By YesPakistan.com Staff Writer

With the arrival of Islam came a new philosophy of faith in one God. And with this new philosophy came a new culture which ushered in an era of unprecedented development in art, architecture, science, medicine, mathematics, poetry, and so on. As Islam spread, the Muslim rulers in various parts of the world began integrating local aesthetic traditions with an Islamic sensibility. The new monuments were decorated with verses from the Quran in stylized calligraphy, tessellation patterns, and various geometric shapes. Tens of thousands of mosques, madrasahs, tombs, and gardens were created by the Muslim rulers of the sub-continent. This new style of architecture prevailed in the land for more than a thousand years.

The Muslim rulers of the Indian sub-continent, the Mughals, were the last powerful descendants of the Mongols. The Mughals were, however, quite distant from their original ancestors. The Mughals were Muslim having converted to Islam long ago. They had also thoroughly absorbed Middle Eastern culture, especially Persian culture (the Persian word for Mongol is "Mughal," from which we get the English word, "mogul," meaning "tycoon"), and their wars of invasion spread Persian culture throughout India.

The ancient Mughal city of Lahore, in what is now Pakistan, is a treasure house of Muslim architecture. Lahore, the cultural hub of Pakistan, is situated along the bank of the Ravi River. The city had witnessed the rise and fall of many dynasties before the arrival of the Mughals. Lahore was conquered by the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Babur of Ferghana (1524-1764 AD). All the important monuments like the Royal Fort and the Badshahi Mosque, Wazir Khan's Mosque, the tombs of Jehangir, Asif Jah, Noor Jehan, Shalimar Gardens, Hiran Minar, etc. were constructed during this period.

When the Mughal emperors followed Babar one after the other, they choose Lahore as their main urban centre. The third Mughal emperor, Akbar, transferred his capital from Agra to Lahore and laid the foundation for a typical Mughal citadel. The royal residences, Akbari Mahal and Jahangiri Mahal, were constructed in red sandstone imported from Rajistan. Later, Akbar's grandson, Shah Jehan, transformed many existing buildings with the addition of white marble. He also built a palace, the Turkish Bath, and one of his most glorious monuments, the Moti Masjid with its beautiful decorative designs in precious stones set in marble.

However, Shah Jehan's choicest building is the Shish Mahal, the Mirror Palace. It is one of the most brilliant creations and shows the height of Mughal luxury. From the Shish Mahal one has a magnificent view of the Badashahi Masjid built by Aurangzeb. On the left side is the tomb of Allama Iqbal.

The greatest jewel of the city of Lahore is the Shahlimar Bagh. The garden is a combination of charbaghs, water channels, fountains, cascades, waterfalls and bathing hall divided into three different terraces.

There are also other points of interest. There is the Hiran Minar built by Emperor Jahangir in Sheikhopura, not far from Lahore. There is also the Attock Fort built by Akbar on the bank of the Indus River. At Attock there is a caravansary known as "Begum Ki Serai" built by Empress Nur Jehan. From one of the platforms of the caravansary one can see the magnificent expanse of the Indus River.

The shrines, mosques and forts located in and around Multan and Bahawalpur are masterpieces of early Muslim architecture. Some important buildings are the forts at Multan and Derawar (Bahawalpur), shrines of Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria, Shah Rukan-e-Alam, Hazrat Shams Tabrez at Multan and the tomb of Bibi Jiwandi at Uch Sharif near Bahawalpur.

In the south, we have the tombs at Chaukundi and the remains at Banbhore, both just outside Karachi; the necropolis of a million graves scattered over an area of 10 square kilometres at Makli Hills near Thatta; and the Shahjehan Mosque of Thatta; all exquisite specimens of Muslim architecture, stone carving, and glazed tile decorations.

Date/Time Last Modified: 7/31/2002 10:51:18 AM

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