If you are thinking of traveling to Pakistan, Lahore will definitely be on your top of the list because there. During the colonial period, the city is full of beautiful architecture, where interesting museums have been set up to acquaint you with the country’s past. The Walled City Lahore was renovated in 2014 and is famous for its presence of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Lahore remains a major tourist destination in Pakistan. It is the largest city and historical-cultural center of the vast region of Punjab. Lahore has a strong Pakistani culture influence. It is a major hub for Pakistan’s publishing industry, and one of the most prominent centers of Pakistan’s literary scene. The city is also a major center of education in Pakistan, along with some of Pakistan’s leading universities in the city.
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10 Best Places To Visit In Lahore
There is a lot of things to do in Lahore, Pakistan: great museums, amazing mosques and impressive public parks. So here is our guide to the best places to visit in Lahore.
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1. Badshahi Mosque:
Badshahi Mosque is a Mughal-era mosque in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province. The mosque is located on the outskirts of Walled City Lahore, west of Lahore Fort, and is widely regarded as one of Lahore’s most famous landmarks. This mosque can hold around 100,000 people for worshiping in a single prayer session.
Emperor Aurangzeb was built The Badshahi Mosque in 1671. The construction of this mosque continued for two years till 1673. The mosque is an important example of Mughal architecture, with the exterior decorated with marble carvings. It is the largest mosque in the Mughal era, and the second largest in Pakistan. After the fall of the Mughal Empire, the mosque was used as a palace by the Sikh Empire and the British Empire, and is now one of the most prominent landmarks in Pakistan.
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2. Lahore Fort (شاہی قلعہ):
Near the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque, you will find a security line that will take you to Lahore Fort. Shahi Qila or Lahore Fort is an amazing and kind of Mughal structure. The historic palace of this period was built in the 11th century by the legendary Mahmud of Ghazni. It measures 1400 feet by 1115 feet and the Palace of Mirrors (Sheesh Mahal) is one of the most visited palaces in Lahore Fort. It was rebuilt, destroyed, demolished, rebuilt and restored several times before being given its present form by Emperor Akbar in 1566.
This extensive compound is a treat for all art lovers who immersed in the beauty of various gardens, palaces, halls, mosques and other such buildings and structures located inside the Lahore Fort.
- Shah Burj Quadrangle
- Naulakha Pavilion
- Picture Wall
- Sheesh Mahal
- Summer Palace
- Khilwat Khana
- Kala Burj
- Lal Burj
- Shah Jahan’s Quadrangle
- Diwan-i-Khas
- The Khwabgah of Shah Jahan
- Jahangir’s Quadrangle
- Diwan-i-Aam
- Kharak Singh Haveli
- The Khwabgah of Jahangir
- Sehdari pavilion
- Maktab Khana
- Moti Masjid
- Akbari Gate
- Alamgiri Gate
- Naag Temple
- Mai Jindan Haveli
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3. Shalamar Gardens:
Shalimar Bagh, also famous as a Shalimar Garden, is the Mughal Bagh complex located in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was built by Mughal King Shah Jahan in 1642 in Lahore. In 1981, along with Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Shah Jahan had planned this garden on the occasion of the completion of the canal which brought water from the Ravi River to Lahore. It was neatly designed, with a tracing, a temple, a wide canal, a fountain and a fine tank with a marble platform in the middle. The Shalamar Gardens have the most extensive waterworks of any Mughal garden. It has 410 fountains, which flow into the vast marble ponds.
4. Minar-e-Pakistan:
A Pakistani national monument ‘Minar-e-Pakistan’ located in Lahore, Pakistan. This tower was built between 1960 and 1968 where the All India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940. Minar-e-Pakistan is 203 feet high. It was designed by Naseeruddin Murad Khan.
You can climb the minaret through the elevator or stairs. The base is shaped like a flower. There is also a large park around the tower. Kite flying is an important event in this field. The other main building around it is Badshahi Masjid, Shahi Qila and Allama Iqbal tomb.
Minar-e-Pakistan, for some time, named a ‘Yadgar-e-Pakistan’. This resolution helped in the emergence of an independent Pakistani state in 1947. The tower reflects a combination of Mughal / Islamic and modern architecture.
