Lahore, the city found by Loh the son of Rama about five thousand years ago, is called “The City of Gardens“ or “The Garden of Moughals“. It has been the capital of some of the most glorious empires of the past. Ayaz made it the capital of Ghaznavid Empire while the Moughal emperors Akbar and Jehangir used the city as the capital of Moughal Empire which consisted of almost whole of sub-continent. Lahore also served as the capital of Punjabi Empire ruled by Ranjit Singh.

Lahore is the capital of Punjab province and is situated near the river Ravi. Today it serves as the center of all cultural activities and is recognized as the cultural heart of Punjab. The native language spoken here is Punjabi. Being a mixture of Urdu and pure Punjabi it is also termed as Lahori Punjabi. With a population of 10 million people it is the second most populous country of Pakistan, 5th amongst all the South Asian cities and 26th in the world. Following are some of the most exciting places in Lahore:

Badshahi Mosque:
Badshahi mosque, the second largest mosque of Pakistan (Faisal mosque being the first),can accommodate up to 10000 worshipers at a time. It was constructed during the reign of Moughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgeer. It is also regarded as the fifth largest mosque in the world. The Moughal rulers had a special interest in calligraphy, therefore eye catching patterns of the Quranic verses can be seen on the walls of Badshahi mosque.

Shahi Qila:
The ancient citadel of Lahore, known as the Shahi Qila (Royal Citadel), is situated on the north western side of the city. Its existing structure was built by Akbar, the great Moughal emperor of sub-continent.

Shalimar Gardens:
Shalimar gardens were built by Shah Jehan. They have been built in the shape of an oblong parallelogram. The gardens have three terraces built on the top of one another and 410 fountains.

Other Buildings:
The architectural marvels of British era include the GPO building, GC university and Lahore Railway Station. Among modern buildings the Lahore Museum is remarkable.

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