The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the Old City or Inner Lahore, refers to the historic core of Lahore, the capital and largest city of Punjab, Pakistan. The early settlements were established between the 1st and 7th centuries, with Lahore attaining the status of a proper city in 1040 which was fortified throughout the medieval era. The first phase of the project was completed in 2015 with support from the governments of Norway and the United States of America.

History

<!-- Commented out: thumb|250px|Remains of City Wall -->

Founding

The origins of Lahore are vague. According to carbon dating evidence from archaeological finds in the Lahore Fort, settlements in the region have existed as early as 2,000 BCE. Lahore had many names throughout its history. Mohallah Maulian represents one of the two most probable sites of first the original Lahore.

Medieval period

thumb|The [[Neevin Mosque is one of Lahore's few remaining medieval era buildings.]]

Though the modern city's founding may have been as early as 1000 CE, Lahore gained prominence only with the invasion of Muslim rulers from Central Asia. Many of the city's pre-Mughal tombs were built along the perimeter of this outline, including the Data Darbar shrine, the Tomb of Malik Ayaz, and the Aybak tomb. The modern Gumti Bazaar forms an arc along what may have been the southern boundary of the pre-Mughal city. He also laid a pleasure garden south of the Walled City known as Nakhla Bagh, where he also built for himself a baradari.

The Shah Alami Bazaar area was once a largely Hindu quarter of the Walled City, and was the busiest and most densely populated part of the city where sunlight would rarely reach the street below. Rebuilding was done in a contemporary style, rather than the historic style of the rest of the city, in order to widen streets and to create more commercial space. when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendour and opulence. In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its "outstanding repertoire" of Mughal monuments dating from the era when the empire was at its artistic and aesthetic zenith.

Mosques

Badshahi Mosque

thumb|Lahore's [[Badshahi Mosque dates from the late 1600s, and was the last of the grand Mughal imperial mosques to be built.]]

The Badshahi Mosque (, or "Imperial Mosque") is a Mughal era mosque built in 1671-73 that is located west of Lahore Fort, and fronts the fort across the Hazuri Bagh quadrangle. The architecture and design of the Badshahi Masjid is closely related to the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, which was built in 1648 by Aurangzeb's father and predecessor, Shah Jahan.

Badshahi Mosque was commissioned by Emperor Aurangzeb in 1671, with construction of the mosque lasting for two years until 1673. The mosque is an important example of Mughal architecture, with an exterior that is decorated with carved red sandstone with marble inlay. It is the largest and most recent of the grand imperial mosques of the Mughal-era, and is the second-largest mosque in Pakistan.

Wazir Khan Mosque

thumb|upright|[[Wazir Khan Mosque is renowned for its intricate and extensive embellishment.]]

The Wazir Khan Mosque (; Masjid Wazīr <u>Kh</u>ān) is a 17th-century mosque near the Delhi Gate and Chitta Gate that was commissioned during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as part of an ensemble of buildings that also included the nearby Shahi Hammam baths. Construction of Wazir Khan Mosque began in 1634 C.E., and was completed in 1641.

Considered to be the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque, Wazir Khan Mosque is renowned for its intricate faience tile work known as kashi-kari, as well as its interior surfaces that are almost entirely embellished with elaborate Mughal-era frescoes. The mosque has been under extensive restoration since 2009 under the direction of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Government of Punjab, with contributions from the governments of Germany, Norway, and the United States.

Begum Shahi Mosque

The Begum Shahi Mosque () is an early 17th-century mosque that was built between 1611 and 1614 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir in honour of his mother. It is Lahore's earliest surviving example of a Mughal-era mosque, and influenced construction of the larger Wazir Khan Mosque a few decades later.

Sunehri Mosque

thumb|The [[Sunehri Mosque, Lahore|Sunehri Mosque is named for its gilded domes.]]

The Sunheri Mosque (, or Golden Mosque), also known as the Talai Mosque, is a late Mughal architecture-era mosque in Lahore's walled city that is named in honour of its gilded domes. Unlike the Wazir Khan Mosque and Badshahi Mosque which were built at the zenith of the Mughal Empire in the 17th century, the Sunehri Mosque was built in 1753 when the empire was in decline.

During Sikh rule, the mosque was seized by Sikh authorities and converted into a gurdwara, after a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was installed in the mosque following Sikhs complaints that the Muslim call to prayer from the mosque was disturbing their religious ceremonies at a newly constructed baoli (stepped well) nearby.

