THE CITY OF BRICKS!!!! WALLED CITY

The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the "Old City," or "Anderoon Shehr “ is the section of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, that was surrounded by a city wall during the Mughal era. Lahore city is a huge touristic attraction. It comprises of 13 gates, out of which Bhati Gate, Delhi Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Lahori Gate, Roshnai Gate, Shairwala Gate are surviving and Akbari Gate Masti Gate, Mochi Gate, Mori Gate,, Shahalmi Gate, Taxali Gate, and Yakki Gate unfortunately, no longer exist. The reasons for this non-existence are sketchy. I know for sure that the Yakki Gate fell because of the war, but I am not sure about the others.

Moving on, the Walled city boasts many attractions. Amongst the popular ones are the Lahore fort, the Badshahi Masjid, Wazir Khan Mosque Data Durbar Complex and a few Havelies.

Lahore Fort

First stop is the Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila citadel of the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern corner of Lahore, adjacent to the Walled City. Some of the famous sites within the fort are Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate, Naulakha pavilion, and Moti Masjid. The fort is 1,400 feet long and 1,115 feet wide. In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Shalamar Gardens.

Badshahi Mosque

The Badshahi Masjid or the Emperor's Masjid, 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 epitomizing the beauty and grandeur of the era. Capable of accommodating over 55,000 worshipers, it is the second largest Masjid in Pakistan, after the Faisal Masjid in Islamabad. 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, emperor Shah Jahan.

Wazir khan Mosque

The Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, is famous for its extensive faience tile work. It has been described as "a mole on the cheek of Lahore." It was built in seven years, starting around 1634-1635 A.D., during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan. It was built by Shaikh Ilm-ud-din Ansari, a native of Chiniot, who rose to be the court physician to Shah Jahan and later, the Governor of Lahore. He was commonly known as Wazir Khan (the word wazir means "minister" in Urdu language). The Masjid is located inside the Inner City and is easiest accessed from Delhi Gate.

Data Durbar

Data Durbar is the tomb of Hazrat Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al-Hajweri, the famous Sufi saint of South Asia, where hundreds of thousands of people come each year to pay their respects and to say their prayers. It is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The large complex also includes Jamia Hajveria, or Hajveri Masjid.

Beautiful as these sights are, continuously under threat from factors such deterioration through encroachments, lack of awarenes and acid rains. The Punjab government has done very little to counter this. It is very sad when one finds graffiti scribbled on the fort walls.