Things to do in Lahore
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Bundu Khan
With other branches in Lahore, Bundu Khan cooks up piquant Pakistani cuisine with menu items including a tasty mutton tikka and, for the more adventurous, brain masala. There's also a few non-Pakistani alternatives such as beef burgers and chicken corn soup. During lunchtime this branch mainly deals in takeaway, but in the evening diners can avail of tables and chairs set up outside.
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Lahore Fort
Built, damaged, demolished, rebuilt and restored several times before being given its current form by Emperor Akbar in 1566 (when he made Lahore his capital), the Lahore Fort is the star attraction of the Old City. Note that the museums here may close an hour or so before sunset.
The fort was modified by Jehangir in 1618 and later damaged by the Sikhs and the British, although it has now been partially restored. Within it is a succession of stately palaces, halls and gardens built by Mughal emperors Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, comparable to and contemporary with the other great Mughal forts at Delhi and Agra in India. It's believed that the site conceals so…
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Faqir Khana Museum
About 500m inside Bhatti Gate on the right-hand side, a small mansion houses the Faqir Khana Museum. It houses the treasures of the Faqir family, who have lived in Lahore since the 18th century. It is said to be the largest private collection in south Asia, with over 13,000 pieces of art.
The head of the Lahore branch of the family was a fakir (Muslim ascetic) from Bukhara whose three sons achieved prominence in the court of Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh, despite being Muslims. One son was royal physician, another a foreign minister and the third a finance minister. Largely as a result of their ties with Ranjit Singh, they amassed many valuable antiquities, as direct or hand-me…
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Badshahi Mosque
Completed in 1674 under Aurangzeb as the Mughals' final architectural fling, the sublime Badshahi Mosque, opposite the main gateway to the Lahore Fort, is one of the world's largest mosques. Replete with huge gateways, four tapering minarets of red sandstone, three vast marble domes and an open courtyard said to hold up to 100,000 people, it was damaged by the British and later restored.
The rooms (admission Rs5) above the entrance gate are said to house hairs of the Prophet Mohammed and other relics. The mosque looks lovely when it's illuminated in the evening.
In 1991 the mosque grabbed international headlines when hardline mullahs (Muslim religious leaders) protested at…
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Jehangir's Tomb
Standing in a garden on the northern outskirts of Lahore, the elaborately decorated sandstone Jehangir's Tomb is that of Emperor Jehangir. Built in 1637 by Jehangir's son, Shah Jahan, it's believed to have been designed by Jehangir's widow, Nur Jahan. The tomb is made of marble with trellis decorations of pietra dura bearing the 99 attributes of Allah in Arabic calligraphy. These are inside a vaulted chamber, decorated with marble tracery and cornered with four minarets.
Outside is a sunken passageway with one tunnel supposedly leading to Shalimar Gardens and another to Hiran Minar - both tunnels are now bricked up.
The entrance to the tomb courtyard lies on the right-hand…
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Shalimar Gardens
To the northeast of town, about 4km from the main train station, this was one of three gardens named Shalimar Gardens created by Shah Jahan in the 17th century. It's also the only surviving Mughal garden of several built in Lahore. The Shalimar Gardens are now rather rundown and a far cry from their former glory, but they're still popular with locals. Many of the fountains were under renovation at the time of research and operate at particular times.
The walled gardens were laid out in a central tier with two smaller and lower ones to either side, with a pool of corresponding size, in keeping with the mathematical principles of Mughal design. Visitors originally entered a…
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Lahore Museum
Try to set aside a couple of hours to make the most of a visit to the superb Lahore Museum, which has exhibits spanning the recorded history of the subcontinent. Part of the collection was removed to India after Partition but this is still the biggest and perhaps most impressive museum in Pakistan.
The museum has almost 20 galleries with items dating from the Stone Age to the 20th century. It's particularly famous for its display of Gandharan sculpture (especially the haunting Fasting Buddha), manuscripts, Qurans, its sensational array of miniature paintings, carpets, various pieces of art from the Islamic period, articles from Moenjodaro, Harappa and other Indus Valley c…
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Minar-i-Pakistan
Soaring into the sky in Iqbal Park, the 60m high Minar-i-Pakistan was built in 1960. It commemorates the signing of the Pakistan Resolution on 23 March 1940 by the All India Muslim League, which paved the way for the founding of Pakistan.
