Introduction
Lahore is the capital of province Punjab and the second biggest city of Pakistan. Also known as heart of Pakistan, is located at the bank of Ravi River. Its population is almost 1.4 million. It is the historical and cultural hub of Pakistan, Shahi Qila, Shalamar Bagh, Badshahi Mosque, are the monuments of Mughal Empire. Historical building of Sikh and British Era are also present. It is well known among the people about the birth history of this city that Ramchandra’s son Loho founded it. At the start of ninth century, traveler named Al-Adresi begin to call it Lohawar. This city has held significance since ancient times. In fact, it’s location at the bank of Ravi River held its importance. The mention of Lahore is found in the events of 664 AD.
Religion
Lahore is a blend of different religions. This blend includes Muslims, Hindus, Christian, Sikhs and others:
· About more than 95% of population is Muslim.
· About 5% of population belongs to Christianity.
· About 0.2% population belongs to Sikhism and Hinduisms.
· The remaining population belongs to diversity of different religions.
Culture
Lahore is known as “Cultural heart” of Pakistan. It is famous for its festivals all around the world. The festival celebrated upon the arrival of spring is popular wned as Basant (Kite flying festival). Sufi fairs and literary festivals are also held every year. Mela Chiraghan marks the death anniversary of Punjabi Sufi and poet Shah Hussain; it is a three-day annual festival. Shrine of Data Gunj Bakhsh provides free food to a large number of visitors daily. Lahore has also been a major hub of Urdu literature, poetry, music, dramas and cinema. Pakistan’s cinema industry (Lollywood) started from Lahore. The plays and musical gatherings at Alhamra art council reflects the lively spirit of Lahore. Many shrines host a weekly Qawwali night followed by traditional Dhol and Drums. Desi foods of Lahore are also famous for their rich flavours and unique taste. Some delicious servings include Karahi, Biryani, Halwa puri, Nihari, Siri Paya and Murgh Chany.
Language
· Punjabi is the native language of Lahore. Almost 70% to 85% people speaks Punjabi, this language is commonly used in local markets, formal discussions, and in homes.
· Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and many people use it for daily life such as schools, colleges, universities, talk shows and news. About 9% to 21% people use it in their daily routine in many private sectors. In contrast, almost all of them cam understand and speak Urdu.
· English is spoken by many students, teachers and tech staff as a second language. However, it’s percentage varies from people to people. About 37% to 49% people can speak and understand English. Some students, tech staff, graduates and professionals can speak fluent English.
· Other minorities may include Pashto and Saraiki, which is about 5%.
Education
Lahore is also known as the “Educational Hub” of Pakistan. Pakistan’s largest educational system is located here:
- Public sector: Countless government schools, colleges and universities have built in Lahore. However, some public schools still need to improve the study structure and facilities, but colleges and universities provide well educated and experienced teachers with improved study quality but physical facilities still need attention. Universities on the other hand are top tier and provide excellent study quality with affordable fee structure.
- Private sector: Private educational institutions are also of great importance. Private schools provide primary and secondary (matric or O/A levels) education, well established study structure and facilities. Private colleges also provide good study quality but the fee is higher than those of public colleges. Conversely, private universities prefer higher fee than public universities.
So, private sector is good for primary and secondary education and even for intermediate. But for higher education, public sector would be the best because of their experienced teachers and professors.
Some top universities may include:
- The University of Punjab (public)
- Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS-private)
- Government College University (GCU-public)
- King Edward Medical University (KEMU-public)
- National College of Arts (NCA-public)
- University of Health Sciences (UHS-public)
A large number of youngsters is getting short courses of designing, editing, web development and other skills to enter the large world of technology through freelancing and online work.
Famous Foods
Lahori foods are famous for there unique flavors and spices. Lahore foods are spicy, creamy and sour, which makes it different from other regular foods. Some are elaborated below:
- Nihari: It is a thick soup of mutton and hose. It is cooked overnight and is eaten early in the day. People serve it as breakfast with hot Naan/Roti, chopped ginger and lemon. So, the body will get nutrients and energy. That’s why it is a popular and traditional breakfast among locals.
- Halwa Puri: It is one of the most famous breakfasts in Lahore. Hot Puris are served with sweet Halwa and Chatni. It is one of the specific and delicious dishes from Lahori foods. People often take it as their breakfast with tea.
- Seekh Kabab: Lahori Kabas are famous for their juicy taste and appetizing odor. For it’s prepration, Beef or Mutton Qeema is mixed with chopped onion, garlic, traditional spices and are cooked on skewer over burning coal. After that, they are served with Green Chatni and Salad. Some people eat it with hot Naan.
- Karahi: It is also a traditional dish from Lahore. It is cooked with ginger, garlic, tomatoes and yoghurt. Meat can be of Chicken, Beef or Mutton. It is so named because of a type of Wok (Karahi) in which it is prepared. It is served with Naan, Roti or cooked rice e.g. Biryani or Pulao.
- Biryani: In this dish, both rice and masala are cooked separately. Rice is boiled while the masala is made from chicken, ginger, special spices, color and some other ingredients. Then the boiled rice and masala are layered and put for a while. Then served with Salad and Raita. People often drink “Cold Drinks” with Biryani.
Famous places
Lahore is known as “City of Gardens”. It is because several green lands or gardens are built during Mughal Era. Lahore has also many historical and traditional buildings. Some famous places are:
Historical places:
- Badshahi Masjid
- Shahi Qila
- Lahore Fort
- Minar-e-Pakistan
- Shalamar Bagh
- Wahga Border
Bazaars and Markets:
- Anarkali Bazaar
- Urdu Bazaar
- Shah Alam Market
- Barkat Market
Malls:
- Emporium Mall
- Dolmen Mall
- Packages Mall
Roads
Road system in Lahore is very diverse. Some are very long and signal free while some have traffic signals. Few of them are:
- Ring road: It is a network of interconnected highways of different regions. It is a toll-based system with no highway signals. It connects to M-2 and M-3 and GT road. Speed ranges from 80km/h to 120km/h. Slow vehicles are not allowed like bikes, cycles etc.
- Canal road: It is a 43 km long road that runs alongside a canal named Bambanwala-Ravi-Bedian. It is also a signal free road and provides access to different areas.
- Multan road: It is part of N-5 highway and continues from Chowburji to Sunder. It is 35 km long and 6-laned. It is also signal free and serves as main route to many vehicles for transport and other purposes.
- Mall road: It is a 9km long road that serves a route to many educational institutions like GCU and NCA and other. It is signal controlled with U-turns and heavy traffic. It connects Chowburji to Fortress Stadium.
- Hall road: It is a short road but significant because of the wholesales for electronic equipments. It connects Mall road to Mcleod road. It is 0.45km long and a one-way highway.
- Raiwind road: It is 27km long and connects Canal Bank Road to Raiwind Town. It has signals at main chowks. It connects to many gates of towns like Bahria and also connects to Ring Road and Motorway
However, Lahore has a good highway network each of which has its own significance. Other main roads such as Jail Road, Railway Road, Khayaban-e-Jinnah, Khayaban-e-Firdousi etc. also connects different areas of Lahore.
Weather
Lahore has five seasons meaning in Lahore you can experience different seasons. These five seasons are explained:
Season Duration Temperature
Summer April-June 39°C-47°C
Monsoon July-September 30°C-35°C
Autumn October-November 15°C-28°C
Winter December-February 5°C-20°C
Spring Mid February-Mid April 15°C-25°C
When to visit
For visiting Lahore, Spring or Autumn season is the best as the temperature during these seasons is moderate and provides a good experience for travel and visiting purposes. During Spring, flowers bloom and parks become green which makes it comfortable for walking, while during winter trees shed their leaves and the scene becomes lively and soft.
Conclusion
In the end, we would like to say that Lahore is a fantastic combination of history and modern era. It has a lot of historical places that were built during the Mughal Era. It has a strong history which highlights it’s significance. While nowadays, Lahore is building fast and provides better opportunities for graduates and others in diverse fields like architecture, computer science, information technology, medicine, business management and skills like designing, marketing, fashion designing, E-commerce and AI is also getting rapidly adapted by people and it’s importance is also getting significant. So, Lahore is a good option for students, job-seekers and business owners. If you are deciding to visit it for travelling, it has a lot of places to visit and enjoy your time with family, partner or friends. Must try it’s super delicious Desi and street foods. The people are also Hospitable and helping, while every area has different types of people, some are polite, some are helping and some can irritate you or may look rude. Must take care of your personal items and money because busy areas are not that much safe. Hope this will be helping!