View source for Lahore

{{Short description|Capital of Punjab, Pakistan}}
{{About|the city in Punjab, Pakistan|||{{other uses}}}}
{{pp-move}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Lahore
| official_name      = 
| native_name        = {{hlist|{{nativename|ur|{{nq|لاہور}}}}|{{nativename|pa|{{nq|لہور}}}}}}
| native_name_lang   = pa
| settlement_type    = [[Megacity]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image|total_width=280px|perrow=1/2/2/2|border=infobox|caption_align = center
| image6   = Shahi_Masjid_Lahore.jpg
| caption6 = [[Badshahi Mosque]]
| image1   = Lahore_Fort_view_from_Baradari.jpg
| caption1 = [[Lahore Fort]]
| image3   = Lahore_Museum%2C_Lahore.jpg
| caption3 = [[Lahore Museum]]
| image2   = Minar e Pakistan night image.jpg
| caption2 = [[Minar-e-Pakistan]]
| image4   = Compound of the Data Darbar Complex, Lahore - panoramio.jpg
| caption4 = [[Data Darbar]]
| image5   = Iphone5 (6386).JPG
| caption5 = [[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalamar Gardens]]
}}
| image_flag         = Lahore City Flag.png
| image_blank_emblem = 
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| nicknames          = ''[[Culture of Lahore|The Heart of Pakistan]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/935031/landing-in-the-heart-of-Pakistan |title=Landing in the heart of Pakistan|date=9 August 2015|website=The Express Tribune|access-date=22 April 2021|archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423015846/https://tribune.com.pk/story/935031/landing-in-the-heart-of-Pakistan|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Paris]] of the [[Eastern world|East]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/cities-with-an-identity-crisis/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/cities-with-an-identity-crisis/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Paris of the East? Athens of the North? The cities with ideas above their station |first=Oliver|last=Smith|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=12 June 2018|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''City of Gardens'',<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pk |first1=Dailytimes |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/179492/city-lights-vs-city-gardens/|title=The 'City of Lights' vs 'City of Gardens'|work=Daily Times |date=12 January 2018 |access-date=23 September 2020|archive-date=14 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614222147/https://dailytimes.com.pk/179492/city-lights-vs-city-gardens/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[City of Literature]]'' (by [[UNESCO]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1605305|title=Unesco confers 'City of Literature' title on Lahore |author=Shoaib Ahmed|date=4 February 2021|work=Dawn|access-date=31 August 2021|archive-date=31 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831131734/https://www.dawn.com/news/1605305|url-status=live}}</ref>
|pushpin_relief=y
| pushpin_map        = Pakistan
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Pakistan
| pushpin_label_position = left
| coordinates        = {{coord|31|32|59|N|74|20|37|E|region:PK|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flagicon image|Flag of Pakistan.svg}} [[Pakistan]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of Pakistan|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flagicon image|Flag of Punjab.svg}} [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Division]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Lahore Division|Lahore]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Districts of Pakistan|District]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Lahore district|Lahore]]
<!-- Seat of government and towns-->
<!-- Area --------------------->| founder            = 
| registration_plate = {{Collapsible list
|''{{Hlist|LH|LHA|LHB|LHC|LHD|LHE|LHF|LHG|LHH|LHJ|LHK|LHL|LHP}}''}}
| named_for          = 
| established_title  = [[#Origins|Founded]]
| established_date   = [[Origins of Lahore|Between 1st and 7th centuries CE]]
| established_title3 = [[Metropolitan Corporation (Pakistan)|Metropolitan status]]
| established_date3  = {{Start date and age|3 February 1890}}
| established_title1 = [[Early Muslim period in Lahore|City status]]
| established_date1  = {{Start date and age|1040}}
| established_title2 = [[History of Lahore|Capital status]]{{efn|Lahore served as the capital of three major Empires: [[Delhi Sultanate]] (1206–1210), [[Mughal Empire]] (1586–1598) and [[Sikh Empire]] (1801–1849)}}
| established_date2  = {{Start date and age|25 June 1206}}<br>{{Start date and age|27 May 1586}}<br>{{Start date and age|12 April 1801}}
| seat_type          = Metropolitan seat
| seat               = [[Lahore Town Hall]]
| parts_type         = [[List of zones in Lahore|Zones]]
| parts_style        = coll
| parts              = 10
| p1                 = [[Ravi Town|Ravi]]
| p2                 = [[Shalimar Tehsil|Shalimar]]
| p3                 = [[Aziz Bhatti Town|Aziz Bhatti]]
| p4                 = [[Data Sahib Zone|Data Gunj Buksh]]
| p5                 = [[Gulberg, Lahore|Gulberg]]
| p6                 = [[Samanabad Town|Samanabad]]
| p7                 = [[Iqbal Town, Lahore|Iqbal]]
| p8                 = [[Nishtar Town|Nishtar]]
| p9                 = [[Wagah]]
| p10                = [[Lahore Cantonment|Cantonment]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Metropolitan Corporation (Pakistan)|Metropolitan corporation]]
| governing_body     = [[Metropolitan Corporation (Pakistan)#List of Metropolitan Corporations|Lahore Metropolitan Corporation]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Lahore|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = None<ref>{{cite news|title=Local govts term ends today|date=31 December 2021|work=Dawn |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1666721 |access-date=5 January 2022 |archive-date=5 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105122250/https://www.dawn.com/news/1666721|url-status=live}}</ref>
| leader_title2      = [[Deputy Commissioner (Pakistan)|Deputy Commissioner]]
| leader_name2       = Syed Musa Raza [[Pakistan Administrative Service|(BPS-19 PAS)]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Deputy Commissioners {{!}} Lahore |url=https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/our_dcs |website=lahore.punjab.gov.pk |access-date=30 January 2025 |archive-date=13 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413134749/https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/our_dcs |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| leader_title3      = [[Punjab Police (Pakistan)|Capital City Police Officer]]
| leader_name3       = Bilal Siddiqui Kamyana [[Police Service of Pakistan|(BPS-21 PSP)]]
| leader_title4      = [[Provincial Assembly of the Punjab|Punjab Assembly]]
| leader_name4       = {{Collapsible list|title={{nobold|[[List of members of the 18th Provincial Assembly of the Punjab|30 members]]}}
 | [[Sami Ullah Khan]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-145 Lahore-I|PP-145]])
 | [[Ghazali Saleem Butt]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-146 Lahore-II|PP-146]])
 | [[Muhammad Riaz Malik]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-147 Lahore-III|PP-147]])
 | [[Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman|Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-148 Lahore-IV|PP-148]])
 | [[Muhammad Shoaib Siddiqui]] ([[Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party|IPP]]; [[PP-149 Lahore-V|PP-149]])
 | [[Khawaja Imran Nazir]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-150 Lahore-VI|PP-150]])
 | [[Sohail Shaukat Butt]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-151 Lahore-VII|PP-151]])
 | [[Malik Muhammad Waheed]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-152 Lahore-VIII|PP-152]])
 | [[Khawaja Salman Rafique]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-153 Lahore-IX|PP-153]])
 | [[Malik Ghulam Habib Awan|Ghulam Habib Awan]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-154 Lahore-X|PP-154]])
 | [[Imtiaz Mehmood]] ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-155 Lahore-XI|PP-155]])
 | [[Ali Imtiaz|Ali Imtiaz Warraich]] ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-156 Lahore-XII|PP-156]])
 | [[Hafiz Farhat Abbas]] ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-157 Lahore-XIII|PP-157]])
 | [[Chaudhary Muhammad Nawaz Ladhar|Muhammad Nawaz Ladhar]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-158 Lahore-XIV|PP-158]])
 | [[Maryam Nawaz|Maryam Nawaz Sharif]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-159 Lahore-XV|PP-159]])
 | [[Malik Asad Ali Khokhar|Asad Ali Khokhar]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-160 Lahore-XVI|PP-160]])
 | [[Farrukh Javaid]] ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-161 Lahore-XVII|PP-161]])
 | [[Shahbaz Ali Khokhar]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-162 Lahore-XVIII|PP-162]])
 | [[Imran Javed]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-163 Lahore-XIX|PP-163]])
 | [[Rana Rashid Minhas]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-164 Lahore-XX|PP-164]])
 | [[Ahmer Rasheed Bhatti]]  ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-165 Lahore-XXI|PP-165]])
 | [[Muhammad Anas Mehmood]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-166 Lahore-XXII|PP-166]])
 | [[Irfan Shafi Khokhar]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-167 Lahore-XXIII|PP-167]])
 | [[Faisal Ayub Khokhar]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-168 Lahore-XXIV|PP-168]])
 | [[Malik Khalid Pervaz Khokhar|Khalid Pervaz Khokhar]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-169 Lahore-XXV|PP-169]])
 | [[Mian Muhammad Haroon Akbar|Muhammad Haroon Akbar]] ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-170 Lahore-XXVI|PP-170]])
 | [[Mian Aslam Iqbal|Muhammad Aslam Iqbal]] ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-171 Lahore-XXVII|PP-171]])
 | [[Misbah Wajid]] ([[Sunni Ittehad Council|SIC]]; [[PP-172 Lahore-XXVIII|PP-172]])
 | [[Mian Marghoob Ahmad]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-173 Lahore-XXIX|PP-173]])
 | [[Bilal Yasin]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]]; [[PP-174 Lahore-XXX|PP-174]])
}}
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="pportal">{{cite web| url=http://www.punjab.gov.pk/?q=punjab_quick_stats| title=Punjab Portal| publisher=Government of Punjab| access-date=7 July 2014| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625115713/http://punjab.gov.pk/?q=punjab_quick_stats| archive-date=25 June 2014}}</ref>
| area_metro_km2     = 1,772
<!-- Elevation -------------------------->| elevation_max_footnotes = {{efn|The highest point in Lahore is the [[Walled City of Lahore|Walled City]]<ref name="topographic-map">{{Cite web |title=Lahore topographic map, elevation, terrain |url=https://en-gb.topographic-map.com/map-c3wz4/Lahore/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |website=Topographic maps |language=en}}</ref>}}
| elevation_min_footnotes = <ref name="topographic-map"/>
| elevation_max_m    = 231
| elevation_min_m    = 196
<!-- Population ----------------------->| population_total   = 13,004,135
| population_as_of   = {{nobold|[[2023 Census of Pakistan|2023]]}}
| population_rank    = {{ubl | [[List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population|1st in Punjab]] | [[List of largest cities in Pakistan|2nd in Pakistan]]|[[List of cities proper by population|26th in world]]}}
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2023 Census">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/Punjab.pdf |title = Announcement of Results of 7th Population and Housing Census-2023 (Punjab province) |date= 5 August 2023 |website = Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date = 24 November 2023}}</ref>
| population_density_metro_km2 = 7,339
| population_blank1_title = [[Languages in Pakistan|Language(s)]]
| population_blank1  = {{ubl||[[Urdu]] and [[English language|English]] (official)|[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] (native)}}
| population_demonym = ''General'': Lahori{{efn|In [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], the demonyms are used as:
* ''Lahorī'' ({{nq|لہوری}}) – general (both singular and plural) and gender-neutral
* ''Lahorīyā'' ({{nq|لہوریہ}}) – singular and masculine
* ''Lahorīye'' ({{nq|لہوریے}}) – plural and masculine
* ''Lahoran'' ({{nq|لہورن}}) – general (both singular and plural) and feminine<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/915916-a-lahori-for-life|title=A Lahori for life|date=12 December 2021|access-date=6 January 2022|work=The News International (newspaper)|archive-date=6 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106010126/https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/915916-a-lahori-for-life|url-status=live}}</ref>}}<br/>''[[English language|English]]'': Lahorite
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->| demographics_type2 = Religion {{nobold|([[2017 Pakistani census|2017]])}}
| demographics2_title1 = [[Religion in Lahore|Religion]]
| demographics2_info1 = {{Collapsible list
 | 94.7% [[Islam in Pakistan|Islam]]
 | 5.14% [[Christianity in Pakistan|Christianity]]
 | 0.12% [[Ahmadiyya in Pakistan|Ahmadiyya]]
 | 0.02% [[Hinduism in Pakistan|Hinduism]]
 | 0.01% [[Sikhism in Pakistan|Sikhism]]
 | 0.01% [[Religion in Pakistan|other]]
}}
<!-- blank fields (section 1) -->
<!-- Commented out because --------------->| blank_name_sec1    = [[Gross domestic product|GDP (PPP)]]
<!-- source does not provide explicit GDP number --------------->| blank_info_sec1    = $84&nbsp;billion (2019)<ref name="thebusinessyear.com">{{cite web |title=Pakistan: 4 Top Cities |publisher=The Business Year |date=16 October 2020 |url=https://www.thebusinessyear.com/pakistan-top-4-four-economic-centers-cities-in-2020/focus |access-date=25 November 2021 |archive-date=20 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120144202/https://www.thebusinessyear.com/pakistan-top-4-four-economic-centers-cities-in-2020/focus |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="finance.gov.pk">{{Cite web |title=[Home page] |publisher=Finance Division &#124; Government of Pakistan |url=https://www.finance.gov.pk/ |access-date=6 March 2023 |website=www.finance.gov.pk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306072840/http://www.finance.gov.pk/|archive-date=6 March 2023}}</ref>
| blank1_name_sec1   = [[International airport]]
| blank1_info_sec1   = [[Allama Iqbal International Airport]] ([[IATA airport code|LHE]])
| blank2_name_sec1   = [[Rapid Transit]]
| blank2_info_sec1   = [[Lahore Metrobus]]
| blank3_name_sec1   = [[Law enforcement in Pakistan#Police Service of Pakistan (PSP)|Police]]
| blank3_info_sec1   = [[Punjab Police (Pakistan)|Capital City Police Lahore]]
| blank4_name_sec1   = Development Authority
| blank4_info_sec1   = [[Lahore Development Authority]]
| blank5_name_sec1   = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] {{nobold|(2018)}}
| blank5_info_sec1   = 0.877<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inclusive growth and human development |url=https://www.undp.org/pakistan/inclusive-growth-and-human-development#:~:text=The%20HDI%20of%200.877%20for,the%20Very%20High%20Development%20Category. |access-date=7 November 2024 |website=UNDP |language=en}}</ref> (<span style="color:#090;">very high</span>) · [[List of administrative units of Pakistan by Human Development Index|3rd]]
| blank6_name_sec1   = Growth
| blank6_info_sec1   = {{increase}} 8.06%
| blank7_name_sec1   = [[Literacy in Pakistan|Literacy]] {{nobold|([[2017 Pakistani census|2023]])}}
| blank7_info_sec1   = 81%
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->| blank_name_sec2    = Constituencies in the [[National Assembly of Pakistan|National Assembly]]
| blank_info_sec2    = {{Composition bar|14|336|hex=#000}}
| blank1_name_sec2   = [[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]] {{nobold|([[2017 Pakistani census|2017]])}}
| blank1_info_sec2   = 912 [[females|♀]]/1000 [[Male|♂]]
| blank2_name_sec2   = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank2_info_sec2   = [[BSh]]
| blank3_name_sec2   = Abbreviation
| blank3_info_sec2   = LHR/ایل ایچ آر
| blank4_name_sec2   = [[Patron saint]]
| blank4_info_sec2   = [[Ali al-Hujwiri]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 April 2004 |title=LAHORE: The patron saint of Lahore |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/393313/lahore-the-patron-saint-of-lahore |access-date=17 November 2024 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hazrat Data Gunj Bukhsh (RA), Lahore |url=https://auqaf.punjab.gov.pk/shrine-data-darbar |website=Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department |access-date=10 January 2025 |archive-date=10 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110090651/https://auqaf.punjab.gov.pk/shrine-data-darbar |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal codes in Pakistan|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 53XXX – 55XXX
| area_code          = 042<ref>{{cite web
  |title             = National Dialing Codes
  |url               = http://www.ptcl.com.pk/Home/PageDetail?ItemId=52&linkId=125
  |publisher         = [[Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited]]
  |access-date       = 28 August 2014
|archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20140903092141/http://www.ptcl.com.pk/Home/PageDetail?ItemId=52&linkId=125
  |archive-date      = 3 September 2014
|url-status        = dead
 }}</ref>
| area_code_type     = [[Dialling codes in Pakistan|Dialling code]]
| leader_title1      = [[Mayor of Lahore|Deputy Mayors]]
| leader_name1       = [[Mayor of Lahore|9 Zonal Mayors]]
<!-- General information --------------->| timezone           = [[Pakistan Standard Time|PKT]]
| utc_offset         = +05:00
| timezone_DST       = 
| utc_offset_DST     = 
| module             = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child = yes
| official_name = [[List of cultural heritage sites in Lahore|Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore]]
| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(i)(ii)(iii)}}(i)(ii)(iii)
| ID = 171-002
| year = 1981
| extension = 2009
| area = {{convert|36|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
}}
| website            = {{URL|lahore.punjab.gov.pk}}
| mapsize            = 230px
| pushpin_map_alt    = Pakistan, with Lahore pinpointed at the northeast
| image_seal         = Seal of Lahore.SVG
| seal_size          = 120px
| area_rank          = {{ubl|[[List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by area|1st in Punjab]]|[[List of metropolitan areas in Pakistan|2nd in Pakistan]]}}
}}

