Lahore, City of Garden

Lahore is a beautiful city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Pakistan is a land full of conflicts, controversy and a unique characteristics. When I was working in Karachi, I never had any opportunity to visit Lahore due to a busy schedule, even during a weekend (Sunday Bazaar of Karachi not to be missed). However, during 1 of my official trip back to Pakistan in 2011, I made an effort to take a local flight from Karachi to Lahore in October 2011. It was a very short trip, 3 days 2 nights. 

Lahore is known in ancient time as lavapuri @ City of Lava, founded by Prince Lava, the son of Rama, the Hindu deity. It was called as City of Learning during Delhi Sultanate period. If Karachi is being called as City of Lights, Lahore is well known as City of Garden, at present, being the 2nd largest city in Pakistan (no. 30 in the world). In 2008, a dear friend that I called chotta bhai (younger brother) used to impress me with stories of his city that he would not trade with any other place in the world as it is the safest place, calm, serene and a reflection of a heaven on earth. He said to me “come to Lahore BB (elder sister), my whole family is waiting for you”. However, when I put a night at PC Lahore with list of places to visit, he was in Moscow for business trip. The PC Hotel arranged my tour within the city up to Waqah Border and I split the journal of Lahore into 6 entries.

Lahore has been a center of cultural heritage for many civilizations. It successively served as regional capital of the empires of the Shahi kingdoms in the 11th century, the Ghaznavids in the 12th century, the Ghurid State in the 12th and 13th century, the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, the Sikh expansion in the early 19th century, and it was the capital of the Punjab region under the British Raj in the mid 19th and early 20th century. Being a traditional capital of Punjab for a thousand years, Lahore was the cultural center of the northern part of the subcontinent which extends from the eastern banks of the Indus River to New Delhi. Mughal structures such as the Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens, and the mausolea of Jehangir and Nur Jehan are popular tourist attractions for the city. Lahore is also home to many British colonial structures built in the Mughal-Gothic style, such as the Lahore High Court, the General Post Office, Lahore Museum and many older universities including the University of the Punjab. The Lahore Zoo, thought to be the fourth oldest zoo in the world, is also situated here.

It’s a pitiful that I missed out a visit to Shalimar garden and the Lahore Zoo due to hectic schedule and  a rush to catches a plane back to Karachi, late Sunday evening.

In the first entry of the blog, I wish to share some photo shoots of beautiful girls of Pakistani. They are all very shy with camera. As they are too pretty to be ignored, I had to sneak taking their pictures which are really colorful. It was Sunday, these pretty girls with their bright and colorful Salwar Kamees have brighten up a beautiful day in Badshahi Mosque. None of them wishes to have eye contact with my Nikon.

They were unable to escape my camera when we were cramped inside the golden Quran area, paying respect while a prayer being offered by golden Quran caretaker.

Finally, 1 of them was looking into my direction! Thank you pretty girl! Your golden Salwar Kamees really matches your strapless shoe and head scarf.

I found this 2 lovely ladies, working in Waqah Border who were more than willing when I asked them to give me a pose.

I wish to state that Pakistani ladies are all very pretty with their mix blood heritage of the natives, the Persian, the Moguls, the whites, the Aryans etc. I feel lacking in many ways :(