Marble tablets around the base record the text of the resolution, as well as the 99 attributes of Allah, passages from the Quran and works of Allama Iqbal and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the two most important figures of the Pakistani independence movement. A lift and stairs once took visitors to the top of the Minar for the spectacular views of Lahore Fort, however, this was recently closed due to the high rate of suicides. In the late afterno…
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TDCP Tours
Operating two daily city tours (per person around Rs450, 3½ hours) The Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab conducts tours of Lahore. The fee does not include applicable admission fees to the sites. An air-con minibus picks up passengers at the TDCP office on Lawrence Rd, as well as at the Holiday Inn, Ambassador, Pearl Continental and Avari hotels.
The morning tour leaves the TDCP at 08:30 and takes in Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Jehangir's Tomb and the Lahore Museum. The afternoon tour leaves the TDCP at 14:30 (15:30 summer) and covers Shalimar Gardens, Old City, the Mosque of Wazir Khan, Sunehri Masjid and the Royal Baths. The TDCP can also arrange tours beyond…
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Shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh Hajveri
Author of a famous book on mysticism, the 11th-century Data Ganj Bakhsh, originally from Ghazni in Afghanistan, was one of the most successful Sufi preachers on the subcontinent and is today one of the most notable Sufi saints in Pakistan. The Shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh Hajveri is located west of Bhatti Gate, just outside the Old City.
Born Abdul Hasan Ali, he was known as Data Ganj Bakhsh (the Bestower of Treasures) because of his generosity towards the less privileged. A hospital and several institutions for the needy have been added near the shrine over the years.
Hordes of devotees gather here on Thursday afternoons to listen to the excellent qawwali.
The urs (death ann…
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Cooco's Den & Café
Set in an eclectic family haveli (traditional mansion), with glorious views of the Badshahi Mosque and environs, the vistas and ambience of this restaurant score slightly higher marks than the food (which is still not at all bad).
The owner, artist Iqbal Hussain, primarily paints portraits of the nautch (dancing) girls of Heera Mandi (Lahore's redlight district), the area in which the haveli is located.
The menu features Pakistani cuisine with traditional favourites and some more-unusual offerings include qeema wala naan (flat bread stuffed with spiced minced lamb) and for dessert, alamghiri laula (a seasonal carrot-based sweet).
Dinner is the most atmospheric time to dine …
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Zamzama
Zamzama 'He sat in defiance of municipal orders, astride the gun Zam-Zammah on her brick platform opposite the old Ajaib-Gher - The Wonder House, as the Natives call the Lahore Museum. Who hold Zam-Zammah hold the Punjab; for the great green-bronze piece is always first of the conqueror's loot.'
This mighty cannon, made famous at the start of Rudyard Kipling's classic 1901 novel, was originally named Zamzama, meaning 'Lion's Roar' and sits on the medium strip in front of the Lahore Museum. It was used in various battles by the Afghan Durranis and then the Sikhs, before being brought to Lahore by Maharaja Ranjit Singh as a symbol of his conquests. Kipling's father was the …
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Prince Kamran Baradari Park
The baradari (summer pavilion) of Prince Kamran, son of the first Mughal emperor Zahiruddin Babur, stands on a small island in the Ravi River (the river is on the northern outskirts of town). When it was completed in 1540 the Ravi was several hundred metres away and the baradari was in a large garden adjacent to the town. Its two storeys still open to a 12-columned vaulted veranda (baradari literally means 12 gates).
These days a great deal of its former romance has disappeared and few travellers make the trip here.
If water levels are not too low, rowing boats make the return trip from the Lahore side for Rs25 per person (minimum 10 people). Alternatively, you can negotia…
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Chughtai Museum
Originally intended to be temporary but open since 1975, the year Muhammad Abdur Rahman Chughtai died, the Chughtai Museum is just northwest of the intersection of Ferozpur Rd and Gulberg Main Blvd. Recognised as Pakistan's greatest painter and credited with a single-handed renaissance in Islamic art here, Chughtai (1897-1975) produced almost 2000 watercolours, thousands of pencil sketches and nearly 300 etchings and aquatints. He also designed many of Pakistan's stamps and coins.
It's possible to see works of Chughtai that are not in the exhibition if you contact the director, Mr Arif Rahman Chughtai (5850733) in advance. It's also probably a good idea to phone just ahea…
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Tomb of Nur Jahan
Just over the railway line from Jehangir's Tomb but not as well preserved is the Tomb of Nur Jahan. After the death of her first husband, an Afghan prince, Nur Jahan was carted off to Delhi, destined for captivity. However, Emperor Jehangir fell in love with her and they married in 1611. He gave her the name Nur Jahan, meaning 'Light of the World', and allowed her to rule alongside him. She died aged 72 in 1645, 18 years after Jehangir, and her tomb was completed in the same year.