'''Lahore'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|l|ə|ˈ|h|ɔr}} {{respell|lə|HOR}}; {{langx|pnb|{{unq|لہور}}}} {{IPA|pa|lɔː˥˩ɾᵊ|}}; {{langx|ur|{{unq|لاہور}}}} {{IPA|ur|laːˈɦɔːɾ||LL-Q1617 (urd)-نعم البدل-لاہور.wav}}}} is the capital and largest city of the [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Pakistani province]] of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. It is the [[List of cities in Pakistan by population|second-largest]] city in [[Pakistan]], after [[Karachi]], and 27th [[List of largest cities|largest in the world]], with a population of over 14 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lahore, Pakistan Metro Area Population 1950-2024 |url=https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/22046/lahore/population |access-date=23 December 2024 |website=www.macrotrends.net}}</ref> Lahore is one of Pakistan's major industrial, educational and economic hubs.<ref name="thebusinessyear.com" /><ref name="finance.gov.pk" /> It has been the historic capital and cultural centre of the wider [[Punjab region]],<ref>{{cite web|date=22 April 2008 |url=http://www.lahore.gov.pk/profile/history.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229181550/http://www.lahore.gov.pk/profile/history.htm|archive-date=29 December 2008|access-date=16 September 2011|title=History }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The World's Population: An Encyclopedia of Critical Issues, Crises, and Ever-Growing Countries|last1=Shelley |first1=Fred|date=16 December 2014|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-506-0 |page=356|quote=Lahore is the historic center of the Punjab region of the northwestern portion of the Indian subcontinent}}</ref><ref name="Luther1990">{{cite book|author=Usha Masson Luther|title=Historical Routes of North West Indian Subcontinent, Lahore to Delhi, 1550s–1850s A.D.: Network Analysis Through DCNC-micro Methodology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQAsAAAAIAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Sagar Publications}}</ref> and is one of Pakistan's most [[Social liberalism|socially liberal]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aKb9cFFu1xAC&pg=PA209|title=Diminishing Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific: Why Some Subside and Others Don't|date=2013 |publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-67031-9|quote="Lahore, perhaps Pakistan's most liberal city..."|access-date=8 April 2017}}</ref> [[Progressivism|progressive]],<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-taliban-once-ruled-pakistans-swat-valley-now-peace-has-returned/2015/05/08/6bb8ac96-eeaa-11e4-8050-839e9234b303_story.html|title=The Taliban once ruled Pakistan's Swat Valley. Now peace has returned.|last=Craig|first=Tim|date=9 May 2015 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=11 February 2018|issn=0190-8286|quote="We now want to dress like the people of Punjab," said Abid Ibrahim, 19, referring to the eastern province that includes Lahore, often referred to as Pakistan's most progressive city.|archive-date=24 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124151103/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-taliban-once-ruled-pakistans-swat-valley-now-peace-has-returned/2015/05/08/6bb8ac96-eeaa-11e4-8050-839e9234b303_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]] cities.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35910124|title=Lahore attack: Pakistan PM Sharif demands swift action on terror|date=28 March 2016|access-date=19 August 2016|work=BBC|quote=Lahore is one of Pakistan's most liberal and wealthy cities. It is Mr Sharif's political powerbase and has seen relatively few terror attacks in recent years.|archive-date=16 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216102726/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35910124|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Origins of Lahore|Lahore's origin]] dates back to antiquity. The city has been inhabited for around two [[millennia]], although it rose to prominence in the late 10th century with the establishment of the [[Walled City of Lahore|Walled City]], its fortified interior.<ref name=antiquity>{{Cite web |author=Majid Sheikh|title=The 'shroud' over Lahore's antiquity |work=Dawn |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1066357 |date=22 August 2004 |access-date=6 March 2023|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306034504/https://www.dawn.com/news/1066357|url-status=live}}</ref> Lahore served as the capital of several empires during the medieval era, including the [[Hindu Shahi]]s, [[Ghaznavids|Ghaznavid Empire]] and [[Delhi Sultanate]]. It reached the height of its splendour under the [[Mughal Empire]] between the late 16th and early 18th centuries, being its capital city for many years. During this period, it was one of the largest cities in the world.<ref name="Dyson">{{Cite book |last=Dyson |first=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&dq=lahore+population+in+1600&pg=PA63 |title=A Population History of India: From the First Modern People to the Present Day |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-882905-8 |language=en |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404025722/https://books.google.com/books?id=3TRtDwAAQBAJ&dq=lahore+population+in+1600&pg=PA63 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Nader Shah's invasion of India|The city was captured]] by the forces of the [[Afsharid dynasty|Afsharid]] ruler [[Nader Shah]] in 1739. Although the Mughal authority was re-established, it fell into a period of decay while being contested among the [[Durrani Empire|Afghans]] and the Sikhs between 1748 and 1798, eventually becoming capital of the [[Sikh Empire]] in the early 19th century. Lahore was annexed to the [[British Raj]] in 1849 and became the capital of [[Punjab Province (British India)|British Punjab]].<ref>{{cite web |date=21 July 2013 |title=Rising Lahore and reviving Pakistan |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/579971/rising-lahore-and-reviving-pakistan/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510222233/https://tribune.com.pk/story/579971/rising-lahore-and-reviving-pakistan |archive-date=10 May 2021 |access-date=16 June 2016 |website=The Express Tribune}}</ref> Lahore was central to the independence movements of [[British Raj|British India]], with the city being the site of both the [[Purna Swaraj|Declaration of Indian Independence]] and the [[Lahore Resolution|resolution calling for the establishment of Pakistan]]. It experienced some of the worst rioting during the [[partition of British India]] preceding Pakistan's establishment.{{sfnp|Kudaisya|Yong|2004|p=175|loc=:"Of all the capital cities caught in the drama of partition, it was Lahore that experienced the worst of the violence and carnage that took place in 1947. It became the most disputed territory in the claims and counter claims that were made before the Boundary Commission. All three communities of the Punjab—Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus—staked a claim to it. The violence which Lahore experienced was unprecedented even by the horrific standards of 1947, and when it had subsided, what emerged was a city which had been completely 'cleansed' of its 'minority' communities."}} Following the success of the [[Pakistan Movement]] and the subsequent partition in 1947, Lahore was declared the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province.

