City · Punjab

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of Punjab and Pakistan's second-largest city, with a population of over 11 million on the Ravi river. It was the Mughal capital at intervals from the 16th century, and holds two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Lahore Fort and the Shalimar Gardens, both inscribed in 1981.

Read the story Photos of Lahore

The story of Lahore

The Walled City, entered through surviving gates such as Delhi Gate and Bhati Gate, contains the Wazir Khan Mosque of 1634, the Shahi Hammam and dense havelis under long-running conservation work. Badshahi Mosque, built by Aurangzeb in 1673, faces the fort across the Hazuri Bagh. Later layers include Sikh-period buildings and British institutions such as the Lahore Museum, the Government College and the 1860s railway station.

What to see in Lahore

Lahore Fort
Mughal citadel with the Sheesh Mahal and Picture Wall.
Badshahi Mosque
One of the largest mosques of the Mughal era.
Wazir Khan Mosque
Famous for its kashi-kari tilework in the Walled City.
Shalimar Gardens
Terraced Mughal garden of 1641 on the Grand Trunk Road.
Lahore Museum
Founded 1865, with the Fasting Buddha of Gandhara.

Landscape of Lahore

The canal belt

Wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane across the doabs between the rivers.

Cholistan

Roughly 26,000 km² of desert with the dry bed of the Hakra river beneath it.

Salt Range

Low hills holding Khewra, the world's second-largest salt mine.

Rivers and lakes of Lahore

Ravi

Lahore's river, and the boundary of the old Mughal city.

Chenab

The river of the Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal folk tales.

Head works

Barrages at Marala, Trimmu and Panjnad steer the canal system.

Food of Lahore

Nihari

Slow-cooked beef shank eaten at breakfast in the old city.

Gawalmandi food street

Fried fish, paye and kulfi through the night.

Roghni naan

Sesame-topped tandoor bread from Bhati Gate bakeries.

Heritage of Lahore

Badshahi Mosque

Built 1671–1673, once the largest mosque in the world.

Lahore Fort

A UNESCO site with the mirrored Sheesh Mahal and Picture Wall.

Wazir Khan Mosque

1634 tilework mosque inside Delhi Gate.

Culture and crafts of Lahore

Walled City

Thirteen gates, of which six survive, around the old city.

Truck art

Painted trucks and rickshaws from the Band Road workshops.

Basant kites

The spring kite festival that shaped the old city's rooftops.

Wildlife of Lahore

Markhor

The national animal, a wild goat of the northern ranges.

Snow leopard

Roughly 200–420 remain in the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush.

Houbara bustard

A winter migrant to the deserts of Balochistan and Cholistan.

Best time to visit

October to March; November and February are the most comfortable.

Getting there

Allama Iqbal International Airport, the M-2 motorway from Islamabad, and the main railway line.

Nearby places

Questions about Lahore

Which Lahore sites are UNESCO World Heritage?+

The Lahore Fort and the Shalimar Gardens, inscribed together in 1981.

When was Badshahi Mosque built?+

It was completed in 1673 under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Photographs of Lahore

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