Lahore is a district of province Punjab, Pakistan. It is situated in the north-east part of Punjab province, near the Indian border. The district’s headquarters is Lahore City, which is considered the 2nd populated city after Karachi, among all other Pakistan cities. It is also 32nd populous city of the world.
The total area of the district is 684 square miles (1772 square kilometres). The region’s population contained six hundred and 32 thousands of inhabitants, recorded in Pakistan’s 1998 census. It is the wealthiest city of Pakistan, having an estimated budget of fifty-eight billion dollars (2014).
Moreover, it is considered the centre of historical culture in Punjab’s region ruled by different rulers from Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi followed by Lodhis, Sikhs, Dehli Sultanate, Mughals and British Raj till the independence of Pakistan. It is also a centre of Lollywood, Qawali Music Centre and film industry of Pakistan.
The city also contains many historical and attraction places such as Badshahi Mosque, Shalimar Gardens, Walled City, Lahore Forte and Wazir Khan Mosque. This article carries every detail about the city, including Lahore History.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Location: | Pakistan |
| In Urdu: | لاہور |
| City Council: | Lahore |
| Towns: | 10 |
| Type: | The capital city of Punjab |
| Local Language Name: | Urdu, English, Punjabi |
| Province: | Punjab |
| Coordinates : | 31°32’59 |
| District: | Lahore District |
| Region: | Punjab |
| Elevation: | 217 m (712 ft) |
| Language | |
| Official Language: | Urdu |
| Native Language: | Punjabi |
| Other Languages: | Urdu.Punjabi.English |
| Government | |
| Type: | Government Of Punjab |
| Mayor: | Colonel (r) Mubashir Javed |
| Deputy Mayor: | 9 zonal Mayors |
| Area | |
| Total Area: | 1,772 km2 (684 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| Total Population: | 10,355,000 |
| Time zone | |
| Time zone: | PKT (UTC+5) |
| Codes | |
| Postal code: | 54000 |
| Dialling code: | 042 |
| Vehicle registration: | Three letters beginning with F and random four numbers |
Table of Contents
Lahore History
Alexandar The Great
The early history goes back to Alexander the Great who ruled the major parts of Sindh and some of the parts of Punjab. After Alexander’s death in 4 AD, the region was occupied by Sikhs followed by the rule of Mughal Empire who ruled the region from 1500 Ad till 1752 century. They were considered to be the great builders whose building still exited.
Mughal Emperor
The city used to be the capital of Mughal Emperors (Jahangir and Akbar the Great). During the Mughal Empire, Lahore was on the top of its architectural beauty. The beauty of this city had also inspired the great English poet John Milton in 1670, who mentioned this city and Agra as “The seat of the Great Mughals”.
The Mughal emperor Jahangir is buried in the region who added fortes to the monuments of Lahore. The last Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was born in Lahore and is considered the last emperor of the Mughal Empire. In 1761, Ahmad Shah Durrani invaded Mughals and took control of the regions of Kashmir and Punjab.
Pakistan Independence
British rulers ruled the region till the independence of Pakistan. They occupied the urban areas and fertile land of Punjab including Lahore. Significant changes occurred during their rule as the Tomb of Anarkali was transformed into the offices.
The tomb of Nawab Bahadur Khan was converted to a store, and the mosque of Dai Anga was transformed into the railway’s administration offices. They built the railway station of Lahore in 1857 after the decline of the Mughal Empire. The city was made the capital of Punjab after the independence of Pakistan.
Administration
In 2013, the district was declared a Metropolitan Area under the Act of the local government of Punjab. The district is administratively divided into nine zones which are given below.
- Shalimar Zone
- Data Gunj Bakhsh Zone
- Ravi Zone
- Gulberg Zone
- Allama Iqbal Zone
- Aziz Bhatti Zone
- Samanabad Zone
- Wahga Zone
- Nishtar Zone
Lahore Population
According to 2017 census of Pakistan, it had a population of 11 million inhabitants among which 82 per cent were urban.
Lahore Postal Code and Area Code
Postal Code: 54000
Area Code: 042
Lahore Climate
The climate of the region is semi-arid. Summers of the region are hot, having an average temperature of 40-degree centigrade. The month of June is considered to be the hottest month of the region having the highest recorded temperature of 48 degrees centigrade.
The season of winter is cool, and the temperature varies from 5 to 7 degrees centigrade. The lowest recorded temperature of the region is 1-degree centigrade.
Language
Punjabi is considered to be the first native language of the people of Lahore, spoken by 86 per cent of the population. Urdu is spoken by 10 per cent of the people while Pashto is spoken by 2 per cent of people.
Architecture
Mughal, Sikh and British emperor ruled the region and their monuments have still existed. Some of them are as follow:
- Badshahi Mosque
- Walled City (made on Mughal styles)
- Shalimar Gardens
- Maktab Khana
- Lahore Fort
- The Mausolea of Jahangir and Nur Jahan
- Jahangir Quadrangle
- Picture Wall
- Hathi Paer
- Khilwat Khana
- Kala Burj
Economy
In 2008, the city had a budget of 40 million dollars. The economy was 78 billion dollars, estimated in 2008, which was 14 per cent of the whole economy of Punjab.
It has shifted to the service industry from the manufacturing industry in the recent years as 42 per cent of the population is employed in banking, social services, finance, real estate, cultural and community services. By the year 2025, the GDP of this city is expected to 105 billion dollars.
Transportation
Metro Bus
The Metro Bus system (LRMTS) Lahore Rapid Mass Transit System was first proposed in 1991. In 2013, it was developed by the government of Punjab through a Chinese company by funding then 1.6 billion dollars. The metro bus system connects the people throughout the city.
Roads
National Highways and other minor roads connect the region with other major cities of Pakistan such as Peshawar, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
AirPort
The people of the region have easy access to Pakistan’s major cities and all other countries through Allama Iqbal International. Allama Iqbal International Airport is located in this city and was previously known as Lahore International Airport.
Education
The city is considered to be the most literate city among all other cities of Pakistan having the literacy rate of 74 per cent. There are more colleges, universities and schools here than any other city of Pakistan. Some of the notable institutions of the region are given below.
- Government College University, Lahore
- Forman Christian College
- National College of Arts
- The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
- University of Punjab
- De’Montmorency College of Dentistry
- LUMS
Sports
The people of the region are playing different games include cricket, hockey, volleyball, football, snooker, table tennis, rugby, Olympics and many more. The final of the cricket world cup 1996 was played in the Qazzafi International Cricket Stadium, Lahore. The Hockey world cup 1990 final was played in this city.
It is the centre of sports, having many sports clubs and stadiums. Some of them are given below.
- Qazzafi International Cricket Stadium
- Pakistan Olympic Association
- The Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course
- Royal Palm Golf Club
Festivals
The people of this city celebrate different events and festivals every year, among which some are given below.
- Eid-ul-Fitr
- Eid-ul-Adha
- Annual Urs of Data Ganj Bakhsh
- Basant (celebrated in spring season)
Tourism
The city is one of the historical places and has many historical and exciting places. Some of them are as follow:
- Walled City, Lahore
- Alamgir Gate
- Sheesh Mahal
- Lahore Fort
- Moti Masjid
- Krishna Temple
- Badshahi Mosque
- Valmiki Mandir Samadhi
- Naulakha pavilion
- Shalimar Gardens
- Wazir Khan Mosque