Recently one of my articles was criticized by a fellow writer and asked me to write something good for my country to sort of promote the image of the country. Taking his advice I have decided to write something about Pakistan and its areas worth visiting. Today I shall write about the capital city of Punjab called Lahore.

History:

It is difficult to trace the origin of Lahore however the legend has it that the city was founded by two sons of Rama around 4,000 years ago. This could be traced back to the remains of a subterranean temple found in the northern part of the Royal Fort which is attributed to the Rama. Historically Lahore is around 2,000 years old. Hieun-tsang a famous Chinese pilgrim has given a vivid description of Lahore city that he visited in 7th century AD. Abu Rehan Al-Biruni has also in his book Tarikh-e-Hind mentioned Lahore in detail. For around 1,000 years Lahore has been the capital city of Punjab. Lahore is the cultural, academic and intellectual centre of not only Punjab but also Pakistan. From around 1525 AD, Lahore has been a thriving cultural centre. During the Mughal Empire and the British Raj the city was beautified with palaces, gardens, monuments and mosques.

Lahore has been ruled by a number of dynasties. From 1021 to 1186 it was governed by Mehmud of Ghaznavi and the Ghaznavid dynasty, then by Muhammad of Ghor and by various Sultans of Delhi. From 1524 to 1752 by Mughals, then by the British till 1947.

Brief Heritage:

There are a number of beautiful buildings that Lahore has inherited from its most recent past. Old Campus of Punjab University which is the oldest university in Pakistan built in 1882, Lahore High Court which is the oldest superior court built in 1874 and the General Post Office built in 1892, Zamzama was cast in wax-technique in bronze during 1757, Government ?College established in 1864 and Aitchison College in 1886 are just few examples. One needs to visit to see the beauty spread all over the city.

Cuisine:

Lahoris are known world over for their taste and love for eating. Lahore has a number of traditional restaurants all around the city. Recent tourist attractions include food streets setup in the old historic districts of Gawalmandi, Anarkali and Badshahi.

The turn of the century has also seen the opening of western fast food chains and is fast becoming popular. These chains include Mcdonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway Sandwiches, Dunkin Donuts, Nando’s and Kentucky Fried Checken in shopping malls all around the city. These chains have particularly attracted the younger generation.

How to Reach Lahore:

Lahore is easily accessible by road, rail and air. The city is located on the grand truck road and is linked with all major cities of the country. There are a number of luxury bus services that provide comfortable journey to Lahore such as Daewoo Express, Sky Ways, New Khan Road Runners, Dewan Express, Kohistan Bus Service etc.

Pakistan’s national carrier PIA and a number of both local and foreign airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Uzbekistan Airways and Air India have direct flights to Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Pakistan Railways operates a number of trains to Lahore daily. In-fact under an agreement between India and Pakistan, both countries railways jointly operate a weekly train “Samjhota Express” between Lahore and Delhi. The train leaves Lahore for Delhi at around 1100 hours on Monday and Thursday and the fare to Delhi is approximately USD 10. The same train also goes to Amritsar and the fare is around USD 12.

Security Situation:

Presently the biggest issue facing Pakistan is the security situation. Although Lahore too has been the target of bombings the security situation is quite better than some other parts of the country. The law enforcement agencies have been able to break into the groups carrying out these attacks and a number of arrests have been made. Lahore is still a very attractive destination to visit and tourists both local and international should visit the city to enjoy the sites and food it has to offer.