Located in central-eastern Punjab, along the [[Ravi River|River Ravi]], it is the largest [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]-speaking city in the world. Lahore exerts a strong cultural and political influence over Pakistan.<ref>[http://www.chicagosistercities.com/events/discover-lahore-heart-pakistan/&ved=2ahUKEwj3kLbEjIT-AhW8gP0HHY-lDdA4FBAWegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw37ICJtUROHuuKwtCvm3iLm Discover Lahore: The Heart of Pakistan]{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Chicago Sister Cities International''</ref> A UNESCO [[City of Literature]] and major centre for Pakistan's publishing industry, Lahore remains the foremost centre of Pakistan's literary scene. The city is also a major centre of education,<ref name=2005_pg7_15>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_4-3-2005_pg7_15 |title=Lahore book fair opens to rave reviews |work=Daily Times |author=Shoaib Ahmed |date=4 March 2005 |access-date=16 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212140647/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_4-3-2005_pg7_15 |archive-date=12 February 2008 }}</ref> with some of Pakistan's leading universities based in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/756723/lahores-domination |title=Lahore's domination|author=S. Akbar Zaidi|date=15 October 2012|website=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=16 June 2016|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120172316/https://www.dawn.com/news/756723/lahores-domination|url-status=live}}</ref> Lahore is home to Pakistan's [[Lollywood|Punjabi film industry]], and is a major centre of [[Qawwali|''Qawwali'' music]].<ref name="Windsor all">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/oct/17/pakistan?page=all|title=Out of the rubble|last=Windsor|first=Antonia|date=22 November 2006|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=27 March 2010 |archive-date=5 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105083416/http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/oct/17/pakistan?page=all|url-status=live}}</ref> The city also hosts much of [[Tourism in Pakistan|Pakistan's tourism industry]],<ref name="Windsor all" /><ref name="Planet">{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/pakistan/punjab/lahore/introduction|title=Lahore, Pakistan|website=Lonely Planet|access-date=16 June 2016|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120174039/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/pakistan/punjab/lahore|url-status=dead}}</ref> with major attractions including the [[Walled City of Lahore|Walled City]], the famous [[Badshahi Mosque|Badshahi]] and [[Wazir Khan Mosque|Wazir Khan]] mosques, as well as several [[Sikh]] and [[Sufi]] shrines. Lahore is also home to the [[Lahore Fort]] and [[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalimar Gardens]], both of which are [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s.<ref name="Planet" />

== Etymology ==
{{Main|Etymology of Lahore|}}

The origin of Lahore's name is unclear. The city's name has been variously recorded by early Muslim historians as ''Luhawar'', ''Lūhār'', and ''Rahwar''.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p=5}} The Iranian polymath and geographer, [[Al-Biruni|Abu Rayhan al-Biruni]], referred to the city as ''Luhāwar'' in his 11th century work, ''Qanun'',{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p=5}} while the poet [[Amir Khusrow]], who lived during the [[Delhi Sultanate]] period, recorded the city's name as ''Lāhanūr''.<ref name=":22">{{Cite book |last=Suvorova|first=Anna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cI1_AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT241|title=Muslim Saints of South Asia: The Eleventh to Fifteenth Centuries|date=22 July 2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=1134370059}}</ref> [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] records the city's name as ''Lawhūr'', mentioning that it was famously known as ''Lahāwar''.<ref>{{cite web|last=al-Hamawi|first=Yaqut|title=Mu'jam al-Buldan |url=http://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/%D9%84%D9%8E%D9%88%D9%92%D9%87%D9%8F%D9%88%D8%B1/?book=53|access-date=14 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802231217/http://arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/%D9%84%D9%8E%D9%88%D9%92%D9%87%D9%8F%D9%88%D8%B1/?book=53 |archive-date=2 August 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Persian historian [[Firishta]] mentions the city as ''Alahwar'' in his work, with ''al-Ahwar'' being another variation.<ref name="briggs">Briggs, J. trans. [[Firishta|Mohammad Kasim Firishta]], "History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India Till the Year A.D. 1612", Volume VI</ref>{{sfnp|Wink|2002a|p=121}}

One theory suggests that Lahore's name is a corruption of the word ''Ravāwar,'' as R to L shifts are common in languages derived from [[Sanskrit]].<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8sdgrE8pn-cC&q=iravatyawar |title=Journal of Central Asia |date=1978|publisher=Centre for the Study of the Civilizations of Central Asia, Quaid-i-Azam University}}</ref> ''Ravāwar'' is the simplified pronunciation of the name ''Iravatyāwar,'' a name possibly derived from the [[Ravi River]], known as the Iravati River in the ''[[Vedas]]''.<ref name=":32" /><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Boltz|first1=William G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-hJB2279EAC&pg=PA136 |title=Studies in the Historical Phonology of Asian Languages |last2=Shapiro|first2=Michael C.|date=1991|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing|isbn=9027235740}}</ref> Another theory suggests the city's name may derive from the word ''Lohar'', meaning "blacksmith".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Journal of Asian Civilisations|date=2001|publisher=Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JfhwAAAAMAAJ&q=Lahore+blacksmith+etymology}}</ref>

According to a legend,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VJwIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA2-PA131 |title=Gazetteer of the Ferozpur District: 1883 |date=1883}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Haroon Khalid |date=31 December 2018 |title=How old is Lahore? The clues lie in a blend of historical fact and expedient legend |work=Dawn |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1454665/ |quote=A legend subsequently grew that connected the history of the city with Valmiki's Ramayana. According to this narrative, Valmiki lived on a mound on the banks of the Ravi when he hosted Ram's consort Sita after she was banished from Ayodhya. It is here that she gave birth Lav and Kush, the princes of Ayodhya, who later founded the twin cities of Lahore and Kasur. |access-date=1 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101120014/https://www.dawn.com/news/1454665 |archive-date=1 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Lahore's name derives from ''Lavpur'' or ''Lavapuri'' (City of ''[[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]]''),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FAS2AAAAIAAJ&q=Lahore+Lavapuri |title=Annual bibliography of Indian history and Indology, Volume 4 |publisher=Bombay Historical Society |year=1946 |page=257 |access-date=29 May 2009}}</ref> and is said to have been founded by Prince Lava,<ref>{{cite book |last=Baqir |first=Muhammad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-pAcAAAAMAAJ&q=Lahore+Lava |title=Lahore, past and present |publisher=B.R. Pub. Corp |year=1985 |pages=19–20 |isbn=978-81-85557-22-9 |access-date=29 May 2009}}</ref> the son of [[Sita]] and [[Rama]]. The same account attributes the founding of nearby [[Kasur]] to his twin brother [[Kusha (Ramayana)|Kusha]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Nadiem |first=Ihsan N |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pyFuAAAAMAAJ&q=Kasur+Kusha |title=Punjab: land, history, people |publisher=Al-Faisal Nashran |year=2005 |isbn=9789695032831 |page=111 |access-date=29 May 2009}}</ref> though it was actually established in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nadiem |first1=Ihsan H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pyFuAAAAMAAJ&q=kasur+pashtun |title=Punjab: Land, History, People |year=2005 |publisher=Al-Faisal Nashran |isbn=9789695034347}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Quote box
| title = Historical affiliations
| quote = [[Taank Kingdom]] 550–950<br>[[File:Hindu Shahi coin in the name of Spalapati.jpg|30px]] [[Hindu Shahis]] 1001–1020<br> [[Ghaznavids|Ghaznavids Empire]] 1020–1186<br> [[Ghurid Empire]] 1186–1206<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1206–1214<br>[[Nasir ad-Din Qabacha|Multan State]] 1214–1217<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1217–1223<br>[[Khwarazmian Empire]] 1223–1228<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1228–1241<br>{{flagicon image| Flag of the Mongol Empire 3.svg|border=}} [[Mongol Empire]] 1241– 1266<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1266–1287<br>{{flagicon image| Flag of the Chagatai Khanate.svg|border=}} [[Chagatai Khanate]] 1287–1305<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1305–1329<br>{{flagicon image| Flag of the Chagatai Khanate.svg|border=}} [[Chagatai Khanate]] 1329<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1329–1342<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Jasrat Khokhar.png|border=}} [[Khokhar|Khokhar Confederacy]] 1342<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1342–1394<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Jasrat Khokhar.png|border=}} [[Khokhar|Khokhar Confederacy]] 1394–1398<br>{{flagicon image| Timurid Empire flag.svg|border=}} [[Timurid Empire]] 1398–1414<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1414–1431<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Jasrat Khokhar.png|border=}} [[Khokhar|Khokhar Confederacy]] 1431–1432<br>{{flagicon image| Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|border=}} [[Delhi Sultanate]] 1432–1524<br>{{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|border=}} [[Mughal Empire]] 1524–1540<br>[[File:Seal of Sher Shah Suri.png|19px]] [[Sur Empire]] 1540–1555<br>{{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|border=}} [[Mughal Empire]] 1555–1739<br>{{flagicon image|Afsharid Imperial Standard (3 Stripes).svg|border=}} [[Afsharid Iran|Afsharid Empire]] 1739<br>{{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|border=}} [[Mughal Empire]] 1739–1748<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Herat until 1842.svg|border=}} [[Durrani Empire]] 1748–1758<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Maratha Empire.png|border=}} [[Maratha Empire]] 1758–1759<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Herat until 1842.svg|border=}} [[Durrani Empire]] 1759–1765<br>{{flagicon image|Kattar Dhal Talwar.jpg|border=}} [[Bhangi Misl]] and [[Kanhaiya Misl]] 1765–1799<br>{{flagicon image|Sikh Empire flag.svg|border=}} [[Sikh Empire]] 1799–1849<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|border=}} [[British East India Company]] 1849–1858<br>{{flagicon image| British Raj Red Ensign.svg|border=}} [[British Raj]] /{{flagicon image| Flag of the United Kingdom (3-5).svg|border=}} [[British Empire]] 1858–1947<br>{{flagicon image| Flag of Pakistan.svg|border=}} [[Pakistan]] 1947–present
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{{Main|History of Lahore}}

