces. There is a marble pavilion under which water flows and cascades down over a carved, marble slab creating a water fall effect. Across the water-fall, is a marble throne. At the end of the second terrace is a beautiful structure called Sawan Bhadon, a sunken tank with niches on its three sides. Water cascades down from it in sheets in front of the niches, producing the sound of falling rain. In the olden times, oil lamps were placed in the niches which reflected myriad colours, through the water. Shalimar Gardens have the privalege of being the stage of all important state receptions. Outside its walls, the annual festival or Mela Chiraghan is held every March. Special lights on the first and the second terraces of the Gardens have been installed and the area is illuminated half-an-hour after sunset.
MINAR-E-PAKISTAN
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Minar-e-Pakistan is the landmark of Lahore which stands in the Iqbal Park to commemorate the date (23 March) when a resolution was passed here back in 1940 demanding creation of a separate homeland for the MusLIms of South Asia. The Minar is a blend of Mughal and modern architecture and has been very boldly designed. It is about 60 meters tall.
KIM'S GUN OR ZAMZAMA
Immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in his accounts, is this famous gun now popularly known as the kim's gun . It is placed just outside the Lahore Museum on Sharah-e-Quaid-e-Azam in front of the old campus of hte Punjab University.
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