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LAHORE

Brief History:
The city next crops up in literature in connection with the campaigns of the Turkish dynast Mahmud of Ghazni against the Rajas of Lahore between I00I and I008. Around this time it established itself as the capital of the Punjab and thereafter began to play an important and growing role as a centre of Muslim power and influence in the subcontinent. Its heyday was the Mughal era from the early sixteenth century onwards and, as Mughal power began to decline in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Lahore suffered a concomitant period of ignominy and political eclipse. It was here, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, that the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh declared himself Maharajah of the Punjab and allowed his troops to desecrate many of the city's beautiful Islamic shrines- including the Badshahi Mosque which was, for a while, converted into a powder magazine. By the time British occupied Lahore in I849, one writer moved to describe the city as 'a mere expanse of crumbling ruins'.

Happily, this was an exaggeration and today the great buildings laid down by the long-vanished Mughal emperors may be seen in much of their original splendour. All the adverse influences since then seem to have been washed away, like sediment carried off by a flood, leaving behind the fundamental character and beauty of this old Islamic settlement.

Fittingly, it was here in I940 that the Muslim League made its first formal demand for the establishment of a Muslim homeland. A towering and graceful monument, the Minar-e-Pakistan (shown above. Please click on the picture for a more detailed view) now stands on the site of the passing of the Pakistan Resolution.

Modern Lahore:
Lahore is still growing and developing at very fast pace with new shopping Malls and Plazas. Old buildings become replaced by modern concrete architecture. Modern sites of interest include the Minar-i-Pakistan which marks the spot where the Pakistan Resolution was passed on 23rd March 1940. It is located in lqbal Park. The WAPDA House building is, an example of a modern office block, with a glass dome and a roof garden. Jallo National Park is more recent.
It is also a recreational and picnic site, with a zoo, children's play area, a lake with motor and rowing boats, and other kinds of amusement.

Historical Places:
Lahore Fort, The Mausoleum of Jahangir, The Badshahi Masjid, Wazir Khan's Mosque, Shalimar Garden and Thirteen Gates of Lahore.

Parks & Gardens:
lqbal Park, Hazuri Bagh, Jallo National Park, Model Town Park and Race Course Park.

Museum:
Lahore Central Museum

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