Neevin Mosque

The Neevin Mosque (), is a 15th-century mosque built during the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. Neevin Mosque is notable for its foundation 25 feet below street level. The mosque is further noted for being one of Lahore's few remaining pre-Mughal monuments.

Gurdwaras

thumb|upright|The [[Samadhi of Ranjit Singh was built next to the iconic Badshahi Mosque.]]

Samadhi of Ranjit Singh

The Samadhi of Ranjit Singh () is a 19th-century shrine that houses the funerary urns of the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh (1780 - 1839). It is located adjacent the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque, as well the Gurdwara Dera Sahib which marks the spot where the 5th guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev, died.

Gurdwara Dera Sahib

thumb|The [[Gurdwara Dera Sahib was built where the 5th Guru of Sikhism is believed to have died in 1606.]]

Gurdwara Dera Sahib () commemorates the spot where the 5th guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev, died in 1606. Construction of the building was started by Kharak Singh on the spot where he was cremated, and was completed by his youngest son, Duleep Singh in 1848. The gurdwara combines elements of Sikh, Hindu, and Islamic architecture. Portions of the building are believed to have been plundered from the adjacent Lahore Fort. The gurdwara is located in the Chuna Mandi Bazaar in the Walled City of Lahore, near the Lahore Fort, and Begum Shahi Mosque. The shrine is located along the Shahi Guzargah, or "Royal Passage" that began at Delhi Gate, and terminated at the Lahore Fort.

Havelis

thumb|upright|The [[Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh is the most notable surviving example of Sikh architecture in Lahore. The haveli is noted for its lavishly decorated western façade, displaying vivid Kangra-style painting. The site has been used as a girls' school since the British colonial-era.

Haveli Agha Gull :

Inside Sheranwala Gate lies Khizri Street. At the end of this lane, around the year 1875, Prince Sultan Muhammad Jamal Durrani, a descendant of Prince Salman Shah—son of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the King of Afghanistan—constructed a mansion, later famously known as Haveli Agha Gull.

Prince Sultan Muhammad Jamal Durrani was himself a distinguished religious scholar. His son, Prince Sultan Ali Durrani (author of Misbah-ul-Hidayat, 1923), was also a scholar and closely related to Prince Ayoob Shah. This haveli also became the residence of Prince Sultan Ahmad Durrani and Ghulam Hussain Qureshi—both of whom were religious figures. Ghulam Hussain Qureshi was notably the teacher of Pakistan's prominent Islamic scholar, Allama Alauddin Siddiqui.

This very haveli was also the childhood home of writer and columnist Qaiser Ali Agha.

(Reference: Azeem Mujahid Ahmad Shah Abdali, p. 158, written by Qaiser Ali Agha)

Today, the main wooden gate of this haveli no longer exists—though a photograph of it has been preserved. The remaining parts of the structure have been replaced by a market. Due to its deep placement within narrow alleys, this historic haveli has largely remained hidden from public attention.

The haveli had five entrances: three from the Khizri neighbourhood. The main entrance was a large wooden gate, above which the following verse was inscribed:

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

لی خَمسۃٌ اُطفی بِہم حَرَّ الجَحیمِ الحاطِمہ

المُصطفی و المُرتضی و ابناہما و الفاطمہ

مکان غلام آل عبا شہزادہ سلطان محمد جمال

The second and third entrances were also located within the same lane, while the second major entrance led to Katri Agha Gull. Near this gate was the home of Fayyaz Pehlwan, also known as Fauji Pehlwan. In the same lane lived a family that published the Holy Quran under the name Al-Mumtaz Company, making this part of Khizri Gali of significant historical value.

Next to the main gate, separate from the haveli, was an area where a well once existed. A two-storey structure was later built on this site. The fifth entrance was from the side of Raratiyaan (near Azam Cloth Market, Lahore).

  • Nisar Haveli
  • Mubarak Haveli
  • Haveli Barood Khana
  • Mubarak Begum Haveli
  • Haveli Agha Gull (Khizri Street Sharanwala Gate)
  • Salman Sirhindi's Haveli
  • Haveli of Dina Nath
  • Chuna Mandi Havelis
  • Fakir Khana Haveli
  • Lal Haveli
  • Haveli Sir Wajid Ali Shah (Near Nisar Haveli)
  • Haveli Mian Khan (Rang Mehal)
  • Haveli Shergharian (Near Lal Khou)

Other landmarks

Royal baths

thumb|The [[Shahi Hammam is known for its extensive collection of Mughal frescoes.]]

