Lahore

History:

Lahore is the capital city of the province of Punjab, the second largest metropolitan area in Pakistan and the 18th most populous city in the world. It is an important historical centre in South Asia. With a rich history dating back over a millennium, Lahore is a main cultural centre of the Punjab region and Pakistan, and is the largest Punjabi city in the world. Lahore remains an economic, political, transportation, entertainment, and educational hub of Pakistan.

Importance:

Lahore is referred to as the cultural heart of Pakistan as it hosts most of the arts, cuisine, festivals, music, film-making, gardening and intelligentsia of the country. The city has always been a centre for publications where 80% of Pakistan's books are published, and it remains the foremost centre of literary, educational and cultural activity in Pakistan.

Places:

The City also has various historical places. Some of them are given below.
  • Badshahi Mosque
  • Minar-e-Pakistan
  • Sheesh Mahal
  • Tomb of Jahangir
  • Shahi Qila

Badshahi Mosque:

The Badshahi Mosque or "Emperor's Mosque" was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of the city's best known landmarks and a major tourist attraction epitomising the beauty and grandeur of the Mughal era.
Capable of accommodating over 55,000 worshippers, Badshahi is the second largest mosque in Pakistan, after the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. The design of the Badshahi Masjid is closely related to the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, which was built in 1648 by Aurangzeb's father, Emperor Shah Jahan.
Badshahi Masjid is one of the famous locations where Qari Basit (1927-88), a widely acclaimed Egyptian Qur'anic Recitor, recited the Qur'an.

Minar-e-Pakistan:

Minar-i-Pakistan is one of the most important national monuments of the country. The site where the Minar-e-Pakistan is built is the exact place where the historic Pakistan Resolution was passed in 1940. The Minar expresses the spirit of that movement. It is one of the few additions to a conglomeration of old monumental structures that are in Lahore that were mostly built by Mughals. The base of the structure takes the shape of a five point star and is enclosed within crescent shaped pools. The overall height is approximately sixty meters and the entire structure is constructed of reinforced concrete and furbished with stone and marble walls and floors.
Minar-e-Pakistan is basically a public monument which is located in Iqbal Park Lahore. It is a beautiful place for the tourists and was constructed during 1960's.
This is a Symbol of Freedom for the brave nation of Pakistan. After the period of eight years it was completed in 1968. The Total height of the minar is 92 meters. The Park around the monument provides the eye catching view to the tourists.

Sheesh Mahal:

Sheesh Mahal Lahore is another master art of the Mughal period and is located within the Shah Burg bock in the northern western corner of the Lahore fort. The quality mirror work is the beautiful and amazing thing to watch.
It was constructed during the period of Shah Jahan and was built by the famous architect of the Mughals. In 1981 it was included in Unesco World heritage.

Tomb of Jahangir:

Lahore is full of beautiful and historic places. Among these places Tomb of Jahangir Lahore is an eye catching place. It was built for the Mughal Empire Jahangir.
His son Shah Jahan built the mausoleum after the ten years of his father death. The Tomb contains four 30 meters high Minarets.

Shahi Qila:

The Shahi qila which is locally called by the people is a very beautiful place to visit. It is situated in North West corner of the Lahore city. The Mughal Emperor Akbar laid the foundation of this Lahore fort.
The Fort has two gates one is alamgiri gate and the other is called maseeti gate. Overall it provides an amazing view and attracts the tourists.