Travel Tips

The massive walls of Lahore Fort, built by Akbar in the 1560s, tower over the old city of Lahore, and the huge rectangle they define, 380 by 330 meters (1,250 by 1,080 feet), is filled with buildings from a variety of periods. A complete tour of the fort takes about two hours.

The entrance is through Alamgiri Gate, the Maktab Khana (Clerks' House) is a small cloistered court surrounded by arcades in which clerks sat recording the names of visitors. The inscription outside tells that it was built by jahangir in 1618.

The Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) is entered via steps rising from the comer of the large courtyard north of the Maktab Khana. This little gem was built by Shah Jahan 1644. The Diwan-e-Am (Hall of Public Audience) is an open pavilion with 40 pillars built by Shah Jahan in 1631 to shelter his subjects when they appeared before him. The marble pavilion and red sandstone balcony at the back of the Diwan-e-Am are originals built by Akbar. Here the emperior appeared daily before the public-who, in his day, crowded under a canvas awning. The serpentine sandstone brackets are typical of Akbar's commissions, with the depiction of animals showing Hindu influence and reflecting Akbar's policy of religious tolerance.His two-storey Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), built in 1566, is behind the balcony and is reached by stairs on the tight.

Masti (or Masjidi) Gate is cast of the Diwan-e-Am. It was the original main gate to the fort built by Akbar in 1566. Jahangir's Quadrangle, north of the Diwan-e-Am, and one of the fort's most attractive areas, was started by Akbar in 1566 and finished by Jahangir in 1617. The buildings on the east, west and south sides of the court reflect typical Akbari style, with richly carved red sandstone columns and elaborate animal-shaped brackets.Behind the buildings to the east is Akbar's Court.

The Khwabgah-e-Jahangir (Jahangir's Room of Dreams)is the main building running the length of the north side of Jahangirs Quadrangle and is typical of Jahangir's period in its austerity.It is now a museum, containing a huge ivory model of the Taj Mahal, some excellent illustrated manuscripts (including the Akbar Nama, the daily chronicle of Akbar's reign), some beautiful calligraphy, good miniature paintings and a collection of Mughal coins.

A Moghul site is Shahdara, located just across the River Ravi. There are three mausoleums, those of Jahangir, his wife Nur Jahan and her brother Asif Khan, who was the father of Mumtaz, the lady of the Taj Mahal at Agra. Asif Khan's tomb has retained little of the splendour that there must have been at one time.

The entrance of this superb building is through two massive gateway of stones and masonary opposite each other to the north and south, these lead to a square enclosure. From this enclosure is reached another, on a larger scale, giving a full view of the garden in front, about six hundred yard squares which is traversed by four-bricked canals proceeding from the centre, and in which innumerable fountains were introduced, but these are now in ruins. The corridor is adorned with a profusion of marble ornaments arranged in a most elegant mosaic, representing flowers and texts from the Koran. In the interior of the mausoleum is an elevated sarcophagus of white marble, enshrining the remains of the Emperor, the Sides of which are wrought with flowers of mosaic in the same style of elegance as the tombs in the Taj at Agra, on two sides are most beautifully carved the ninety-nine attributes of God.

Jahangir's Tomb is magnificent and decorated with pietra dura. The 99 names of God are inlaid in black on the marble and there are beautiful jalis which admit patterns of light. Jahangir's tomb was built by his son, Shah Jahan.

Jahangir's wife Nur Jahan was a power in the court and apparently much loved. It is said that when Jahangir was a young man, he handed the lady two of the royal pigeons to hold. While pigeon flying may not be a cult in many countries, it is a sport enjoyed by the gentle folk of the subcontinent. When Jahangir returned for his birds, one had flown.He was surprised. "But how did it fly?" he asked. "Like this!" She laughed and let go the second bird. They say that from then on he was enchanted.

Nur Jahan's Tomb was stripped down to the bricks by the Sikhs, but it has been restored this century. In buildings of this sort, the grave is underneath the mausoleum, in the cellar.