The Shahi Hammam (; "Royal Baths"), is a Persian-style bath which was built in 1635 C.E. during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. The Shahi Hammam is noted for its extensive embellishment with Mughal-era frescoes that have recently been restored. The baths were built to serve as a waqf, or endowment, for the maintenance of the Wazir Khan Mosque.

No longer used as a hammam, the baths were restored between 2013 and 2015 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Walled City of Lahore Authority. The restoration project was given an Award of Merit by UNESCO in 2016 for the hammam's successful conservation which returned it to its "former prominence."

Hazuri Bagh Baradari

The Hazuri Bagh Baradari () is a baradari of white marble located in the Hazuri Bagh quadrangle, which forms the space between the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, and the Badshahi Mosque. It was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sikh ruler of Punjab in 1818. The pavilion consisted of two storeys until it was damaged by lightning in 1932.

Fort Road Food Street

thumb|Outlets on the [[Fort Road Food Street specialise in Lahori cuisine.]]

The Fort Road Food Street () is a pedestrianised area located on the Fort Road within the walled city that is dedicated to culinary stalls and restaurants specialising Lahori cuisine. The street has colourful lights and views of Badshahi Mosque and is near the Roshnai Gate

Gates

The Walled City of Lahore once had 13 gates. All survived until the 1857 Uprising when in an effort to de-fortify the city, all but one of the gates were destroyed by the British. Three were rebuilt as simpler structures, while the Delhi Gate, Shah Alami Gate, and Lohari Gate were built in a more elaborate style. The Shah Alami Gate was destroyed during riots following the Partition of British India.

{| class="wikitable" align="center"

! Name

! Picture

! Description

|-

|Bhati Gate <br />

|200px

|The entrance to the "Bhati Gate" is located on the western wall of the old city. The area inside the gate is well known throughout the city for its food. Just outside "Bhati Gate" is the Data Durbar, the mausoleum of the Sufi saint Ali Hajweri - widely considered to be Lahore's patron saint.

|-

|Delhi Gate <br />

|200px

|The "Dehli Gate" was on the road that led from Lahore to Delhi. The gate was built during the Mughal era at the present date Chitta Gate. The present gate was built by the British in the 19th century, further east from the "old Delhi Gate"

|-

|Kashmiri Gate <br />

|200px

|The "Kashmiri Gate" faces the direction of Kashmir.

|-

|Lohari Gate<br />

|200px

|The "Lohari Gate" is very close to "Bhati Gate". The gate is named Lohori because many lohar blacksmith workshops that were based just outside this gate.

|-

|Roshnai Gate <br />

|200px

|The "Roshnai Gate", also known as the "Gate of Lights", is located between the Lahore Fort and the Badshahi Mosque. The gate was one of the main entrances into the city, and was constantly visited by Omerahs, courtiers, royal servants and retinues. In the evenings, the gate was lit up, hence its name. The gate was also referred to as the "Gate of Splendour". It is the only gate that still largely remains in its original state

|-

|Shairanwala Gate <br />

|200px

|The "Shairanwala Gate" ("Lions Gate"), originally known as Khizri Gate,

Historic suburbs

  • Anarkali
  • Shahdara Bagh
  • Mughalpura
  • Baghbanpura

See also

  • Lahore
  • Lahore Fort
  • Badshahi Mosque
  • Suneri Mosque
  • Wazir Khan Mosque
  • Fakir Khana
  • Fort Road, Lahore
  • Fort Road Food Street, a food street in the walled city serving Lahori food
  • Shaheed Ganj Mosque
  • Naulakha Bazaar
  • lunda Bazar

Notes

References

  • The Official Website of "Sustainable Development of Walled City Lahore Project"
  • Lahore Photos and History
  • Walled City Has thirteen gates (archived)
  • Tour of the Walled City
  • Information about the gates & history
  • Travel: Information about the Fort
  • Attractions of Lahore
  • Places to See: The gates of Lahore
  • Aerial Map of Lahore on WikiMapia.org
  • Thirteen Gates of Lahore