Lahore
One of the second largest cities of Pakistan is Lahore.Its been known to be the city of poets and artists.The present day Lahore is not only the center of cultural and acedemic activities but also enlights the Mughal Architectures in Pakistan.It has a poulation of about 8.5 million.Its also famous for some of the most historic and finest gardens of the continent.
Lahore, also known as the cultural capital of Pakistan is a unique blend of the new and the old. Where at one end tall buildings, modern offices are fast sprouting in Lahore, the old flavor of Lahore is also retained. The Origins of Lahore are unknown. Several myths and theories circulate including one about it being established by Loh who was the son of the Hindu god king Ram. One thing, however, is certain. Lahore is ancient enough to discredit the authenticity of any theory that exists about its beginnings.The provincial level capital and main city of Punjab is Lahore,which has been the historical capital of this region.
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Lahore’s rise to prominence
Lahore has been the seat of many kings. It was the capital during the reign of rulers such as Mahmood Ghaznavi, Qutub ud Din Aibak and the mighty Moghul Emperor Akbar. The Moghuls have left marks of their presence in the form of beautiful architecture throughout the entire city.
Some wonders of the Moghul period
Lahore is also the city of gardens. Some are new, others hundreds of years old. Perhaps one of the oldest and most beautiful gardens is the Shalimar Gardens. It is a paradise of fountains and water cascades, surrounded by acres of greenery. It was constructed by Shah Jahan, who is also attributed with the construction of the Taj Mahal. Other historical sites include the tombs of Emperor Jahangir (father of Shah Jahan), his wife Noor Jehan and the Mausoleum of the slave king Qutb ud din Aibak, who laid the foundations of the famous slave dynasty.
Perhaps the place which attracts most visitors is the famous Lahore Fort. Although not even a fraction of its original grandeur remains, it still holds some spectacular sites which include the Sheesh Mahal (the palace of mirrors}. The walls and the roof of the Sheesh Mahal are covered with small mirrors (hence the name) which are said to have reflected the light of a single lamp thousands of times during the night.
Opposite the Lahore fort stands the Badshahi Mosque, (King’s Mosque). It is a grand red brick structure capable of accommodating 55000 worshippers. Unlike the fort, it has been renovated and is in good condition. Also close by are the mausoleum of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Minar e Pakistan and Old and New Lahore.
The old part of Lahore is called Anderoon Shehr or the inner city. In the old days Lahore was a prosperous town encircled within a fortified wall. Lahore has expanded way beyond the walled city on all sides. The inner city has truly become the inner city surrounded by a comparatively modern Lahore. But Lahore is by no means just an old city. It is a city that has grown and blossomed with time while retaining its original flavor. As the second largest city of Pakistan, Lahore is one of the fastest developing cities in the country. It provides excellent opportunities for business and investment. A lot of people can still recall Lahore sans traffic congestion and pollution. That Lahore is admittedly difficult to find these days. But in spite of the dust and the heat Lahore is still well worth a visit. The best time to visit is between the months of November and March.
Language
Punjabi, Urdu and English are spoken widely.
Cuisine
Lahore is a city of many flavors. The Lahoris are fond of eating and that is apparent from the number of food outlets spread all over the city which range from pure Pakistani to international cuisine. Food streets have been established at Anarkali and Gawalmandi for those who favor local delicacies. More modern franchises can be found on M.M. Alam Road.
Coco's Cafe
Coco's Cafe is a very unique restaurant in Lahore. The owner of the restraunt is an artist ,who specialized in arts i.e painting,mostly his painting depict the life of dancing girls.Located in the old Lahore's Diamond Market (Heera Mandi),Coco's Den is an old 'haveli' converted into a restraunt.As,the cafe is next to Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort, the architectural value of the cafe 's building doubles.Advance booking is required and reserved tables in the front corner for a great view.You climb a narrow stair case almost three stories up,till you reach the terrace.The cafe is full of artifacts,painting etc. Most foreigners would enjoy and would be interested in spending their time in this cafe.Its a beautiful traditional building depicting traditional desires of Lahore.On the roof top you often find film-makers directing their film-shots.
Shopping Malls
Lahore is a city of versatality.You can go to modern shopping malls and modern plazas containg shop, play, food and recreation area. For modern day Lahore, you may go to :
- Pace shopping Mall
- Liberty Plaza
- Defence Shopping Mall
- Tes Mart
- Al-Fatah Departmental Stores
- Siddique Trade Center
- Empire Center Gulberg
- Panorama Center
- Fortress Stadium
- Anarkali
Some highlights about Pace
Pace is a very modern and advance shopping mall.It has four floors.There is a basement for car parking,escalators etc. The ground floor is for grocery as foriengners can benefit alot as there are imported and non imported things to choice on. The other floors contain alot of variety from children accessories to ladies jewelery,mens wear,shoes,electronics,food points,cafes and almost every quality oriented thing to find.
Some previews about Defence Shopping Mall
The Rafi Group has given the city of Lahore some notable buildings. It has pioneered multi-purpose commercial complexes. Landmark on Jail Road, Central Plaza in Garden Town and Empress Towers on Empress Road are noteworthy examples of their efforts in this regard. Empire Centre in Main Boulevard Gulberg introduced a new concept of a shopping mall.Defence Shopping Mall in Defence Boulevard is also a trail-blazer and the first to offer a "one-use only" shopping mall. There is shopping activity on all the floors and there is plenty of places for car parking.
For hand made carpets ,leather crafts, handicrafts you can visit Panorama Center which is also renowned for mens wear.Fortress Stadium Market is a place where you can enjoy and shop as there are very many specific enjoyment places,recreational parks and activities for children and teenagers.
