The Walled City, Lahore

Origin of the Mughal Empire; among the greatest artistic movements in the area.

ASCII art has origins in typewriters from as early as 1867.

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It is also known as the "Gardens of the Mughals" or "City of Gardens" due to the rich Mughal heritage when it served as a vital part of the Mughal Empire which lasted from 1524 to 1752. This once fortified city has a high density of monuments and buildings that reflect cultural diversity in architecture from its heyday which still stand today as treasured memories of the nation that perseveres. Despite a dynamic and tumultuous past spanning several centuries, it has retained much of its historic urban form. In 1849, the British seized control of Lahore from the Sikh Empire. During the British Raj, the mosque and the adjoining fort continued to be used as a military garrison. The 80 cells built into the walls surrounding its vast courtyard were demolished by the British after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, so as to prevent them from being used for anti-British activities. The cells were replaced by open arcades known as dalans. The walled city of Lahore is adjacent to one of the five rivers of Punjab - Ravi, which helped the city develop economically, demographically and culturally. Trade, food and communication, were all made possible due to the prosperous location. The old city is reminiscent of the past glory of Lahore and the new city gives a prospectus of its bright and hopeful future. The city is built in the shape of a parallelogram and the area within the walls is about 461 acres. It is slightly elevated, which has protecting it from destruction and any outside invasion. During his stay in Lahore, mughal emperor Akbar built a brick wall around the city to protect it. Since the walls had decayed over time, the founder of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh rebuilt these walls and added a deep broad ditch around its perimeter. This ditch was further filled with fine gardens, and encircled the city on every side except the north. Access to the city was possible through the thirteen gateways, and now only six remain. The architecture of the walled city of Lahore reflects the cultural traditions of ancestors across 'Desi' lands. These heritage assets are all that we have to understand the customs and traditions of the people that lived before us, especially those that saw the unity and break-up between the Indo-subcontinent which still holds scars as recent as in grandparents today. The Mughals, Sikhs, and even the British people have all resided in Lahore in the past. The historic beauty with all these grand architectural structures, painted walls, and old monuments represents the cultural values of people belonging to different cultures, races and religions. Each building built in the past resonates with the traditions and living ways of each civilization. Similarly, these buildings within the walled city of Lahore are the blend of Western and Islamic designs. The main and important thing about the architecture of the walled city of Lahore is that its infused with different cultures and values that captures the attention of locals and tourists alike. By locals, the state of Lahore is referred to the Heart of Pakistan. 1867 is also the year of the Urdu-Hindi controversy which saw an uproar of which language should be spoken and used for scripture in the Indian subcontinent. 156 years later, the passion for independance and recognition as Pakistanis has died down into second, third, fourth generation immigrants. Who cringe at the thought of speaking in their native tongue; a language birthed from the hopes and dreams of their ancestors.