{{For timeline}}

=== Origins ===
{{Main|Origins of Lahore}}

No definitive record of Lahore's early history exists, and its ambiguous historical background has given rise to various theories about its establishment and history.{{sfnp|Neville|2006|p=xii}}

[[Alexander the Great]]'s historians make no mention of any city near Lahore's location during his invasion in 326 BCE, suggesting the city had not been founded by that point or was not noteworthy.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p=352}} [[Ptolemy]] mentions in his ''[[Geography (Ptolemy)|Geography]]'' a city called ''Labokla'' situated near the [[Chenab River|Chenab]] and Ravi rivers which may have been in reference to ancient Lahore, or an abandoned predecessor of the city.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Charles Umpherston Aitchison|title=Lord Lawrence and the Reconstruction of India Under the British Rule |year=2002 |publisher=Genesis Publishing |isbn=9788177551730|page=54}}</ref> Chinese pilgrim [[Xuanzang]] gave a vivid description of a large and prosperous unnamed city that may have been Lahore when he [[Taank Kingdom|visited the region]] in 630 CE during his tour of India.<ref name=bosworth/>

The first document that mentions Lahore by name is the ''[[Hudud al-'Alam]]'' ("The Regions of the World"), written in 982 CE,<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.kroraina.com/hudud/ |title=Hudud al-'Alam, The Regions of the World: A Persian Geography, 372 A.H. – 982 A.D. |translator=V. Minorsky |year=1937 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=London |access-date=4 September 2013 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415015541/http://www.kroraina.com/hudud/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in which Lahore is mentioned as a town which had "impressive temples, large markets and huge orchards".<ref name=antiquity/>{{sfnp|Wink|2002b|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

Few other references to Lahore remain from before its capture by the [[Ghaznavids|Ghaznavid]] Sultan [[Mahmud of Ghazni|Mahmud]] in the 11th century. During this time, Lahore appears to have served as the capital of Punjab under Raja [[Anandapala]] of the [[Hindu Shahi|Üdi Shahi]] empire, who moved his capital there from Waihind.<ref name=bosworth/>{{sfnp|Wink|2002b|p=235}}

===Mediaeval era===
{{Main|Early Muslim period in Lahore}}

==== Ghaznavid ====
[[File:Data Durbar as more then one decade before by Usman Ghani.jpg|thumb|The [[Data Darbar]] shrine was built to commemorate saint [[Ali Hujwiri]], who lived in the city during 11th century.]]

Sultan Mahmud conquered Lahore between 1020 and 1027, making it part of Ghaznavid Empire.<ref name=bosworth/> He appointed [[Malik Ayaz]] as its governor in 1021. During the reign of Sultan [[Ibrahim of Ghazna|Ibrahim]] Malik Ayaz rebuilt and repopulated the city, which had been devastated after the Ghaznavid invasion. He also erected city walls and a masonry fort in 1037–1040 on the ruins of a previous one.<ref name="Petersen1996">{{cite book |author=Andrew Petersen |year=1996 |title=Dictionary of Islamic Architecture |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofisla00andr |url-access=registration |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-06084-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofisla00andr/page/159 159]}}</ref> During his tenure a confederation of Hindu princes unsuccessfully laid siege to Lahore in 1043–44.<ref name="bosworth">{{cite book |last1=Bosworth |first1=C. Edmund|title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World|date=2007|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-9047423836 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgawCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA305|access-date=26 December 2017}}</ref> 

Lahore was formally made the eastern capital of Ghaznavid Empire during the reign of [[Khusrau Shah]] in 1152.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Chronology: Historical and Biographical|date=1872|publisher=Longmans, Green and Company |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch00wood|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch00wood/page/590 590]|quote=lahore 1152. |access-date=26 December 2017}}</ref> After the fall of Ghazni in 1163, It became the sole capital.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Lahore |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/327951/Lahore |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502052043/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/327951/Lahore |archive-date=2 May 2015}}</ref> Under their patronage, poets and scholars from other cities of Ghaznavid Empire congregated in Lahore.<ref name="Ikram">{{cite book|last1=Ikram |first1=S. M.|date=1964|title=Muslim Civilization in India |url=https://archive.org/details/muslimcivilizati00ikra |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press |author1-link=S. M. Ikram}}</ref> The city became a cultural and academic centre, renowned for [[poetry]].<ref>{{cite web |title=GC University Lahore |url=http://www.gcu.edu.pk/Citylahore.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908173139/http://www.gcu.edu.pk/Citylahore.htm |archive-date=8 September 2012 |access-date=15 March 2011 |publisher=Gcu.edu.pk}}</ref><ref name="WescoatWolschke-Bulmahn199622">{{cite book |author1=James L. Wescoat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=96ec98LieGsC&pg=PA149 |title=Mughal Gardens: Sources, Places, Representations, and Prospects |author2=Joachim Wolschke-Bulmahn |date=1996 |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks |isbn=978-0-88402-235-0 |page=149}}</ref> The entire city of Lahore during the Ghaznavid era was probably located west of the modern [[Shah Alami|Shah Alami Bazaar]] and north of the [[Bhatti Gate]].{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

==== Mamluk ====
Following the [[Siege of Lahore (1186)|siege of Lahore]] in 1186, the [[Ghurid]] ruler [[Muhammad of Ghor|Muhammad]] captured the city and imprisoned Khusrau Malik,<ref name=bosworth/> thus ending Ghaznavid rule over Lahore. Lahore was the first capital of the [[Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)|Mamluk dynasty]] of what would later come to be known as the [[Delhi Sultanate]] following the assassination of Muhammad of Ghor in 1206. Under the reign of Mamluk sultan [[Qutb ud-Din Aibak|Qutb-ud-Din Aibak]], Lahore attracted poets and scholars from medieval [[Muslim World]]. Lahore at this time had more poets writing in Persian than any other city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/indianexpress-2/ |title=Once upon a time |publisher=Apnaorg.com |access-date=15 March 2011 |archive-date=15 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615113959/http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/indianexpress-2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[[Alexander Mikaberidze|Mikaberidze, Alexander]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jBBYD2J2oE4C&q=delhi+sultanate+turko-afghan&pg=PA269 "Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia ('''2''' volumes): A Historical Encyclopedia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404025723/https://books.google.com/books?id=jBBYD2J2oE4C&q=delhi+sultanate+turko-afghan&pg=PA269 |date=4 April 2023 }} ABC-CLIO, 22 July 2011 {{ISBN|978-1-59884-337-8}} pp 269–270</ref> Following the death of Aibak, Lahore first came under the control of the governor of Multan, [[Nasir ad-Din Qabacha]], and then was briefly captured in 1217 by the sultan in Delhi, [[Iltutmish]].<ref name=bosworth/>

In an alliance with local [[Khokhar]]s in 1223, the [[Khwarazmian Empire|Khwarazmian]] sultan [[Jalal al-Din Mangburni]] captured Lahore after fleeing from [[Genghis Khan]]'s invasion of his realm.<ref name=bosworth/> Mangburni then fled from Lahore to the city of [[Uch Sharif]] after Iltutmish's army re-captured Lahore in 1228.<ref name=bosworth/>
[[File:Tomb of Sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Qutb-ud-Din Aybak in [[Anarkali Bazaar]], Lahore]]
The threat of Mongol invasions and political instability in Lahore caused future sultans to regard Delhi as a safer capital for the sultanate,<ref name="jackson" /> even though Delhi was considered a forward base while Lahore was widely considered as the centre of Islamic culture in northeastern Punjab.<ref name="jackson" />

Lahore came under progressively weaker central rule under Iltutmish's descendants in Delhi, to the point that governors in the city acted with great autonomy.<ref name=bosworth/> Actual Sultanate rule on Lahore lasted only a few decades until the locals reclaimed their autonomy.<ref name=bosworth/> Lahore was sacked and ruined by the Mongol army in 1241,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=980SAvbmpUkC |title=The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India |first=Balaji|last=Sadasivan|date=14 August 2018 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=9789814311670}}</ref> with the Mongols holding the city for a few years under the rule of the Mongol chief [[Toghrul]].<ref name="jackson">{{cite book|last1=Jackson|first1=Peter|title=The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History|date=16 October 2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0521543290 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lt2tqOpVRKgC&pg=PA309 |access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>

In 1266, sultan [[Ghiyas ud din Balban|Balban]] reconquered Lahore, but in 1287 under the Mongol ruler [[Temür Khan]],<ref name="jackson"/> the Mongols again overran northern Punjab. Because of Mongol invasions, Lahore region became a city on a frontier, with the region's administrative centre shifted south to [[Dipalpur]].<ref name=bosworth/> The Mongols [[Mongol invasion of India, 1297-98|again invaded]] northern Punjab in 1298, though their advance was eventually stopped by [[Ulugh Khan]], brother of Sultan [[Alauddin Khalji]] of Delhi.<ref name="jackson"/> The Mongols again attacked Lahore in 1305.{{sfnp|Neville|2006|p=xiii}}

====Tughluq====
Lahore briefly flourished again under the reign of [[Ghiyath al-Din Tughlaq]] (Ghazi Malik) of the [[Tughluq dynasty]] between 1320 and 1325, though the city was again sacked in 1329 by [[Tarmashirin]] of the Central Asian [[Chagatai Khanate]], and then again by the Mongol chief Hülechü.<ref name=bosworth/> Khokhars seized Lahore in 1342,<ref>{{cite book|title=Imperial Gazetteer of India |volume=16 |page=107 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/text.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V16_112.gif|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=13 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313205336/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/text.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V16_112.gif|url-status=live}}</ref> but the city was retaken by Ghazi Malik's son, [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]].<ref name=bosworth/> The weakened city then fell into obscurity and was captured once more by the Khokhar chief [[Shaikha Khokhar|Shaikha]] in 1394.<ref name="dsal.uchicago.edu">{{cite book |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/text.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V16_112.gif |title=Imperial Gazetteer of India |volume=16 |page=106 |access-date=27 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313205336/http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/text.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V16_112.gif |archive-date=13 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> By the time the Mongol conqueror [[Timur]] captured the city in 1398 from Shaikha, he did not loot it because it was no longer wealthy.{{sfnp|Neville|2006|p=xii}}

====Late Sultanates====
Timur gave control of the Lahore region to [[Khizr Khan]], governor of Multan, who later established the [[Sayyid dynasty]] in 1414 – the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate.<ref name="Ahmed">{{cite book|last1=Ahmed|first1=Farooqui Salma|title=A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century|date=2011|publisher=Pearson India|isbn=9788131732021}}</ref> The city was twice besieged by [[Jasrat]], the ruler of [[Sialkot]], during the reign of [[Mubarak Shah (Sayyid dynasty)|Mubarak Shah]], the longest of which being in 1431–32.<ref name="jackson"/> To combat Jasrat, the city was granted by the Sayyid dynasty to [[Bahlul Lodi]] in 1441, though Lodi would then displace the Sayyids in 1451 by establishing himself upon the throne of Delhi.<ref name=bosworth/>