Wazir Khan's Mosque is in the old city, 300 meters from Dehli Gate. This unique mosque is one of the most beautiful in Pakistan.

It was built in 1634 by Hakim Ali-ud-din, popularly known as Wazir Khan, who was governer of the area during the reign of Shah Jahan. The Mosque is justifiably famous for the colorful fresco and tile decoration which adorn both interior and exterior of the building.

"A Garden," Babar wrote, "is the purest of human pleasure." This impressive Mughal monument, the most complete Moghal garden in the entire Indian subcontinent, is on the Grand Trunk Road five kilometres towards the Indian border from the center of Lahore.Laid out by Shah Jahan in1642 for the pleasure of royal household, which often stayed here for days or week at a time.

In design, it conforms to the classic Mughal conception of the perfect garden and consist of three terraces of straight, shaded walk sets around a perfectly symmetrical arrangement of ponds, waterfalls, marble pavalions, all surrounded by flower beds and fruit trees and enclosed within a wall and more than 400 fountains. There are also huge fruit trees and little chipmunks scamper about.

The emperor's sleeping quarters are at the center of the west wall,across from the Hall of Public Audience, which just through the wall and out of the garden. The emperor walked through this hall daily to show himself to the public gathered in a separate walled garden outside.

On the north side are:-

The Raushnai Gate, or the "gate of light". This is between the royal mosque and the citadels. Being the principal entrance from the fort to the city, it was most frequented by the Omerahs, courtiers, royal servants, and retinues; and as the quarters about here were profusely lighted up at night, it was called the "gate of light" , or, "gate of splendour"
The Kashmiri Gate, so called because it faces the direction of Kashmir. The Masti Gate, the name is the corruption of "Masjidi," the pertaining to a mosque. The mosque of Mariam Makani, mother of Akber, is in its immediate vicinity. Hence its name.

The Khizri Gate. As already noted, the river in former times flowed by the city walls, and the ferry was near this spot. The gate was, therefore, named Khizri, after the name of Khizr Elias, the patron saint, according to the Mahomedan belief, of running waters and streams, and the discoverer of the water of immortality. Ranjit Singh kept here two domesticated lions in a cage, and the gate came to be called "Sheranwala" or the " lions' gate". Peoole now call it by both names, the " Khizri" and the "Sheranwalla" gateway.

On the east side are:-

The Yakki Gate. The original name was "Zaki," that being the name of a martyr saint, who, according to tradition, fell fighting against the Moghal infidels from the north, while gallantly defending his city. His head was cut off at the gate, but the trunk continued fighting for some time, and at last fell in a quarter of the city close by. One tomb of this champion was consequently built at the spot where the head had fallen, and another at the place where the trunk lay. Both are revered by the faithful to this clay.
The Dehli Gate, so called from its opening on to the high road from Lahore to Delhi.
The Akbari Gate, named after Mahomed Jala-ud-din Akbar, who rebuilt the town and citadel. Close to this gate the Emperor also founded a market, which, after his name, is called "Akbari Mandi".

On the south side are :-

The Mochi Gate. The name is the corruption of Moti, a pearl. It was called so after the name of Moti Ram, an officer of Akbar, who resided here at that time.
The Shah 'Almi Gate, named after Mohomed Mo'azzam Shah 'Alam Bahadur Shah (the son and successor of Aurangzeb), a mild and munificent Emperor, who died at Lahore on the 28th February 1712.
The Lahori Gate, called also the Lohari gate. The gate was named after the city of Lahore. It is said that when Malik Ayaz rebuilt the town, in the time of Mahmud, the quarter of the city first populated was about this gate, which, together with the Lahori Mandi, or the Lahore market, was named after the city.
The Mori Gate is the smallest of the gateway, and as its name implies, was in old times used as an outlet for the refuse and sweepings of the city.

On the west side are:-

The Bhatti Gate, named after the Bhatis, an ancient Rajput tribe who inhabited these quarters in old times.
The Taxali Gate, so called from the Taxal, or royal mint, having been in its neighbourhood during the period of the Mahomedan Emperors