One story is that, pining for her dead husband, she planned the tomb herself and wrote its mournful epitaph.
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Gowal Mandi
Near The Mall, and aptly dubbed 'Food Street' by locals, the area called Gowal Mandi is brilliant for a cheap, hearty feed. The fierce competition between the many eateries along this street works to the customer's benefit, with a variety of tasty, good-value Pakistani cuisine. Although some places are open for lunch, the action really begins after sunset when the area is completely closed to traffic; chairs and tables are set up on the street; and the place takes on a festive buzz.
To stave off the bad bugs make sure you stick to food that is cooked in front of you.
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Mosque of Wazir Khan
At the eastern end of the Old City, 250m inside Delhi Gate, is the deteriorating but beautifully tiled Mosque of Wazir Khan. It was founded in the 17th century by Sheikh Ilm-ud-Din Ansari (also known as Wazir Khan), the royal physician and later governor of Punjab during the reign of Shah Jahan. This was once an important centre for training Islamic calligraphers. The small, crumbling mosque has an evocative, deserted feel to it and is worth visiting for this reason alone.
A autorickshaw/taxi from The Mall to this mosque should cost Rs150/Rs60.
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Royal Baths
Old Lahore sprawls at the foot of the fort. It comprises narrow snaking alleys surrounded by a 9m-high wall with 13 gates, with sections closely resembling the way they would have been back in Mughal times. It's a brilliant place in which to get lost (as you probably will); a good way to relocate yourself is to go back to one of the main gates. Delhi Gate in the east leads past the 17th-century Royal Baths, now a small TDCP office, to the Mosque of Wazir Khan and Sunehri Masjid (Golden Mosque).
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Lahore Polo Club
Flanked by well-tended green grounds, this calm and genteel club (which is almost 120 years old) is a world away from the traffic snarls of downtown Lahore. Most matches seem to be free of charge for tourists, making this an economical way of hobnobbing with the local elite either during a match or over a pot of tea at the country-clubesque polo lounge, open for both lunch and dinner. The polo season runs from around late October to late April - telephone for match details.
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Dumpukht
Named after the cuisine championed by the nawabs (Muslim princes) of Avadh (Lucknow, India) some 300 years ago, this is one of the PC's five fine restaurants. Try the delicious murgh pukhraaj (chicken cooked in yogurt, saffron, Afghan spices and garnished with edible silver paper) - one of the chef's personal favourites. For a midnight snack later, takeaway cakes, croissants, chocolate donuts and other sugary delights are available at the hotel's Pastry Shop.
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Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Outside of the Lahore Fort, the Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh commemorates the founder of the short-lived Sikh empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The ashes of the maharaja lie in a lotus-shaped urn inside a small brick pavilion.
In the same compound is the Gurdwara of Arjan Dev.
Men and women must cover their heads and remove their shoes. Tobacco is strictly prohibited. An autorickshaw/taxi from The Mall costs around Rs80/Rs200.
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Lahore Zoo
Near Bagh-i-Jinnah, behind a large gateway adorned with a colourful animal mural, Lahore Zoo is one of the oldest zoos on the subcontinent. It was founded in 1872 and includes a variety of bird species along with lions, elephants, monkeys, leopards, giraffes, tigers and more. The gardens themselves are of almost as much interest as the animals and contain a wide range of plants and trees, some believed to date back to the 16th century.
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H Karim Buksh & Sons
For self-catering, try H Karim Buksh & Sons. The supermarket (lower level) of this modern shopping complex has a tremendous range of local and imported groceries. Soup mixes, spaghetti, cream biscuits, cheese, fruit yogurt, cereal - you name it, they've probably got it. Prices are a bit higher than at 'regular' general stores, but the variety (and often quality) is superior. Very handy if you are staying at Regale Internet Inn.
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Summit Minar
In a park at Charing Cross, commemorating the Islamic Summit Conference held in Lahore in 1974, is Summit Minar. Underneath the minar - a tall, slender marble column - is a vaulted cellar housing gifts from the countries that attended the conference. Twenty stone slabs at the base of the pillar bear inscriptions of the word Allah. Outside is a pavilion with a glass case housing a Quran inscribed in gold leaf.
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Jammin' Java
Make a beeline for this hip café if you're suffering withdrawal symptoms from lack of a real cup of coffee. There are frothy cappuccinos and lattes, espressos and flavoured coffees. If you've been dragged here by a coffee freak (but aren't one yourself) there are caffeine-free options such as the Hunza High fresh fruit smoothie, as well as light bites. JJ is below the Levis store opposite Café Zouk.
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