Bahlul Lodi installed his cousin, Tatar Khan, to be governor of the city, though Tatar Khan died in battle with [[Sikandar Lodi]] in 1485.<ref name="dhillon"/> Governorship of Lahore was transferred by Sikandar Lodi to Umar Khan Sarwani, who quickly left the management of this city to his son Said Khan Sarwani. Said Khan was removed from power in 1500 by Sikandar Lodi, and Lahore came under the governorship of [[Daulat Khan Lodi]], son of Tatar Khan and former employer of [[Guru Nanak]], the founder of [[Sikhism]].<ref name="dhillon">{{cite book |last1=Dhillon|first1=Dalbir Singh|title=Sikhism Origin and Development|date=1988|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=osnkLKPMWykC&pg=PA9|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>

===Mughals===
{{Main|Subah of Lahore|Mughal period in Lahore}}

====Early Mughal====
[[Babur]], the founder of the [[Mughal Empire]], captured and sacked Lahore and Dipalpur, although he retreated after the Lodi nobles backed away from assisting him.<ref name=bosworth/><ref>{{Cite book|author=Iqtidar Alam Khan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=URluAAAAMAAJ |title=Historical Dictionary of Medieval India|date=2008 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-5503-8|page=32 |language=en}}</ref> The city became a refuge to [[Humayun]] and his cousin [[Kamran Mirza]] when [[Sher Shah Suri]] rose in power in the Gangetic plains, displacing Mughals. Sher Shah Suri seized Lahore in 1540, though Humayun reconquered Lahore in February 1555.<ref name=bosworth/> The establishment of Mughal rule eventually led to the most prosperous era of Lahore's history.<ref name=bosworth/> Lahore's prosperity and central position has yielded more Mughal-era monuments in Lahore than either [[Delhi]] or [[Agra]].<ref name=mughaleconomist>{{cite news|title=Short Cuts |url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21695034-chinese-style-modernisation-draws-perilously-close-brilliant-17th-century-landmarks-short-cuts |access-date=19 August 2016|newspaper=The Economist|date=19 March 2016|quote=For centuries Lahore was the heart of Mughal Hindustan, known to visitors as the City of Gardens. Today it has a greater profusion of treasures from the Mughal period (the peak of which was in the 17th century) than India's Delhi or Agra, even if Lahore's are less photographed. |archive-date=19 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819161514/http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21695034-chinese-style-modernisation-draws-perilously-close-brilliant-17th-century-landmarks-short-cuts|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the time of the rule of the Mughal empire's greatest emperors, a majority of Lahore's residents did not live within the walled city itself but instead lived in suburbs that had spread outside the city's walls.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Only 9 of the 36 urban quarters around Lahore, known as ''guzars'', were located within the city walls during the [[Akbar]] period.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} During this period, Lahore was closely tied to smaller market towns known as ''qasbahs'', such as [[Kasur]] and [[Eminabad]], as well as [[Amritsar]] and [[Batala]] in modern-day India, which in turn, linked to supply chains in villages surrounding each ''qasbah''.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

====Akbar====
Beginning in 1584, Lahore became the Mughal capital when Akbar began re-fortifying the city's ruined citadel, laying the foundations for the revival of the [[Lahore Fort]].{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Akbar made Lahore one of his original twelve ''[[subah]]'' provinces,{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} and in 1585–86, relegated governorship of the city and ''subah'' to [[Bhagwant Das]], brother of [[Mariam-uz-Zamani]], who was commonly known as "Jodhabhai".<ref name="Chandra">{{cite book|last1=Chandra|first1=Satish|title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part – II|date=2005|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=8124110662|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Rm9MC4DDrcC&pg=PA28|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Fort_of_Lahore.jpg|thumb|The Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort]]
Akbar also rebuilt the city's walls and extended their perimeter east of the Shah Alami bazaar to encompass the sparsely populated area of Rarra Maidan.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} The Akbari Mandi [[grain trade|grain market]] was set up during this era, which continues to function to the present-day.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Akbar also established the [[Dharampura]] neighbourhood in the early 1580s, which survives today.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Latif|first1=Syad Muhammad|title=Agra historical and descriptive with an account of Akbar and his court and of the modern city of Agra |date=2003 |publisher=Asian Educational Services|isbn=8120617096 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9hZuAAAAMAAJ&q=akbar+dharmpura|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref> The earliest of Lahore's many [[haveli]]s date from the Akbari era.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

====Jahangir====
[[File:Tomb of Emperor Jahangir.jpg|thumb|The [[Tomb of Jahangir|mausoleum of Jahangir]] in Shahdara Bagh]]
During the reign of Emperor [[Jahangir]] in the early 17th century, Lahore's bazaars were noted to be vibrant, frequented by foreigners, and stocked with a wide array of goods.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} In 1606, Jahangir's rebel son [[Khusrau Mirza]] laid siege to Lahore after obtaining the blessings of the Sikh [[Guru Arjan Dev]].<ref name="Holt">{{cite book|last1=Holt|first1=P. M.|title=The Cambridge History of Islam: Volume 2A, The Indian Sub-Continent, South-East Asia, Africa and the Muslim West|date=1977|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0521291372 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y99jTbxNbSAC&pg=PA45 |access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref> Jahangir quickly defeated his son at Bhairowal, and the roots of Mughal–Sikh animosity grew.<ref name="Holt" /> Sikh Guru Arjan Dev was executed in Lahore in 1606 for his involvement in the rebellion.<ref>{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh| title= Life, and Work of Guru Arjan: History, Memory, and Biography in the Sikh Tradition| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbPXAAAAMAAJ| year=2006| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-567921-2| pages=23, 217–218}}</ref> Emperor Jahangir chose to be buried in Lahore, and [[Tomb of Jahangir|his tomb]] was built in Lahore's [[Shahdara Bagh]] suburb in 1637 by his wife [[Nur Jahan]], [[Tomb of Nur Jahan|whose tomb]] is also nearby.

====Shah Jahan====
[[File:Wazir_Khan_Mosque_William_Carpenter_1866.jpg|thumb|Wazir Khan Mosque painting by [[William Carpenter (painter)|William Carpenter]] (1866)]]
Jahangir's son, [[Shah Jahan]] (reigned 1628–1658), was born in Lahore in 1592. He renovated large portions of the Lahore Fort with luxurious white marble and erected the iconic [[Naulakha Pavilion]] in 1633.<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web|publisher=UNESCO |title=International council on monuments and sites|url= https://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/171.pdf |access-date=13 April 2015|archive-date=10 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710195232/http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/171.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Shah Jahan lavished Lahore with some of its most celebrated and iconic monuments, such as the [[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalamar Gardens]] in 1641. His Punjabi viceroy and royal physician [[Wazir Khan (Lahore)|Wazir Khan]] also built a number of monuments in the city, including the extravagantly decorated [[Wazir Khan Mosque]], the [[Wazir Khan Baradari]], and the [[Shahi Hammam]], during his tenure.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aryan |first=K. C. |author-link=K. C. Aryan |url= |title=The Cultural Heritage of Punjab, 3000 B.C. to 1947 A.D. |date=1983 |publisher=New Delhi: Rekha |isbn=978-81-900002-9-1 |pages=64 |language=en |chapter=Golden Temple |quote=}}</ref> The population of pre-modern Lahore probably reached its zenith during his reign, with suburban districts home to perhaps 6 times as many compared to within the [[Walled City of Lahore|Walled City]].{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

====Aurangzeb====
[[File:Badshahi Mosquee, Lahore.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Badshahi Mosque]]]]
Shah Jahan's son, [[Aurangzeb]], last of the great Mughal Emperors, further contributed to the development of Lahore. Aurangzeb built the Alamgiri Bund embankment along the Ravi river in 1662 to prevent its shifting course from threatening the city's walls.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} The area near the embankment grew into a fashionable locality, with several nearby pleasure gardens laid by Lahore's gentry.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} The largest of Lahore's Mughal monuments, the [[Badshahi Mosque]], was raised during Aurangzeb's reign in 1673, as well as the iconic Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore fort in 1674.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lahore Fort Alamgiri Gate|website=Asian Historical Architecture |url=http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/sid/1036/pakistan/lahore/lahore-fort-alamgiri-gate |access-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228171934/http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/sid/1036/pakistan/lahore/lahore-fort-alamgiri-gate |archive-date=28 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Late Mughal====
[[File:Sunehri_masjid_top_view_2.JPG|thumb|The [[Sunehri Mosque, Lahore|Sunehri Mosque]] was built in the walled city in the early 18th century, when the Mughal Empire was in decline.]]
Civil wars regarding succession to the Mughal throne following Aurangzeb's death in 1707 led to weakening control over Lahore from Delhi, and a prolonged period of decline in Lahore.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Mughal preoccupation with the [[Marathas]] in the [[Deccan Plateau]] eventually resulted in Lahore being governed by a series of governors who pledged nominal allegiance to the ever-weaker Mughal emperors in Delhi.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

Mughal Emperor [[Bahadur Shah I]] died enroute to Lahore as part of a campaign in 1711 to subdue Sikh rebels under the leadership of [[Banda Singh Bahadur]].<ref name=bosworth/> His sons fought a battle outside Lahore in 1712 for succession to the Mughal crown, with [[Jahandar Shah|Jahandar]] winning the throne.<ref name=bosworth/> Sikh rebels were defeated during the reign of [[Farrukhsiyar]] when Abd as-Samad and Zakariyya Khan suppressed them.<ref name=bosworth/>

[[Nader Shah]]'s brief invasion of the Mughal Empire [[Nader Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire|in early 1739]] wrested control away from [[Zakariya Khan Bahadur]]. Though Khan was able to win back control after the Persian armies had left,<ref name=bosworth/> the trade routes had shifted away from Lahore, and south towards [[Kandahar]] instead.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Indus ports near the Arabian Sea that served Lahore also silted up during this time, reducing the city's importance even further.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

Struggles between Zakariyya Khan's sons following his death in 1745 further weakened Muslim control over Lahore, thus leaving the city in a power vacuum, and vulnerable to foreign marauders.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Axworthy|first1=Michael|title=Sword of Persia: Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant|date=2010 |publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-0-85773-347-4|page=195}}</ref>

=== Durrani invasions ===
The [[Durrani Empire|Durrani]] ruler [[Ahmad Shah Durrani|Ahmad Shah]] occupied Lahore [[Battle of Lahore (1748)|in 1748]].<ref name=bosworth/> Following Ahmed Shah Durrani's quick retreat, the Mughals entrusted Lahore to Mu’īn al-Mulk [[Mir Mannu]].<ref name=bosworth/> Ahmad Shah again invaded in 1751, forcing Mir Mannu into signing a treaty that nominally subjected Lahore to Durrani rule.<ref name=bosworth/> Lahore was third time conquered by Ahmad Shah [[Battle of Lahore (1752)|in 1752]]. The Mughal [[list of Mughal grand viziers|Grand Vizier]] Ghazi-Din Imad al-Mulk seized Lahore in 1756, provoking Ahmad Shah to invade for fourth time in 1757, after which he placed the city under the rule of his son, [[Timur Shah Durrani|Timur Shah]].<ref name=bosworth/>

