This article is about the city.

For other uses, see Lahore (disambiguation).

Lahore
 ‫لہور‬
 ‫الہ ور‬

Megacity

Clockwise from the top:

Badshahi Mosque, Wazir Khan Mosque, Naulakha
Pavilion, Lahore Museum, Shalimar Gardens, Minar-e-
Pakistan, Lahore Fort, Greater Iqbal Park.

Seal

Emblem

Nickname(s): 
The Heart of Pakistan,[1] Paris of the East,[2] City of Gardens,[3] City
of Literature (by UNESCO)[4]

Lahore
Location within Pakistan
Show map of Lahore Show map of Punjab, Pakistan
Show map of Pakistan Show map of Asia Show all
Coordinates:  31°32′59″N 74°20′37″ECoordinates:  31°32′59″
N 74°20′37″E

Country Pakistan
Province Punjab
Division Lahore
District Lahore

Zones 10

Government
 • Type Metropolitan corporation
 • Mayor Mubashar Javed
 • Deputy Commissioner Mudassar Riaz Malik
 • Deputy Mayors 9 Zonal Mayors

Area
[5]

 • Total 1,772 km2 (684 sq mi)

Elevation 217 m (712 ft)

Population
 (2017)[6]
 • Total 11,126,285
 • Rank 2nd (Pakistan); 26th (World)
 • Density 6,300/km2 (16,000/sq mi)

Demonym(s) Lahori, Lahorite

 Time zone UTC+5 (PKT)

Postal code 54000

Dialing code 042[7]

GDP/PPP $84 billion (2019)[8][9]

Website lahore.punjab.gov.pk

Lahore (/ləˈhɔːr/; Urdu: ‫;الہ ور‬ pronounced [lɑːˈɦɔːɾ] ( listen); Punjabi: ‫;لہور‬ pronounced [lɔ̀ːɾᵊ]) is the capital

of the Pakistani province of Punjab and is the country's 2nd largest city after Karachi, as well as
the 26th largest city in the world.[10] Lahore is one of Pakistan's wealthiest cities with an estimated
GDP (PPP) of $84 billion as of 2019.[8][9] It is the largest city and historic cultural centre of the
wider Punjab region,[11][12][13][14] and is one of Pakistan's most socially liberal,[15] progressive,
[16]
 and cosmopolitan cities.[17]
Lahore's origins reach into antiquity. The city has been controlled by numerous empires throughout
the course of its history, including the Hindu Shahis, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, and Delhi Sultanate by
the medieval era. Lahore reached the height of its splendour under the Mughal Empire between the
late 16th and early 18th century and served as its capital city for many years. The city was captured
by the forces of the Afsharid ruler Nader Shah in 1739, then fell into a period of decay while being
contested between the Afghans and the Sikhs. Lahore eventually became the capital of the Sikh
Empire in the early 19th century and regained some of its lost grandeur. [18] Lahore was then annexed
to the British Empire, and made capital of British Punjab.[19] Lahore was central to the independence
movements of both India and Pakistan, with the city being the site of both the declaration of Indian
Independence, and the resolution calling for the establishment of Pakistan. It experienced some of
the worst rioting during the Partition period preceding Pakistan's independence. [20] Following the
success of the Pakistan Movement and subsequent independence in 1947, Lahore was declared the
capital of Pakistan's Punjab province.
Lahore exerts a strong cultural influence over Pakistan. [11] It is a UNESCO City of Literature and
major center for Pakistan's publishing industry; Laore remains the foremost center of Pakistan's
literary scene. The city is also a major centre of education in Pakistan, [21] with some of Pakistan's
leading universities based in the city.[22] For many years, Lahore was home to Pakistan's film
industry, Lollywood, though in recent years most filming has shifted to Karachi. Lahore is a major
centre of Qawwali music.[23] The city also hosts much of Pakistan's tourist industry,[23][24] with major
attractions including the Walled City, the famous Badshahi and Wazir Khan mosques, as well as
several Sikh and Sufi shrines. Lahore is also home to the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens, both
of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[24]