5. Lahore Museum:
On the Quaid-e-Azam Highway stands the magnificent red brick building of the Lahore Museum, formerly known as the Mall. Adjacent to the old tradition of Mughal architecture, the Lahore Museum stands in a structure built in Lahore during the British period (1849-1947).
The Lahore Museum is Pakistan’s most visited and famous museum. It is one of the most important museums in South Asia. The Museum also has collections from the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire
- Greco-Buddhist sculptures
- Mughal paintings
- Indus Valley civilization
- Pahari paintings
- Gandhara civilization
- Graeco-Bactrian periods
- The Fasting Buddha
- Musical instruments
- Ancient jewelry
These collections attract research scholars, students and tourists from all over the world and form a unique part of the cultural history of the subcontinent. The history of the regions outside the subcontinent has also been revived here.
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6. Lahore Zoo:
Near Bagh-e-Jinnah, the Lahore Zoo is one of the oldest zoos on the subcontinent. It is the largest zoo in Pakistan. It is currently managed by the Department of Forests, Wildlife and Fisheries, Government of Pakistan. Today the zoo has a collection of 1378 animals of 135 species.
The Lahore Zoo was handed over to the Wildlife and Parks Department in 1982. From 1872 to 1982, it remained a small entity with very little progress. Lahore zoo has a broad collection of tourists areas and attractions such as
- Fancy Birds Aviary
- Lion House
- Elephant House (SUZI)
- Monkey House
- Chimpanzee House
- Waterfowl Lake
- Reptile House
- Walk-through Aviary
- Chimpanzee Island
- Urial hillock
- Exotic flora
- Safari park
7. Jahangir’s Tomb:
Jahangir’s tomb is a 17th-century mausoleum built for the Mughal emperor Jahangir. The mausoleum dates back to 1637 and is located on the banks of the Ravi River in Shahdara Bagh, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. This area was the favorite destination of Jahangir and his wife Noor Jahan. When they were residing in Lahore, and this area was commonly used as a place to go to and from Kashmir and Lahore. When Jahangir died in 1627, he was initially buried in Shahdara.
Jahangir’s son Shah Jahan built the mausoleum after 10 years of his father’s death. The mausoleum is a masterpiece of art and architecture and is a beautiful ornament of historic Lahore. It is considered to be the most beautiful Mughal building after the Taj Mahal in Agra.
8. Wazir Khan Mosque:
Mosque Wazir Khan was built by Sheikh Allauddin Ansari t in 1634, Viceroy of Punjab under Shah Jahan. The mosque started during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as part of a series of buildings that included the nearby royal baths. Construction of the Wazir Khan Mosque began in 1634 CE, and completed in 1641.
Since Islam is the state religion of the country, and the former ruler was a Muslim Mughal emperor, there are many mosques in the subcontinent but this is the most beautiful places to visit in Lahore. The distinguishing architectural feature of the mosque is the use of minarets at its four corners. Mostly part of the mosques built of cut and clothed bricks, decorated with decorated tiles.
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9. Wagah Border:
The city of Wagah is famous for the Wagah Border Festival and also serves as a transit terminal and railway station for Pakistan. A unique event in the world is celebrated before every sunset in Wagah on the Pak-India border near Lahore. The border is 24 km from Lahore and 32 km from Amritsar. It is also 3 km away from the adjoining village of Attari.
Bringing down the flag ceremony at the Wagah border is a daily military exercise conducted jointly by Pakistani and Indian security forces since 1959. The features of this exercise are wide and fast dance-like tactics and lifting as many legs as possible.
10. Eiffel Tower Replica:
The Eiffel Tower replica is located in Lahore. Copying the Eiffel Tower and arranging yourself to visit Tourist attraction in Lahore. The third-largest Eiffel Tower located in Bahria Town Lahore after Paris and China. The real surprise in Paris.
The height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is 300 meters. The second one in China is 100 meters high and here in Bahria Town, we have the third one which is 80 meters high. The minaret is about 100 feet taller than Pakistan (considered the tallest tower in Lahore). The people have celebrated the New Year at the Eiffel Tower and have just opened it.
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