Durrani rule was interrupted when Lahore was conquered by [[Adina Beg]] [[Arain]] with the assistance of Marathas in 1758 during their [[Maratha conquest of North-west India|campaigns against Afghans]].<ref name=K.RoyIHB>{{cite book | last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=India's Historic Battles: From Alexander the Great to Kargil |year=2004 |publisher=Permanent Black, India |pages=80–1 |isbn=978-81-7824-109-8}}</ref> After Adina Beg's untimely death in 1758, however, [[Marathas]] temporarily occupied the city. The following year, the Durranis again marched into Lahore and conquered it.<ref>Mehta, J.L. (2005). Advanced study in the history of modern India 1707–1813. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 260. {{ISBN|978-1-932705-54-6}}. Retrieved 23 September 2010.</ref> After the Durranis withdrew from the city in 1765, [[Sikh]] forces quickly occupied it.<ref name=bosworth/> By this time, the city had been ravaged several time and had lost all of its former grandeur.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} The Durranis invaded two more times — in 1797 and 1798 — under [[Shah Zaman]], but the Sikhs re-occupied the city after both invasions as the Durranis were forced to attend to other problems on their western borders.<ref name=bosworth/>

=== Sikh ===
{{Main|Sikh period in Lahore}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="120">
File:Gurudwara Arjun Ram (WCLA).jpg|[[Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das]]
File:Gurdwara Dera Sahib and Samadhi of Ranjit Singh.jpg|[[Gurdwara Dera Sahib]]
</gallery>

====Early====
Expanding Sikh [[Misl]]s secured control over Lahore in 1767, when the [[Bhangi Misl]] state captured the city.<ref name="eos">{{Citation|title=Pakistani Sikhs reopen temple after 73 years| date=17 November 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mBW1s597tw| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/5mBW1s597tw |archive-date=11 December 2021|url-status=live|language=en|access-date=21 January 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 1780, the city was divided among three rulers: [[Gujjar Singh Banghi|Gujjar Singh]], Lahna Singh, and [[Suba Singh|Sobha Singh]]. Instability resulting from this arrangement allowed nearby [[Amritsar]] to establish itself as the area's primary commercial centre in place of Lahore.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

Ahmad Shah Durrani's grandson, Zaman Shah, captured Lahore in 1796, and again in 1798–99.<ref name=bosworth/> [[Ranjit Singh]] negotiated with the Afghans for the post of ''[[subahdar]]'' to control Lahore following the second invasion.<ref name=bosworth/>

By the end of the 18th century, the city's population drastically declined, with its remaining residents living within the city walls, while the extramural suburbs lay abandoned, forcing travellers to pass through abandoned and ruined suburbs for a few miles before reaching the city's gates.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

====Sikh Empire====
[[File:Court_of_Lahore.jpg|thumb|The [[Sikh Empire#Government|Lahore Darbar]] by Ágoston Schoefft (1842)]]
In the aftermath of Zaman Shah's 1799 invasion of Punjab, Ranjit Singh, of nearby [[Gujranwala]], began to consolidate his position. Singh was able to seize control of the region after a series of battles with the Bhangi chiefs who had seized Lahore in 1780.<ref name=bosworth/><ref name="KakshiPathak2007">{{cite book |last1=Kakshi|first1=S.R.|last2=Pathak|first2=Rashmi|last3=Pathak |first3=S.R. Bakshi R.|title=Punjab Through the Ages |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K_FRF3a5y2EC|access-date=12 June 2010|date=2007|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-7625-738-1 |pages=272–274}}</ref> His army marched to Anarkali, where according to tradition, the gatekeeper of the [[Lohari Gate, Lahore|Lohari Gate]], Mukham Din Chaudhry, opened the gates allowing Ranjit Singh's army to enter Lahore.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} After capturing Lahore, Sikh soldiers immediately began plundering Muslim areas of the city until their actions were reined in by Ranjit Singh.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh|first1=Bhagata|title=Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his times|date=1990|publisher=Sehgal Publishers Service}}</ref>
[[File:'By_@ibneAzhar'-Hazuri_Bagh-Lahore-Pakistan_(10).JPG|thumb|The marble [[Hazuri Bagh Baradari]] was built in 1818 to celebrate [[Ranjit Singh]]'s acquisition of the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond.<ref name="bansal2">{{cite book |last1=Bansal |first1=Bobby |title=Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan |date=2015 |publisher=Hay House, Inc |isbn=978-9384544935}}</ref>]]
Ranjit Singh's rule restored some of Lahore's lost grandeur, but at the expense of destroying the remaining Mughal architecture for building materials.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} He established a mint in the city in 1800,{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} and moved into the Mughal palace at the Lahore fort after repurposing it for his own use in governing the Sikh Empire.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/IDE822/ |title=Ranjit Singh: A Secular Sikh Sovereign |author=K.S. Duggal |date=1989 |isbn=8170172446 |publisher=Exoticindiaart.com |access-date=3 September 2015 |archive-date=17 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617232755/http://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/IDE822/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1801, he established a [[Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das|Gurdwara Ram Das]] to mark the site where [[Guru Ram Das]] was born in 1534.

Lahore became the empire's administrative capital, though the nearby economic centre of Amritsar had also been established as the empire's spiritual capital by 1802.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} By 1812, Singh had mostly refurbished the city's defences by adding a second circuit of outer walls surrounding Akbar's original walls, with the two separated by a moat. Singh also partially restored Shah Jahan's decaying Shalimar Gardens<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hkttreks.com/pakistan-lahore/ |title=Pakistan – Lahore – Hindukush Karakuram Tours & Treks |access-date=1 February 2019|archive-date=2 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042553/http://www.hkttreks.com/pakistan-lahore/|url-status=live}}</ref> and built the [[Hazuri Bagh Baradari]] in 1818 to celebrate his capture of the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond from [[Shuja Shah Durrani]] in 1813.<ref name=bansal>{{cite book|last1=Bansal|first1=Bobby|title=Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan|date=2015|publisher=Hay House, Inc|isbn=978-9384544935}}</ref> He erected the [[Gurdwara Dera Sahib]] to mark the site of [[Guru Arjan Dev]]'s death (1606). The Sikh royal court also endowed religious architecture in the city, including a number of Sikh [[gurdwara]]s, Hindu temples, and havelis.<ref>Kartar Singh Duggal (2001). Maharaja Ranjit Singh: The Last to Lay Arms. Abhinav Publications. pp. 125–126. {{ISBN|978-81-7017-410-3}}.</ref><ref>Masson, Charles. 1842. ''Narrative of Various Journeys in Balochistan, Afghanistan and the Panjab'', 3 v. London: Richard Bentley (1) 37</ref>
[[File:Tomb_of_Asif_Khan_01.jpg|thumb|The [[Tomb of Asif Khan]] was one of several monuments plundered for its precious building materials during the Sikh period.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}<ref name="GHF22">{{cite web |title=Tomb of Asif Khan |url=http://ghn.globalheritagefund.com/uploads/documents/document_1937.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106072423/http://ghn.globalheritagefund.com/uploads/documents/document_1937.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2015 |access-date=13 September 2017 |publisher=Global Heritage Fund}}</ref>]]
Under Ranjit Singh's rule, Mughal monuments suffered during the Sikh period as his armies plundered most of Lahore's most precious Mughal monuments, and stripped the white marble from several monuments to send to different parts of the Sikh Empire during his reign.{{sfnp|Sidhwa|2005|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Monuments plundered for decorative materials include the Tomb of Asif Khan, the Tomb of Nur Jahan, and the Shalimar Gardens.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}<ref name="Archaeological Survey of India">{{cite book|last1=Marshall |first1=John Hubert |date=1906|title=Archaeological Survey of India |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing}}</ref> Ranjit Singh's army also desecrated the Badshahi Mosque by converting it into an ammunition depot and a stable for horses.{{sfnp|Sidhwa|2005|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} The [[Sunehri Masjid, Lahore|Sunehri Mosque]] in the Walled City was also converted to a gurdwara,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Panjab Past and Present |year=1988|volume=22 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rw5DAAAAYAAJ&q=sunehri+ |access-date=28 August 2016|publisher=Department of Punjab Historical Studies, Punjab University}}</ref> while the Mariyam Zamani Mosque was repurposed into a gunpowder factory.<ref>{{cite news |author=Farooq Soomro |title=A visual delight – Maryam Zamani and Wazir Khan Mosques |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1163373|access-date=29 August 2016 |work=Dawn |date=13 May 2015|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226032600/https://www.dawn.com/news/1163373|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Samadhi_of_Ranjit_Singh_123.jpg|right|thumb|[[Samadhi of Ranjit Singh]]]]

==== Late ====
The [[Sikh Empire#Government|Lahore Durbar]] underwent a quick succession of rulers after the death of Ranjit Singh. His son [[Kharak Singh]] died on 6 November 1840, soon after taking the throne. On that same day, the next appointed successor to the throne, [[Nau Nihal Singh]], died in an accident at the gardens of Hazuri Bagh.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Maharaja [[Sher Singh]] was then selected as Maharajah, though his claim to the throne was quickly challenged by [[Chand Kaur]], widow of Kharak Singh and mother of Nau Nihal Singh, who quickly seized the throne.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Sher Singh raised an army that attacked Chand Kaur's forces in Lahore on 14 January 1841. His soldiers mounted weaponry on the minarets of the Badshahi Mosque to target Chand Kaur's forces in the Lahore fort, destroying the fort's historic ''Diwan-e-Aam''.{{sfnp|Sidhwa|2005|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Kaur quickly ceded the throne, but Sher Sing was then assassinated in 1843 in Lahore's ''Chah Miran'' neighbourhood along with his wazir Dhiyan Singh.<ref name=bansal/> Dhyan Singh's son, Hira Singh, sought to avenge his father's death by laying siege to Lahore to capture his father's assassins. The siege resulted in the capture of his father's murderer, Ajit Singh.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

[[File:Maharaja_Sher_Singh_%281807-1843%29_seated,_attended_by_his_council_in_the_Lahore_Fort..jpg|thumb|[[List of monarchs of Punjab|Maharaja]] [[Sher Singh]] attended by his council in [[Lahore Fort]]]]

[[Duleep Singh]] was then crowned Maharajah, with Hira Singh as his ''wazir'', but his power would be weakened by the continued infighting among Sikh nobles,{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} as well as confrontations against the British during the two [[Anglo-Sikh War (disambiguation)|Anglo-Sikh wars]].

