Lahore Pakistan

Description: Lahore is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and 26th largest in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is located in the north-eastern region of Punjab, along the River Ravi. Lahore is one of Pakistan’s major industrial and economic hubs. It has been the historic capital and cultural centre of Punjab region, and is Pakistan’s most socially liberal, progressive, and cosmopolitan cities.

Population: 13,979,242

Demographics: According to the 2017 Pakistani census, the largest groups in terms of ethnicity and caste are Punjabi Arains, constituting 40%, followed by Kashmiris at 30% with other groups such as Punjabi Rajputs and Punjabi Kamboh at 5% each.

History: The first document that mentions Lahore by name is the Hudud al-‘Alam (“The Regions of the World”), written in 982 CE, in which Lahore is mentioned as a town which had “impressive temples, large markets and huge orchards”. Lahore, previously a town, first emerged as a notable city in 11th century during the era of Sufi saint Ali al-Hajvery. Following the Siege of Lahore in 1186, the Ghurid ruler Muhammad captured the city and imprisoned the last Ghaznavid ruler Khusrau Malik, thus ending Ghaznavid rule over Lahore. Lahore was made an important establishment of the Mamluk dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate following the assassination of Muhammad of Ghor in 1206. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, captured and sacked Lahore and Dipalpur, although he retreated after the Lodi nobles backed away from assisting him.mThe city became a refuge to Humayun and his cousin Kamran Mirza when Sher Shah Suri rose in power in the Gangetic plains, displacing Mughals. Sher Shah Suri seized Lahore in 1540, though Humayun reconquered Lahore in February 1555. The establishment of Mughal rule eventually led to the most prosperous era of Lahore’s history. Lahore’s prosperity and central position has yielded more Mughal-era monuments in Lahore than either Delhi or Agra. Jahangir’s son, Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–1658), was born in Lahore in 1592. He renovated large portions of the Lahore Fort with luxurious white marble and erected the iconic Naulakha Pavilion in 1633. Shah Jahan lavished Lahore with some of its most celebrated and iconic monuments, such as the Shahi Hammam in 1635, and both the Shalimar Gardens and the extravagantly decorated Wazir Khan Mosque in 1641. Expanding Sikh Misls secured control over Lahore in 1767, when the Bhangi Misl state captured the city. In 1780, the city was divided among three rulers: Gujjar Singh, Lahna Singh, and Sobha Singh. Instability resulting from this arrangement allowed nearby Amritsar to establish itself as the area’s primary commercial centre in place of Lahore. Lahore became the empire’s administrative capital, though the nearby economic centre of Amritsar had also been established as the empire’s spiritual capital by 1802. At the commencement of British rule, Lahore was estimated to have a population of 120,000. Prior to annexation by the British, Lahore’s environs consisted mostly of the Walled City surrounded by plains interrupted by settlements to the south and east, such as Mozang and Qila Gujar Singh, which have since been engulfed by modern Lahore. The plains between the settlements also contained the remains of Mughal gardens, tombs, and Sikh-era military structures. The British viewed Lahore’s Walled City as a bed of potential social discontent and disease epidemics, and so largely left the inner city alone, while focusing development efforts in Lahore’s suburban areas and Punjab’s fertile countryside. The British instead laid out their capital city in an area south of the Walled City that would first come to be known as “Donald’s Town” before being renamed “Civil Station”. The 1941 census showed that city of Lahore had a population of 671,659, of which was 64.5% Muslim, with the remainder 35% being Hindu and Sikh, alongside a small Christian community. The second Islamic Summit Conference was held in the city in 1974. In retaliation for the destruction of the Babri Masjid in India, riots erupted in 1992 in which several non-Muslim monuments were targeted, including the tomb of Maharaja Sher Singh, and the former Jain temple near The Mall. In 1996, the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup final match was held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The Walled City of Lahore restoration project began in 2009, when the Punjab government restored the Royal Trail from Akbari Gate to the Lahore Fort with money from the World Bank.

Elevation: 217 m

Climate: Low altitude semi arid hot climate. Average annual temperature in Lahore is 24 C (75 F), the average for July is 32 C (90 F), the average for January is 14 C (56 F).

Attractions: Badshahi Mosque, Wagar Border, Lahore Fort, Masjid Wazir Khan, Lahore Museum, Army Museum, Walled City Of Lahore Authority

Airports: Allama Iqbal International Airport LHE

Distance To City Centre: 15 km

Commute Length: 25 min

Average Transportation Cost: 25 USD

Traffic Hours: 6 am – 10 am, 4 pm – 8 pm