Lahore: Encyclopedia II - Lahore - Sites of interest

Lahore - Sites of interest

There is famous Punjabi saying that one who has not seen Lahore is yet to be born which means Lahore is worth seeing and worth living in.

Lahore - The Roshnai Gate

The Badshahi Masjid, one of the world's largest mosques and one of humanity's greatest architectural treasures, is located just outside the Northeast corner of the Walled City. Opposite is the historic Lahore Fort which houses the famous Sheesh Mahal, or Palace of Mirrors. Between the two buildings is a garden known as Hazuri Bagh in which Maharaja Ranjit Singh built a baradari, a decorated marble pavilion. Every Sunday afternoon story-tellers, poets and singers gather in the garden to continue their oral tradition, often reciting Waris Shah's Heer, Bulleh Shah, Farid Ganjshakar or other Punjabi literature.

The Mausoleum of Muhammad Iqbal is also located in this garden, near the Eastern wall of the Badshahi Masjid. On the Northern side of the garden is the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh. Very close to that is the shrine of Syed Ali Hajveiri (ra), who is popularly known as Data Ganj Bukhsh and is famous as the Patron Saint of Lahore. The shrine is referred to by many as, "Data Sahib."

The Southern side of Hazuri Bagh is bounded by the wall of the Walled City, with the Roshnai Gate serving as an entrance. Roshnai Gate leads into the Shahi Mohalla quarter of the Walled City, also known as Hira Mandi. Shahi Mohalla offers a large variety of traditional food, including the famous Phajje ke Paye.

The Minar-e-Pakistan is a white marble construction and is fashioned as a commemorative tower that was built to remind its visitors of the famous "Pakistan Resolution" passed by the All India Muslim League, in 1940. This resolution was the first public expression of intent on the part of the mulims of United India to build their own homeland - Pakistan. The Minar (or Tower) is located in Iqbal Park, across the road from the Badshahi Masjid complex.

Lahore - The Masti Gate

Just behind the Lahore Fort is the Masti Gate entrance. This area is dominated by wholesale shoesellers, or both traditional and Western style shoes. Further down the street is located one of the cities oldest mosques, the Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum, named after the mother of Jahangir.

Lahore - The Lohari Gate

This Gate is very close to Bhati Gate and it was built, like many other gates, to keep the enemies out. Now, it is surrounded by shops and has significance of great architecture. In Urdu "loha" means Iron. It is named Lohari because it was just outside of this gate that many Lohars (Black Smiths)lived and had their workshops.

Lahore - The Kashmiri Gate

The Kashmiri Gate faces the direction of Kashmir. Inside there is a shopping area called "Kashmiri Bazaar".

Lahore - The Bhati Gate

The Bhati Gate entrance is located on the Western wall of the Old City. The area inside the gate is well known throughout the city for its food. Just outside of Bhati Gate is Data Durbar, the mausoleum of the Sufi saint Ali Hajweri (also known as Data Sahib Ganjbaksh). Every Thursday evening musicians gather here to perform Qawwali music.

Lahore - The Shairan Walan Gate

The Shairan Walan (Gate with lions)

Lahore - The Delhi Gate

Delhi Gate is an entrance on the Eastern wall of the Walled City, named because it faces the road towards Delhi (now part of India).

Inside the gate on the left hand side is located the Shahi Hammam, or "Royal Baths". Further down the bazaar, one will find the beautiful Wazir Khan Mosque, named after a viceroy of the Punjab during the reign of Shah Jahan. Further inwards, the road leads towards the Sonehri Masjid.

Lahore - Anarkali

Anarkali Bazaar is one of Lahore's most historic markets with every type of shop imaginable. Foreign-made goods are readily available, as well as all domestic products, from brassware to tailored suits.

The following legend took place in Lahore. Legend has it that a very beautiful dancer was dancing in one of the palaces of Emperor Akbar and his son, Prince Salim (Emperor Jahangir), fell in love with her. After her dance, Emperor Akbar was very impressed by her and nick-named her "Anarkali", which means "the Bud of a Pomegranate". Later, Prince Salim and Anarkali had begun seeing eachother. After the community came to know about it, Anarkali, the once famous dancer, was sentenced to death. In Lahore, where the present-day Anarkali Bazaar is, people were beginning to build a wall in which to bury Anarkali's body in. This is where the story changes. Some people say that she was buried alive in that wall. Others say that Prince Salim's fiance was very jealous of Anarkali and her beauty. As Anarkali was in the markets of Lahore, the fiance secretly shot Anarkali with an arrow. The people thought that since she was already dead, they might as well bury her in the wall. Today, her "grave" is the sight of Anarkali Tomb. But remember, this story is only a legend and might not even be true.