After the conclusion of the two Anglo-Sikh wars, the Sikh Empire fell into disarray, resulting in the fall of the ''Lahore Durbar'', and commencement of British rule after they captured Lahore and the wider Punjab region.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

=== British colonial period ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120">
File:Punjab university Art & Design Dept.jpg|[[University of the Punjab]]
File:Government College University Tower in Lahore.jpg|[[Government College University (Lahore)|Government College University]]
File:Front View of Lahore Museum.jpg|[[Lahore Museum]]
File:Lahore High Court Building.jpg|[[Lahore High Court]]
File:King Edward Medical University.jpg|[[King Edward Medical University]]
</gallery>
[[File:Lahore (Baedeker, 1914).jpg|thumb|upright|Map of the Old City and environs.]]
[[File:Street scene of Lahore, 1890s.jpg|thumb|upright|The Shah Alami area of Lahore's Walled City in 1890]]

The [[British East India Company]] seized control of Lahore in February 1846 from the collapsing Sikh state and occupied the rest of Punjab in 1848.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Following the defeat of the Sikhs at the [[Battle of Gujrat]], British troops formally deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh in Lahore that same year.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Punjab was then annexed to the British Indian Empire in 1849.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

At the commencement of British rule, Lahore was estimated to have a [[Population (human biology)|population]] of 120,000.<ref name="Univ Of Minnesota Press">{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "By the turn of the twentieth century, Lahore's population had nearly doubled from what it had been when the province was first annexed, growing from an estimated 120,000 people in 1849 to over 200,000 in 1901."</ref> Prior to annexation by the British, Lahore's environs consisted mostly of the [[Walled City of Lahore|Walled City]] surrounded by plains interrupted by settlements to the south and east, such as [[Mozang Chungi|Mozang]] and [[Qila Gujar Singh]], which have since been engulfed by modern Lahore. The plains between the settlements also contained the remains of Mughal gardens, tombs, and Sikh-era military structures.<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "On the eve of annexation, Lahore's suburbs were made up of a flat, debris-strewn plain interrupted by a small number of populous abadis, the deserted cantonment and barracks of the former Sikh infantry (which, according to one British large buildings in various states of disrepair."</ref>

The British viewed Lahore's Walled City as a bed of potential social discontent and disease epidemics, and so largely left the inner city alone, while focusing development efforts in Lahore's suburban areas and Punjab's fertile countryside.<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "The inner city, on the other hand, remained problematic. Seen as a potential hotbed of disease and social instability, and notoriously difficult to observe and fathom, the inner districts of the city remained stubbornly resistant to colonial intervention. Throughout the British period of occupation in Punjab, for reasons we will explore more fully, the inner districts of its largest cities were almost entirely left alone. 5 The colonial state made its most significant investments in suburban tracts outside of cities... It should not surprise us that the main focus of imperial attention in Punjab was its fertile countryside rather than cities like Lahore."</ref> The British instead laid out their capital city in an area south of the Walled City that would first come to be known as "Donald's Town" before being renamed "Civil Station".{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

Under early British rule, formerly prominent Mughal-era monuments that were scattered throughout Civil Station were also re-purposed and sometimes desecrated – including the [[Tomb of Anarkali]], which the British had initially converted to clerical offices before re-purposing it as an [[Anglican]] church in 1851.<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "What is more striking than the fact that Punjab's new rulers (cost-effectively) appropriated the symbolically charged buildings of their predecessors is how long some of those appropriations lasted. The conversion of the Mughal-era tomb of Sharif un-Nissa, a noblewoman during Shah Jahan's reign, popularly known as Anarkali, was one such case (Figure 1.2). This Muslim tomb was first used as offices and residences for the clerical staff of Punjab's governing board. In 1851, however, the tomb was converted into the Anglican church."</ref> The 17th-century [[Dai Anga Mosque]] was converted into railway administration offices during this time, the tomb of Nawab Bahadur Khan was converted into a storehouse, and the tomb of Mir Mannu was used as a wine shop.<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "the mosque of Dai Anga, Emperor Shah Jahan's wet nurse, which the British converted first into a residence and later into the office of the railway traffic manager. Nearby was the tomb of Nawab Bahadur Khan, a highly placed member of Akbar's court, which the railway used as a storehouse... manager. Nearby was the tomb of Nawab Bahadur Khan, a highly placed member of Akbar's court, which the railway used as a storehouse. That same tomb had been acquired earlier by the railway from the army, who had used it as a theatre for entertaining officers. The railway provided another nearby tomb free of charge to the Church Missionary Society, who used it for Sunday services. The tomb of Mir Mannu, an eighteenth-century Mughal viceroy of Punjab who had brutally persecuted the Sikhs while he was in power, escaped demolition by the railway but was converted nevertheless into a private wine merchant's shop."</ref> The British also used older structures to house municipal offices, such as the Civil Secretariat, Public Works Department, and Accountant General's Office.<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "with an abundance of abandoned large structures scattered throughout the civil station on nazul (state administered) property, the colonial government often chose to house major institutions in converted buildings rather than to build anew. These institutions included the Civil Secretariat, which, as we have seen, was located in Ventura's former house; the Public Works from Ranjit Singh's period; and the Accountant General's office, headquartered in a converted seventeenth century mosque near the tomb of Shah Chiragh, just off Mall Road."</ref>

[[File:Lahore Railway Station 01.jpg|thumb|left|Constructed in the aftermath of the 1857 [[Sepoy Mutiny]], the design of the [[Lahore Junction railway station|Lahore Railway Station]] was highly militarised to defend the structure from further uprisings against British rule.]]
The British built the [[Lahore Junction railway station|Lahore Railway Station]] just outside the Walled City shortly after the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Sepoy Mutiny of 1857]]; the station was therefore styled as a mediaeval castle to ward off any potential future uprisings, with thick walls, turrets, and holes to direct gun and cannon fire for the defence of the structure.<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "The Lahore station, built during a time when securing British civilians and troops against a future "native" uprising was foremost in the government's mind, fortified mediaeval castle, complete with turrets and crenellated towers, battered flanking walls, and loopholes for directing rifle and cannon fire along the main avenues of approach from the city."</ref> Lahore's most prominent government institutions and commercial enterprises came to be concentrated in Civil Station in a half-mile wide area flanking [[The Mall, Lahore|The Mall]], where unlike in Lahore's military zone, the British and locals were allowed to mix.<ref name="Mall Road">{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "We should remember that outside of colonial military cantonments, where rules encouraging racial separation were partially formalized in the residential districts of India's colonial cities. Wherever government institutions, commercial enterprises, and places of public congregation were concentrated, mixing among races and social classes was both legally accommodated and necessary. In Lahore these kinds of activities were concentrated in a half-mile-wide zone stretching along Mall Road from the Civil Secretariat, near Anarkali's tomb, at one end to the botanical gardens at the other."</ref> The Mall continues to serve as the epicentre of Lahore's civil administration, as well as one of its most fashionable commercial areas. The British also laid the spacious [[Lahore Cantonment]] to the southeast of the Walled City at the former village of Mian Mir, where unlike around The Mall, laws did exist against the mixing of different races.

Lahore was visited on 9 February 1870 by [[Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Alfred]], [[Duke of Edinburgh]] – a visit in which he received delegations from the [[Dogra dynasty|Dogras]] of [[Jammu]], Maharajas of [[Patiala]], the Nawab of [[Bahawalpur]], and other rulers from various Punjabi states.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RzBAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA341|title=History of the Panjáb from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Time|last=Muḥammad Laṭīf (Saiyid, Khān Bahādur)|date=1891|publisher=Calcutta Central Press Company, limited}}</ref> During the visit, he visited several of Lahore's major sights.<ref name=":0" /> British authorities built several important structures around the time of the [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria]] (1887) in the distinctive [[Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture|Indo-Saracenic style]], including the [[Lahore Museum]] and [[National College of Arts|Mayo School of Industrial Arts]].<ref name="Making Lahore Modern 1894">{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "As a gesture of loyalty, Punjab's "Princes, Chiefs, merchants, men of local note, and the public generally" formed a subscription to erect the "Victoria Jubilee Institute for the Promotion and Diffusion of Technical and Agricultural Education and Science" in Lahore, a complex that eventually formed the nucleus of the city's museum and the Mayo School of Art (completed in 1894)."</ref>

The British carried out a census of Lahore in 1901, and counted 20,691 houses in the Walled City.<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "According to the 1901 census, therefore, the inner city of Lahore contained exactly 20,691 "houses"."</ref> An estimated 200,000 people lived in Lahore at this time.<ref name="Univ Of Minnesota Press" /> Lahore's posh [[Model Town, Lahore|Model Town]] was established as a "garden town" suburb in 1921, while [[Krishan Nagar]] locality was laid in the 1930s near The Mall and Walled City.
[[File:Bawa Dingha Singh building, Lahore.jpg|thumb|upright|[[The Mall, Lahore|The Mall]], Lahore's pre-independence commercial core, features many examples of colonial architecture.]]
Lahore played an important role in the independence movements of both India<ref name="Mall Road"/> and Pakistan. The [[Declaration of the Independence of India]] was moved by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and passed unanimously at midnight on 31 December 1929 at Lahore's [[Bradlaugh Hall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99jan27/head3.htm |title=Republic Day |work=The Tribune |access-date=15 March 2011 |archive-date=29 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129021853/http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99jan27/head3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Indian ''[[Swaraj flag|Swaraj]]'' [[Swaraj flag|flag]] was adopted this time as well. Lahore's jail was used by the British to imprison independence activists such as [[Jatin Das]], and was also where [[Bhagat Singh]] was hanged in 1931.<ref>[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C09%5C02%5Cstory_2-9-2007_pg7_33 "A memorial will be built to Bhagat Singh, says the governor of Lahore."] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120729120941/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C09%5C02%5Cstory_2-9-2007_pg7_33 |date=29 July 2012 }} ''Daily Times Pakistan''. 2 September 2007.</ref> Under the leadership of [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], the [[All India Muslim League]] passed the [[Lahore Resolution]] in 1940, demanding the creation of Pakistan as a separate homeland for the Muslims of India.<ref>[http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A043 Story of Pakistan – Lahore Resolution 1940] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126002501/http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A043 |date=26 January 2012 }}, Jin Technologies. Retrieved 19 September 2007.</ref>