Anarkali You can shop for any kind of materials whether they are traditionals or other.
List of Universities in Lahore
- Aitchison College, Lahore
- University of Punjab, Lahore
- Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore
- University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
- University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore
- National College of Arts, Lahore
- Lahore College for Women University, Lahore
- Government College University, Lahore
- University of Education, Lahore
- Virtual University, Lahore
- University of Health Sciences, Lahore
- Institute of South Asia, Lahore
- Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore
- National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (formerly FAST), Lahore
Music
Lahore used to be the most cultural point in the entire North India on the eve of independence.The city at olden times had produced some of the pioneering names in modern classical,poular and film music of the region.
Film music
Film music in Pakistan has largely been dominated by one female voice, that of Noorjehan. She was already in the prime of her career when Lata Mangeshkar made her debut as a play-back singer in Bombay before Partition. Before the era of play-back singing, Noorjehan was an actress-singer. After Partition, she migrated to Lahore with her husband, Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, the famous producer/ director and film-editor who started Shah Noor Studios in Lahore, one of the centres of Pakistani film activity for the last fifty years. The legendary male film singer Muhammad Rafi made his own debut singing a duet with her. Noorjehan may well have recorded more songs than all the other vocalists in Pakistan films put together. Noorjehan has a full throated voice capable of handling lower registers with remarkable command, a quality that makes her equally at ease with Punjabi and Urdu songs. Her versatility has rendered a large number of her songs part of the region’s collective musical memory.
Qawwali's and Sufi Music
The range of Sufi music includes the highly structured genre of qawwali, kafi and various regional genres of similar ethos. The origin of qawwali (Sufi poetry set to music) is traced back to the 13th century saint poet musician Amir Khusrau of Delhi, who evolved and perfected the musical structure of the genre and also in a way set the tone of poetic imagery and construction which has been broadly followed by the future composers. In line with the general policy of propagation of Islamic values, the genre received special treatment in the post 1947 official policy and special slots were allocated to qawwali performances on radio and television. A host of other religious genres also developed as popular media items in the same period of time which include kafi, na’at and hamd.
In the subsequent years a number of prominent classical vocalists also experimented in the genre but a few developed it exclusively. These include Pathaney Khan, Zahida’s daughter, Shahida Parveen, Hussain Bakhsh Dhadhi, Ustad Allah Dad of Bahawalpur in the Punjabi/ Saraiki style and Abida Parveen, Ustad Jumman, Sohrab Fakir, Qurban Fakir, Faqira Bhagat, Krishan Lal Bheel and a range of others in the Sindhi style. Most of these artists have had successful international tours as well.
Qawwali developed as the major Sufi music genre through the careers of a number of prominent qawwals like Munshi Raziuddin, Baha-ud-din, Santoo Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s father, Fateh Ali Khan and uncle Mubarak Ali Khan, Aziz Mian, Sabri Brothers and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Qawwali had a healthy steady patronage from the shrines of Sufi saints which have large established followings who shower money on qawwals performing on various auspicious occasions. It was the carrying of this genre abroad in the early seventies, however, that made it a powerful widely popular genre on the world music scene. Sabri Brothers performing in Carnegie Hall New York in the mid seventies received rave reviews succeeded by several very successful international tours. Aziz Mian also had a successful concert career.
Folk music
Amongst the pioneers in the field of folk music’s presentation were Alam Lohar, Sain Akhtar, Sain Marna, Khameesoo Khan, Misri Khan and to some extent Zahida Parveen as a large portion of her repertoire could be categorised as Sufi as well as folk. These artists frequently toured abroad and also published LPs. The genre had a sympathetic treatment from the official media also and a number of official bodies also supported its conservation and publication but the real boost came with the advent of cassette when Ataullah Esakhelvi and Abida Parveen became mega hits. The present day scene is dominated by Alam’s son Arif, Ataullah, Abida Parveen, Sohrab Fakir and Allan. A number of traditional drummers and instrumentalists like Pappu Sain from Lahore are also coming to prominence. Another prominent names of recent past include Pathaney Khan and Tufail Niazi. The genre has also attracted considerable international attention and a number of these groups have performed and recorded abroad.
The recent trends in pop music have created certain unique blends of indigenous folk music themes with the western pop themes. Some of these like Abrar-ul- Haq’s ‘Billo’ have become mega hits and have also been sold to Bombay Films. A number of other musicians are also active in evolving styles closely modelled on similar patterns.
Ghazal
Mehdi Hasan
This is essentially a poetic genre which has a strong tradition of singing attached to it. At the time of partition the great exponent of ghazal singing Ustad Barkat Ali Khan was active in Lahore. As the genre received avowed official patronage, a large number of musicians tried their hands at it. Those exclusively known for ghazal singing are Ijaz Hussain Hazravi, Fareeda Khanum, Iqbal Bano and the two great contemporary stylists; Ghulam Ali and Mehdi Hassan. Also known (partly) for ghazal singing are Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Hamid Ali Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Shahida Parveen and Abida Parveen. The genre received a great boost in Pakistan due to the fact that some of the best poets, in the last fifty years, lived in Pakistan.
Classical
The two great sitar players Ustad Sharif Khan and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan are survived by their sons and a few pupils. Another major sitar player is Ustad Rais Khan who migrated from India to settle here after getting married to the film singer Bilquis Khanum. His active career, however, is in singing ghazals in which he is not very prominent but which is a more lucrative pursuit in financial terms.
The major classical singers include Roshan Ara Begum,Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Ghulam Hussain Shaggan, Hamid Ali Fateh Ali and Imtiaz Ali Riaz Ali.