Lahore - Chauburji

On the road that led southwards to Multan, the Chauburji gateway remains of an extensive garden know to have existed in Mughal times. The establishment of this garden is attributed to Mughal princes in 1646, which appears in one of the inscriptions on the gateway. The gateway consists of four towers and contain much of the brilliant tile work mostly turquoise colored with which the entire entrance is covered. One of the towers at the northwestern corner collapsed, its foundations perhaps eroded by the waters of the flooding Ravi. This has however been restored as much as was reasonably possible and the gateway now looks as it might have done during the time of its Mughal patroness. The restoration was carried out by the Department of Archeology in the late in1960's. The architecture of Chauburji represents a strong blend of Mughal architecture with ancient Muslim style of building. The red brickwork is typical of the Muslim buildings of the sub-continent; the doorways and windows running through the interior corridors are exemplary of the living style that characterized the Mughal buildings. However, the main purpose of building Chauburji appears strictly to be monumental, as its presence in the heart of Lahore signifies a strong sense of Mughal architectural beauty. The delicately lofty building standing alone in an island of traffic on the Multan Road is now commonly known as Chaburji because of its four (chau) minarets (burji). Originally it was gateway to the Garden of Zebunnisa or Zebinda Begum, the accomplished daughter of Aurangzeb. This garden is believed to have been extended from Nawankot in the south to the main city of Lahore towards north. However, no traces of such an expansive garden are now available. A fragmentary inscription on the eastern archway records that the garden was built in A.H. 1056 i.e. 1646. According to this inscription it was built by Sahib-e-Zebinda (one endowed with elegance), Begum Dauran (the lady of Ages) and was bestowed upon Mian Bai, Fakhrunnisa (the pride of Ladies).

Lahore - Gawal Mandi

Lahore - Ichhra

Lahore - Shalimar Gardens

Lahore - Shahdara

Tomb of Jahangir, Tomb of Noor Jehan

Lahore - Shimla Pahari

The mausoleum of Bibi Pak Daman

Lahore - Shopping

Lahore's most famous tech-bazaar is the Hafeez Center, located on the Gulberg Main Boulevard and Electronics Market at Hall Road.

Other well known and popular malls are the Liberty Market Center in Gulberg and Pace Shopping malls located in Gulberg and Model Town. Purani Anarkali has some amazing ethnic gems and jewelry as well as khussas (traditional flat shoes).

If you are interested in clothing, then private boutiques are scattered all over the city. The expensive ones are on the Main Boulevard Gulberg and Defence Y Block Market.

Many new malls and shopping centers are planned for Lahore soon.

Lahore - Restaurants

While Lahore has a great many traditional and modern restaurants, the turn of the century has seen the appearance of western fast food chains such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway Sandwiches, Dunkin Donuts, Nando's and Kentucky Fried Chicken in new shopping centres all over the city. A major tourist attraction in Lahore is the famous Food Street in the old historic district of Gawaalmandi. Gawalmaandi had almost legendary status as the place to go for authentic Lahori cuisine. Food street has been a massive restoration project in which Gawaalmandi was cordoned off and street cafex were established under the lights of the restored havelis.More recently another similar but larger and better food street has been added near anarkali. it is a must see place as well. Drop in "Nukkar 52" for some great lassi,kashmiri tea and milk shakes.

One of Lahore's most famous restaurant is "Coocoo's Den", located in the old city just behind the legendary Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort. The restaurant has a magical ambiance and is housed in a 300 year old "kothi" style, 5 story house. At different points in the life of this property, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim families have owned it. It is currently owned and operated by a Professor from Lahore's National College of Arts. Sitting on the verandah's while enjoying food from the area - most of which has been cooked by the same family, to the same recipe for hundreds of years - one can glance through the Hindu Idol figurines, gazing upon a statue of the Virgin Mary which forms the foreground of the massive and awe-inspiring red sandstone construction that is the Badshahi (Royal) Mosque.

• Pak Tea House, Anarkali, Lahore
• Phajay kay Paye, Heera Mandi, Lahore
• Sardar kee Machli/Sardar's Fish, Mozang Chungi, Lahore
• Waris Nihari, Paisa Akhbar, Lahore
• Muhammadi Nihari, Mozang Chungi, Lahore
• Bhayay kay Kabab/Bhaya's Kabab, Model Town, Lahore
• Bashir Dar-ul-Mahi/Bashir's Fish Corner, Mozang Chungi, Lahore
• Haji Sultan Ahmad/Almashor Haleem/Nahari,Bhati Chowk Lahore
• Pheeks Lassi wala

• Bismillah restaurant in Lakshmi chowk. Dont miss the takka tak, brain masala and buttered naans. If you are interested in chicken tikka then get it ordered from the national hotel just opposite.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Sites of interest", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki