Lahore

Lahore, city in northeastern Pakistan, on the Rāvi River, capital of Punjab Province. It is the principal commercial, banking, and transportation center of the province. Although little industry is located in the city proper, Lahore serves as a distribution center for the heavily industrialized surrounding area. An educational and cultural center, the city is the site of the University of the Punjab (1882), the oldest university in Pakistan; and the University of Engineering and Technology (1961).

Lahore boasts a wealth of architecturally significant buildings, many dating from the Mughal Empire (circa 1526-1707), during which the city achieved great prominence. These include the palace and mausoleum of Emperor Jahangir, Lahore Fort, and the Wazir Khan mosque, which contains splendid examples of inlaid pottery. Other historical monuments in the city include the terraced Shalamar Gardens, Lahore Museum, and the Golden and Pearl mosques.

Due to its strategic location on a vital trade route linking South Asia and Central Asia, Lahore has been home to a succession of kingdoms and dynasties throughout its long history. Hindu legend maintains that Lahore was founded by Loh, or Lava, son of the important deity Rama. The earliest existing description of the city was recorded by the Chinese monk Xuan Zang, who passed through Lahore in the year 630 on his historic pilgrimage to India. In the 11th century, control of this settlement was wrested from its Brahmin rulers by the Muslim Ghaznivids, who established their capital here in 1152.

During the late 12th century, Lahore fell to Ghori sultans from the north, and just after the turn of the century the city hosted the coronation ceremony of the first Muslim emperor of India. Over the next several centuries Lahore was beleaguered by Mongol raiders, but the city successfully resisted these attacks and was named the capital of India’s Mughal Empire in 1524. With the eventual decline of the Mughals, Lahore became the seat of a Sikh kingdom in 1767. The Sikhs later lost Lahore to the British, who controlled the city from 1849 until Pakistan gained its independence in 1947. Population 5,063,499 (1998).