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
o 2.1Early
o 2.2Medieval Era
 2.2.1Ghaznavid
 2.2.2Mamluk
 2.2.3Tughluq
 2.2.4Late Sultanates
o 2.3Mughals
  2.3.1Early Mughal
 2.3.2Akbar
 2.3.3Jahangir
 2.3.4Shah Jahan
 2.3.5Aurangzeb
 2.3.6Late Mughal
o 2.4Durrani Empire
o 2.5Sikh
 2.5.1Early
 2.5.2Sikh Empire
 2.5.3Late
o 2.6British colonial period
o 2.7Partition
o 2.8Modern
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
 4Demographics
o 4.1Population
o 4.2Religion
o 4.3Languages
 5Cityscape
o 5.1Old City
o 5.2Architecture
 5.2.1Sikh period
 5.2.2British period
o 5.3Parks and gardens
 6Economy
 7Transport
o 7.1Public transportation
 7.1.1Metro Bus
o 7.2Metro Train
 7.2.1Orange Line
 7.2.2Blue Line
 7.2.3Purple Line
o 7.3Taxi and Rickshaw
o 7.4Urban (LOV) Wagon / Mini Bus
o 7.5Intercity transportation
 7.5.1Railways
 7.5.2Buses
o 7.6Airports
o 7.7Roads
 8Government
o 8.1Metropolitan Corporation
 8.1.1Mayor
o 8.2Neighbourhoods
o 8.3Politics
 9Festivals
 10Tourism
o 10.1Cuisine
 o 10.2Religious sites
o 10.3Museums
o 10.4Tombs
o 10.5Shrines
o 10.6Samadhis
o 10.7Havelis
o 10.8Other landmarks
o 10.9Historic neighbourhoods
 11Education
 12Sports
 13Twin towns and sister cities
 14Awards
 15See also
 16References
o 16.1Bibliography
 17External links

Etymology[edit]
Main article: Etymology of Lahore
The origin of Lahore's name is unclear. Lahore's name had been recorded by early Muslim
historians Luhawar, Lūhār, and Rahwar.[25] The Iranian Polymath and Geographer, Abu Rayhan Al-
Biruni, referred to the city as Luhāwar in his 11th century work, Qanun,[25] while the poet Amir
Khusrow, who lived during the Delhi Sultanate, recorded the city's name as Lāhanūr.[26] Yaqut al-
Hamawi records the city's name as Lawhūr, mentioning that it's famously known as Lahāwar. [27]
One theory suggests that Lahore's name is a corruption of the word Ravāwar, as R to L shifts are
common in languages derived from Sanskrit.[28] Ravāwar is the simplified pronunciation of the
name Iravatyāwar - a name possibly derived from the Ravi River, known as the Iravati River in
the Vedas.[28][29] Another theory suggests the city's name may derive from the word Lohar, meaning
"blacksmith."[30]
According to Hindu legend,[31][32] Lahore's name derives from Lavpur or Lavapuri ("City of Lav"),[33] and
is said to have been founded by Prince Lav,[34] the son of Sita and Rama. The same account
attributes the founding of nearby Kasur, which was actually founded by Afghans in the Mughal
period,[35] to his twin brother Kush.[36]

History[edit]
Main articles: History of Lahore and Timeline of Lahore

Early[edit]
Main article: Origins of Lahore
The Lava Temple at the Lahore Fort dates from the Sikh period,[37] and is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lava

No definitive records exist to elucidate Lahore's earliest history, and Lahore's ambiguous early
history has given rise to various theories about its establishment and history. Hindu legend states
that Keneksen, the founder of the Great Suryavansha dynasty, is believed to have migrated out from
the city.[38] Early records of Lahore are scant, but Alexander the Great's historians make no mention
of any city near Lahore's location during his invasion in 326 BCE, suggesting the city had not been
founded by that point or was unimportant. [39]
Ptolemy mentions in his Geographia a city called Labokla situated near the Chenab and Ravi
Rivers which may have been in reference to ancient Lahore, or an abandoned predecessor of the
city.[40] Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang gave a vivid description of a large and prosperous unnamed city
when he visited the region in 630 CE that may have been Lahore. [41]
The first document that mentions Lahore by name is the Hudud al-'Alam ("The Regions of the
World"), written in 982 CE[42] in which Lahore is mentioned as a town which had "impressive temples,
large markets and huge orchards."[43][44]
Few other references to Lahore remain from before its capture by the Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud of
Ghazni in the 11th century. Lahore appears to have served as the capital of Punjab during this time
under Anandapala of the Kabul Shahi empire, who had moved the capital there from Waihind.[45] The
capital would later be moved to Sialkot following Ghaznavid incursions.[41]

Medieval Era[edit]
Main article: Early Muslim period in Lahore
Ghaznavid[edit]

The Data Darbar shrine, one of Pakistan's most important, was built to commemorate the patron saint of
Lahore, Ali Hujwiri, who lived in the city during the Ghaznavid era in the 11th century.

Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni captured Lahore on an uncertain date, but under Ghaznavid rule, Lahore
emerged effectively as the empire's second capital. [41] In 1021, Sultan Mahmud appointed Malik
Ayaz to the Throne of Lahore—a governorship of the Ghaznavid Empire. The city was captured by
Nialtigin, the rebellious Governor of Multan, in 1034, although his forces were expelled by Malik
Ayaz in 1036.[46]
With the support of Sultan Ibrahim Ghaznavi, Malik Ayaz rebuilt and repopulated the city which had
been devastated after the Ghaznavid invasion. Ayaz erected city walls and a masonry fort built in
1037–1040 on the ruins of the previous one, [47] which had been demolished during the Ghaznavid
invasion. A confederation of Hindu princes then unsuccessfully laid siege to Lahore in 1043-44
during Ayaz' rule.[41] The city became a cultural and academic centre, renowned for poetry under
Malik Ayaz' reign.[48][49]
Lahore was formally made the eastern capital of the Ghaznavid empire in 1152, [18] under the reign
of Khusrau Shah.[50] The city then became the sole capital of the Ghaznavid empire in 1163 after the
fall of Ghazni.[51] The entire city of Lahore during the medieval Ghaznavid era was probably located
west of the modern Shah Alami Bazaar, and north of the Bhatti Gate.[18]
Mamluk[edit]
In 1187, the Ghurids invaded Lahore,[41] ending Ghaznavid rule over Lahore. Lahore was made
capital of the Mamluk Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate following the assassination of Muhammad of
Ghor in 1206. Under the reign of Mamluk sultan Qutbu l-Din Aibak, Lahore attracted poets and
scholars from as far away as Turkestan, Greater Khorasan, Persia, and Mesopotamia. Lahore at this
time had more poets writing in Persian than any city in Persia or Khorasan. [52][53]
Following the death of Aibak, Lahore came to be disputed among Ghurid officers. The city first came
under the control of the Governor of Multan, Nasir ad-Din Qabacha, before being briefly captured by
the sultan of the Mamluks in Delhi, Iltutmish, in 1217.[41]
In an alliance with local Khokhars in 1223, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu of the Khwarazmian dynasty of
modern-day Uzbekistan captured Lahore after fleeing Genghis Khan's invasion of Khwarazm.[41] Jalal
ad-Din's then fled from Lahore to capture the city of Uch Sharif after Iltutmish's armies re-captured
Lahore in 1228.[41]
The threat of Mongol invasions and political instability in Lahore caused future Sultans to regard
Delhi as a safer capital for medieval Islamic India, [54] though Delhi had before been considered a
forward base, while Lahore had been widely considered to be the centre of Islamic culture in the
subcontinent.[54]
Lahore came under progressively weaker central rule under Iltutmish's descendants in Delhi - to the
point that governors in the city acted with great autonomy. [41] Under the rule of Kabir Khan Ayaz,
Lahore was virtually independent from the Delhi Sultanate. [41] Lahore was sacked and ruined by the
Mongol army in 1241.[55] Lahore governor Malik Ikhtyaruddin Qaraqash fled the Mongols, [56] while the
Mongols held the city for a few years under the rule of the Mongol chief Toghrul.[54]
In 1266, Sultan Balban reconquered Lahore, but in 1287 under the Mongol ruler Temür Khan,[54] the
Mongols again overran northern Punjab. Because of Mongol invasions, Lahore region had become a
city on a frontier, with the region's administrative centre shifted south to Dipalpur.[41] The Mongols
again invaded northern Punjab in 1298, though their advance was eventually stopped by Ulugh
Khan, brother of Sultan Alauddin Khalji of Delhi.[54] The Mongols again attacked Lahore in 1305.[57]
Tughluq[edit]
Lahore briefly flourished again under the reign of Ghazi Malik of the Tughluq dynasty between 1320
and 1325, though the city was again sacked in 1329, by Tarmashirin of the Central Asian Chagatai
Khanate, and then again by the Mongol chief Hülechü. [41] Khokhars seized Lahore in 1342,[58] but the
city was retaken by Ghazi Malik's son, Muhammad bin Tughluq.[41] The weakened city then fell into
obscurity and was captured once more by the Khokhars in 1394. [46] By the time Tamerlane captured
the city in 1398 from Shayka Khokhar, he did not loot it because it was no more wealthy. [38]
Late Sultanates[edit]
The Neevin Mosque is one of Lahore's few remaining medieval era buildings.

Timur gave control of the Lahore region to Khizr Khan, Governor of Multan, who later established
the Sayyid dynasty in 1414 – the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.[59] Lahore was briefly
occupied by the Timurid Governor of Kabul in 1432–33.[54] Lahore began to be incurred upon yet
again the Khokhar tribe, and so the city was granted to Bahlul Lodi in 1441 by the Sayyid dynasty in
Delhi, though Lodi would then displace the Sayyids in 1451 by establishing himself upon the throne
of Delhi.[41]
Bahlul Lodi installed his cousin, Tatar Khan, to be governor of the city, though Tatar Khan died in
battle with Sikandar Lodi in 1485.[60] Governorship of Lahore was transferred by Sikandar Lodi to
Umar Khan Sarwani, who quickly left the management of this city to his son Said Khan Sarwani.
Said Khan was removed from power in 1500 by Sikandar Lodi, and Lahore came under the
governorship of Daulat Khan Lodi, son of Tatar Khan and former employer of Guru Nanak – founder
of the Sikh faith.[60]

Mughals[edit]
Main article: Mughal period in Lahore

Badshahi Mosque
 

Lahore Fort
 
 

Tomb of Jahangir
 

Shahi Hammam

Lahore's Wazir Khan Mosque is considered to be the most ornately decorated Mughal-era mosque. [61]
The Begum Shahi Mosque was completed in 1614 in honour of Jahangir's mother, Mariam-uz-Zamani.

Early Mughal[edit]
Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, captured Lahore in 1524 after being invited to invade
by Daulat Khan Lodi, the Lodi governor of Lahore.[41] The city became a refuge to Humayun and his
cousin Kamran Mirza when Sher Shah Suri rose in power on the Gangetic Plains, displacing Mughal
power. Sher Shah Suri continued to rise in power, and seized Lahore in 1540, though Humayun
reconquered Lahore in February 1555. [41] The establishment of Mughal rule eventually led to the
most prosperous era of Lahore's history.[41] Lahore's prosperity and central position has yielded more
Mughal-era monuments in Lahore than either Delhi or Agra.[62]
By the time of the rule of the Mughal empire's greatest emperors, a majority of Lahore's residents did
not live within the walled city itself but instead lived in suburbs that had spread outside of the city's
walls.[18] Only 9 of the 36 urban quarters around Lahore, known as guzars, were located within the
city's walls during the Akbar period.[18] During this period, Lahore was closely tied to smaller market
towns known as qasbahs, such as Kasur and Eminabad, as well as Amritsar, and Batala in modern-
day India, which in turn, linked to supply chains in villages surrounding each qasbah.[18]
Akbar[edit]
Beginning in 1584, Lahore became the Mughal capital when Akbar began re-fortifying the city's
ruined citadel, laying the foundations for the revival of the Lahore Fort.[18] Akbar made Lahore one of
his original twelve subah provinces,[18] and in 1585–86 relegated governorship of the city
and subah to Bhagwant Das, brother of Mariam-uz-Zamani, who was commonly known
as Jodhabhai.[63]
Akbar also rebuilt the city's walls, and extended their perimeter east of the Shah Alami bazaar to
encompass the sparsely populated Rarra Maidan.[18] The Akbari Mandi grain market was set up
during this era, and continues to function until the present-day. [18] Akbar also established
the Dharampura neighbourhood in the early 1580s, which survives today. [64] The earliest of Lahore's
many havelis date from the Akbari era.[18] Lahore's Mughal monuments were built under Akbar's reign
of several emperors,[18] and Lahore reached its cultural zenith during this period, with dozens of
mosques, tombs, shrines, and urban infrastructure developed during this period.
Jahangir[edit]
During the reign of Emperor Jahangir in the early 17th century, Lahore's bazaars were noted to be
vibrant, frequented by foreigners, and stocked with a wide array of goods. [18] In 1606, Jehangir's rebel
son Khusrau Mirza laid siege to Lahore after obtaining the blessings of the Sikh Guru Arjan Dev.
[65]
 Jehangir quickly defeated his son at Bhairowal, and the roots of Mughal-Sikh animosity grew.
[65]
 Sikh Guru Arjan Dev was executed in Lahore in 1606 for his involvement in the rebellion.
[66]
 Emperor Jahangir chose to be buried in Lahore, and his tomb was built in Lahore's Shahdara
Bagh suburb in 1637 by his wife Nur Jahan, whose tomb is also nearby.
Shah Jahan[edit]
Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan reigned between 1628 and 1658 and 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.[67] 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. The population of pre-modern Lahore
probably reached its zenith during his reign, with suburban districts home to perhaps 6 times as
many compared to within the Walled City.[18]
Aurangzeb[edit]

