Lahore is a central hub for travel in Pakistan, I flew in and out from here when I was working at Harappa. Located in the northeastern edge of Pakistani Punjab, it was the closest place to fly into [only a 4 hour car or longer bus ride from Harappa].

Lahore had a population of 4.1 million [in 1992], and has been an important city for this region for the last thousand years. With no natural protection, it has seen the invaders come and destroy, rebuild, and leave their mark. Starting with Mahmud of Ghazni [see Udegram for somewhere else he destroyed]] in 1036, it was conquered by the ruler of the day. It was later taken by the Moghuls in 1524 and rebuilt as their capital. They rebuilt and added on to the fort, built many monuments and gardens, and made this a central city.

Recent history has not been so kind to Lahore. Ranjit Singh looted the Mughal monuments and left few new buildings. The British added a new flavor with their cathedrals, clocktowers, and out-of-place architecture. The partition of India and Pakistan set Lahore alight, with much destruction of the citys history: shattered lives and communities fleeing, buildings burnt in a hate-filled stupor. Each of these have left a mark, all contributing to the unique style of Lahore.

I have focused pages on a few places of Lahore, beyond this page. They show:

Wazir Khan Mosque, a beautiful old tilework mosque in the old city.

A collection of Mughal buildings, mainly showing the fort and associated buildings.

Jehangir's tomb - Mausoleum to a Mughal Emperor, built by Shah Jehan who later built the Taj.

All these buildings come from the Mughal Period, when a perfected conjunction of Persian and subcontinent styles formed an incredible architectural period. Construction of gardens, monuments, caravan serais, and other huge works were performed, leaving the Taj Mahal as the best know of the hundreds of amazing monuments. The Mughal history hangs around Lahore, in the names of places, central routes and bazaars, as well as the stunning monuments which form the main public spaces.

View south from same spot as above photo. Looking at the main booksellers area at the north end of the Anarkali bazaar. This bazaar starts at the edge of the old city and stretches to the main British mall. You can find anything in this bazaar, provided you are willing to wander around endlessly looking for it.

Anarkali `Pomegranate blossom' was one of Akbar's dancing girls, who he had buried alive after for her looks and advances at Akbar's son Jehangir. Her tomb lies in this bazaar named after her. Jehangir's tomb has a mournful quote about Anarkali, `If I could for just for one moment see my beloved's face again'. [It's poetic Urdu, so my translation is correct but not suave].

In my mind, the old city is Lahore's heart. While other areas may offer better bargains, the old city offers history, complexity, and intensity that drowns the new `strip-mally' shops of the new city.

Here is an old building front to a haveli, a house of an important merchant. These demonstrated great craftwork, much like the carved wooden doors of Peshawar and elsewhere. While disrepair is taking many of these buildings, it is easy to get a feel for the Lahore Kipling wrote of in Kim in the old city streets and alleys.

The old city is great to explore, easy to get lost in; full of funny and tragic sights, a kaleidoscope of color. Certain sections focus on certain commodities: gold, pots and pans, cloth, drums, tools, various ethnic groups and their goods, and all forms of food and beverage. There is some of every kind of shop everywhere, with distinct clusters as well - I could not always understand the organizational scheme.

Despite that fact, it always seemed that everything was just around the corner once you asked.

Movie posters from Cinema Road in Lahore. These are hand painted for the movies, often containing funny English titles or sayings. Generally, the posters are full of guns, cute women, blood, and violent images. Done in the colorful and exuberant Pakistani style, like the painted trucks they display modern Pakistani creativity.