"CITY OF GARDENS & TRADITIONS....LAHORE " a Lahore Travel Page by WAHEEDASLAM

Lahore, the capital of Punjab, is one of the great Mughal cities of the subcontinent, ranking with Dehli or Agra in its range of superb Muslim Architeture. It is Pakistan's cultural and intellectual centre. The faded elegance, busy street and bazaars, and wide variety of Islamic and British architecture make this a city of atmosphere, surprises and contrasts. As Peshawar looks north to the central Asia, so Lahore looks south to the great civilization of the Mughal emperors.
Lahore has been the Capital of Punjab for nearly 1,000 years; from 1021 to 1186 ruled by great Mugals like Mahmud of Ghazni, Muhammad of Gor, and Sultans of Dehli. The real Mughal period starts from 1524 to 1752 when third Mughal emperor, Akbar, held his court in Lahore 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. Next emperor Shahjahan added to the fort , built palaces and tombs, and laid out gardens. The last of the great Mughals, Aurangzeb(1658-1707), gave Lahore its most celebrated monument, the greta Badshahi Mosque.

In the 18 and 19 centuries the sikhs also had their capital at Lahore. They took little intrest in the gardens and actually dismantled many of Lahore's Mughal monuments, from which it is said they took enough marble to build the Golden Temple at Amritsar twice over.Many of Lahore,s ancient building were dmaged in the period of Sikh Ruler Ranjit Singh.....

PIC: A painting depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh hearing a recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib close to the Golden Temple....

When British took over in 1849, they erected the splendid, solid victorian public building still to be seen all over Lahore; the style is known as Mughal-Gothic. Lahore cantonment , the British residential district of wide, tree-lined streets and white bunglows set in large, shaded gardens, is the most attractive cantonment in Pakistan.
Since the foudation of Pakistan in 1947, Lahore has expanded rapidly. It is the second-largest city in Pakistan with about 8.5 millon inhabitants, and an important industrial centre. You can see trhe difference yourself by visiting both sides of the city new & old Lahore. The old Lahore is full of old traitions & way of life wioth narrow streets & with its splendid 7 gates. The new Lahore is totally modern with beautiful nightlife & new architecture. You must visit Lahore once in your life time..

WHEN TO GO.......
October to March is the best time to visit Lahore. It is only 213 meters(698 feet) above sea level, so it is hotter than Islamabad, and can get very hot in summer.