The iconic Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort was built in 1674, and faces Aurangzeb's Badshahi Mosque.

Shah Jahan's son, and last of the great Mughal Emperors, Aurangzeb, further contributed to the
development of Lahore. Aurangzeb built the Alamgiri Bund embankment along the Ravi River in
1662 in order to prevent its shifting course from threatening the city's walls. [18] The area near the
embankment grew into a fashionable locality, with several pleasure gardens laid near the band by
Lahore's gentry.[18] The largest of Lahore's Mughal monuments was raised during his reign,
the Badshahi Mosque in 1673, as well as the iconic Alamgiri gate of the Lahore Fort in 1674.[68]
Late Mughal[edit]

The Sunehri Mosque was built in the Walled City of Lahore in the early 18th century, when the Mughal
Empire was in decline.

Civil wars regarding succession to the Mughal throne following Aurangzeb's death in 1707 lead to
weakening control over Lahore from Delhi, and a prolonged period of decline in Lahore.[69] Mughal
preoccupation with the Marathas in the Deccan eventually resulted in Lahore being governed by a
series of governors who pledged nominal allegiance to the ever weaker Mughal emperors in Delhi. [18]
Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I died en route to Lahore as part of a campaign in 1711 to subdue
Sikh rebels under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur.[41] His sons fought a battle outside Lahore
in 1712 for succession to the Mughal crown, with Jahandar winning the throne.[41] Sikh rebels were
defeated during the reign of Farrukhsiyar when Abd as-Samad and Zakariyya Khan suppressed
them.[41]
Nader Shah's brief invasion of the Mughal Empire in early 1739 wrested control away from Zakariya
Khan Bahadur. Though Khan was able to win back control after the Persian armies had left, [41] Nader
Shah's invasion shifted trade routes away from Lahore, and south towards Kandahar instead.
[18]
 Indus ports near the Arabian Sea that served Lahore also silted up during this time, reducing the
city's importance even further. [18]
Struggles between Zakariyya Khan's sons following his death in 1745 further weakened Muslim
control over Lahore, thus leaving the city in a power vacuum, and vulnerable to foreign marauders. [70]

Durrani Empire[edit]
Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of the Afghan Durrani Empire, captured Lahore in January 1748,
[41]
 Following Ahmed Shah Durrani's quick retreat, the Mughals entrusted Lahore to Mu’īn al-Mulk Mir
Mannu.[41] Ahmad Shah Durrani again invaded in 1751, forcing Mir Mannu into signing a treaty that
submitted Lahore to Afghan rule.[41] The Mughal Wazīr Ghazi Din Imad al-Mulk would seize Lahore in
1756, provoking Ahmad Shah Durrani to again invade in 1757, after which he placed the city under
the rule of his son, Timur Shah Durrani.[41]
Durrani rule was interrupted when Lahore was briefly captured by Marathas in 1758 during
their campaigns against the Afghans, under Raghunathrao, who drove out the Afghans,[71] while a
combined Sikh-Maratha defeated an Afghan assault in the 1759 Battle of Lahore.[72] Following
the Third Battle of Panipat, Ahmad Shah Durrani crushed the Marathas and recaptured Lahore, Sikh
forces quickly occupied the city after the Durranis withdrew from the city. [41] The Durranis invaded two
more times, while the Sikhs would re-occupy the city after both invasions. [41]