=== Partition ===
The future of the city of Lahore was [[Radcliffe Line#Lahore|fiercely contested]] during partition.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=175}} According to the 1941 census, the city of Lahore had a population of 671,659, of which was 64.5% Muslim, with the remainder 35% being Hindu and Sikh, alongside a small Christian community.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=176}}<ref>{{cite news|author=Khaled Ahmed|title=The City that wanted to know |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/lahore-the-city-that-wanted-to-know-4686476/|access-date=28 December 2017 |agency=Indian Express|date=3 June 2017|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224043630/https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/lahore-the-city-that-wanted-to-know-4686476/ |url-status=live}}</ref> This population figure was disputed by Hindus and Sikhs before the Boundary Commission that would draw the [[Radcliffe Line]] to demarcate the border of the two new states based on religious demography, who argued that the city was only 54% Muslim based on 1945 ration card figures, and that Hindu and Sikh domination of the city's economy and educational institutions should trump Muslim demography.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=176}} Two-thirds of shops, and 80% of Lahore's factories belonged to the Hindu and Sikh community.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=176}} Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar claimed that [[Cyril Radcliffe]] had told him in 1971 that he originally had planned to give Lahore to the new [[Dominion of India]],<ref name="Dabas2017"/><ref name="Nayar2018">{{cite web |author1=[[Kuldip Nayar]] |title='I nearly gave you Lahore': When Kuldip Nayar asked Cyril Radcliffe about deciding Indo-Pak border |url=https://scroll.in/article/891693/i-nearly-gave-you-lahore-when-kuldip-nayar-asked-cyril-radcliffe-about-deciding-indo-pak-border |website=Scroll.in |publisher=[[Scroll.in]] |date=24 August 2018 |access-date=22 January 2019 |archive-date=22 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122025001/https://scroll.in/article/891693/i-nearly-gave-you-lahore-when-kuldip-nayar-asked-cyril-radcliffe-about-deciding-indo-pak-border |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Kaul1991">{{cite book |last1=Kaul |first1=Pyarelal |title=Crisis in Kashmir |date=1991 |publisher=Suman Publications |page=42|quote=Under Radcliffe Award, Lahore was to have gone to India and not to Pakistan. The Arbitrator Radcliffe, announced to the representatives of India and Pakistan that Lahore had fallen to the lot of India.}}</ref> but decided to place it within the [[Dominion of Pakistan]], which he saw as lacking a major city as he had already awarded [[Calcutta]] to India.<ref name="Nayar">{{cite news |last1=Nayar |first1=Kuldip |title=Line of Division: Real and Imagined |newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060924/spectrum/main1.htm |date=24 September 2006 |language=en |access-date=22 January 2019 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309021052/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060924/spectrum/main1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Dabas2017">{{cite news |last1=Dabas |first1=Maninder |title=Here's How Radcliffe Line Was Drawn On This Day And Lahore Could Not Become A Part of India |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/here-s-how-radcliff-line-was-drawn-on-this-day-and-lahore-could-not-become-a-part-of-india-328012.html |language=en |date=17 August 2017 |access-date=22 January 2019 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128021247/https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/here-s-how-radcliff-line-was-drawn-on-this-day-and-lahore-could-not-become-a-part-of-india-328012.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Nayar2018"/>

As tensions grew over the city's uncertain fate, Lahore experienced [[Partition of India|Partition]]'s worst riots.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|pp=176-177}} Carnage ensued in which all three religious groups were both victims and perpetrators.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fiddian-Qasmiyeh |first1=Elena |last2=Loescher |first2=Gil |last3=Long |first3=Katy |last4=Sigona |first4=Nando |title=The Oxford Handbook of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies |date=2014 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=978-0191645884 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLkBBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT314 |access-date=28 December 2017}}</ref> Early riots in March and April 1947 destroyed 6,000 of Lahore's 82,000 homes.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=177}} Violence continued to rise throughout the summer, despite the presence of armoured British personnel.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=177}} Hindus and Sikhs began to leave the city ''en masse'' as their hopes that the Boundary Commission would award the city to India came to be regarded as increasingly unlikely. By late August 1947, 66% of Hindus and Sikhs had left the city.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=177}} The Shah Alami Bazaar, once a largely Hindu quarter of the Walled City, was entirely burnt down during subsequent rioting.<ref name=dejonge>{{cite book|last1=de Jonge|first1=Rene|title=Urban planning in Lahore: a confrontation with real development|date=1989|publisher=Peter Groote|isbn=9789036701839|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EqG6BQAAQBAJ&pg=PP35|access-date=11 October 2017}}</ref>

When Pakistan's independence was declared on 14 August 1947, the Radcliffe Line had not yet been announced, and so cries of "Long live Pakistan" and "God is greatest" were heard intermittently with "Long live [[Hindustan]]" throughout the night.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=177}} On 17 August 1947, Lahore was awarded to Pakistan on the basis of its Muslim majority in the 1941 census and was made capital of the Punjab province in the new state of Pakistan. The city's location near the Indian border meant that it received large numbers of refugees fleeing eastern Punjab and northern India, though it was able to accommodate them given the large stock of abandoned Hindu and Sikh properties that could be re-distributed to newly arrived refugees.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|pp=177-178}} In post-partition India, the loss of Lahore catalyzed the development of the new [[Modernist architecture|modernist]] capital city of [[Chandigarh]].<ref>{{citation |last=Kalia |first=Ravi |date=1999 |orig-date=1987 |title=Chandigarh: The Making of an Indian City |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |place=New Delhi |isbn=9780195623116 |pages=1–2}}</ref>

=== Modern ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120">
File:Islamic Summit Minar.JPG|[[Islamic Summit Minar]]
File:The Minar-e-Pakistan (vertical).jpg|[[Minar-e-Pakistan]]
File:Grand_Jamia_Masjid.jpg|[[Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore|Grand Jamia Mosque]]
File:Punjab Assembly as more then one decade before by Usman Ghani.jpg|[[Provincial Assembly of the Punjab]]
File:'Pakistan'-Islamic Summit Minar-Lahore- By @ibneazhar- Sep 2016 (72).jpg|[[WAPDA House]]
File:Arfa Karim Tower Lahore.jpg|Arfa Karim tower in Lahore
</gallery>
[[File:First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's Motorcade in Lahore, Pakistan.jpg|thumb|right|[[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Kennedy]] and President [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Ayub Khan]] travelled by car in Lahore, 1962]]
[[Partition of India|Partition]] left Lahore with a much-weakened economy, and a stymied social and cultural scene that had previously been invigorated by the city's Hindus and Sikhs.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=178}} Industrial production dropped to one-third of pre-Partition level by the end of the 1940s, and only 27% of its manufacturing units were operating by 1950, and usually well-below capacity.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=178}} [[Capital flight]] further weakened the city's economy while [[Karachi]] industrialised and became more prosperous.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=178}} The city's weakened economy, and proximity to the Indian border, meant that the city was deemed unsuitable to be the Pakistani capital after independence. Karachi was therefore chosen to be the capital on account of its relative tranquility during the Partition period, stronger economy, and better infrastructure.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=178}}
[[File:Delhi_Gate_11_(WCLA).jpg|thumb|Sections of the [[Walled City of Lahore]] have been under restoration since 2012 in conjunction with the [[Agha Khan]] Trust for Culture.]]

After independence, Lahore slowly regained its significance as an economic and cultural centre of western Punjab. Reconstruction began in 1949 of the Shah Alami Bazaar, the former Hindu-dominated commercial heart of the Walled City prior to its destruction in the 1947 riots.<ref name=dejonge/> The [[Tomb of Allama Iqbal]] was built in 1951 to honour the philosopher-poet who provided the spiritual inspiration for the Pakistan movement.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=178-179}} In 1955, Lahore was selected to be the capital of all [[West Pakistan]] during the single-unit period that lasted until 1970.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=178}} Shortly afterwards, Lahore's iconic [[Minar-e-Pakistan]] was completed in 1968 to mark the spot where the [[Pakistan Resolution]] was passed.{{sfnp|Kudaisya |Yong |2004|p=179}} With support from the [[United Nations]], the [[Government of Pakistan|government]] was able to rebuild Lahore, and most scars from the communal violence of Partition were ameliorated.

The second [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation|Islamic Summit Conference]] was held in the city in 1974.<ref name="oic conf">{{cite web |url=http://www.oic-oci.org/english/conf/is/2/2nd-is-sum.htm |title=Second Islamic Summit Conference |publisher=Oic-oci.org |access-date=15 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014111124/http://www.oic-oci.org/english/conf/is/2/2nd-is-sum.htm |archive-date=14 October 2006 }}</ref> In retaliation for the destruction of the [[Babri Masjid]] in India, riots erupted in 1992 in which several non-Muslim monuments were targeted, including the tomb of Maharaja [[Sher Singh]],<ref name=bansal/> and the former Jain temple near The Mall. In 1996, the [[International Cricket Council]] [[1996 Cricket World Cup|Cricket World Cup]] final match was held at the [[Gaddafi Stadium]] in Lahore.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/9-Asad%20Ali%20Khan.pdf |title=Political History and Administrative History of the Punjab |access-date=27 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-date=6 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006194352/http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/9-Asad%20Ali%20Khan.pdf}}</ref>

The [[Walled City of Lahore]] restoration project began in 2009, when the Punjab government restored the Royal Trail from [[Akbari Gate]] to the [[Lahore Fort]] with money from the [[World Bank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thelahorecity.com/history-of-lahore/ |title=Lahore – History of Lahore|publisher=thelahorecity.com |access-date=11 September 2016|archive-date=26 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226032556/http://thelahorecity.com/history-of-lahore/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Lahore}}

[[File:Lahore Satellite view.jpg|thumb|Lahore as seen from International Space Station. [[River Ravi]] flows from North to West. The city is rapidly growing towards the south.]]

Lahore is in northeastern portion of Pakistan, lying between 31°15′—31°45′ N and 74°01′—74°39′ E. The city is bounded on the north and west by the [[Sheikhupura District]], on the east by [[Wagah]], and on the south by [[Kasur District]]. The [[Ravi River]] flows on the northern side of Lahore. Lahore city covers a total land area of {{convert|404|km²|0|abbr=out}}.

=== Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Lahore}}
{{Climate chart|Lahore|5.9|19.8|23.0|8.9|22.0|28.6|14.0|27.1|41.2|19.6|33.9|19.7|23.7|38.6|22.4|27.4|40.4|36.3|26.9|36.1|202.1|26.4|35.0|163.9|24.4|35.0|61.1|18.2|32.9|12.3|11.6|27.4|4.2|6.8|21.6|13.9|float=left|clear=none|source=[ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-II/PK/41640.TXT NOAA]}}
Lahore has a [[hot semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BSh''), bordering on a [[humid subtropical climate]]. The hottest month is June, where temperatures routinely exceed {{convert|45|C|F}}. The monsoon season starts in late June, and the wettest months are July, August and September.<ref name="HKO">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/asia/westasia/lahore_e.htm
 | title = Climatological Normals of Lahore
 | access-date = 6 May 2010
| publisher = [[Hong Kong Observatory]]
 | archive-date = 13 October 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181013021248/http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/asia/westasia/lahore_e.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> with heavy rainfalls and evening thunderstorms with the possibility of cloudbursts and flash floods. The coolest month is January, with dense fog.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nation.com.pk/columns/06-Nov-2016/smoke-not-smog|title=Smoke not smog|date=6 November 2016|access-date=18 September 2017|archive-date=18 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918154315/http://nation.com.pk/columns/06-Nov-2016/smoke-not-smog|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The city's record high temperature was {{convert|50.4|C|F}}, recorded on 5 June 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pakmet.com.pk/cdpc/extrems/lahore.htm |title=Quetta |publisher=Pakmet.com.pk |access-date=15 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716144256/http://www.pakmet.com.pk/cdpc/extrems/lahore.htm |archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref> On 10 June 2007, a temperature of {{convert|48|C|F}} was recorded;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C10%5Cstory_10-6-2007_pg13_1 |title=Highest temperature in 78 years: Four die as city sizzles at 48o C |work=Daily Times |date=10 June 2007 |access-date=15 March 2011 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930193450/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C06%5C10%5Cstory_10-6-2007_pg13_1 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/251072/heatwave-to-persist-for-4-5-days |title=Heatwave to persist for 4–5 days |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230001853/http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/10/nat11.htm |archive-date=30 December 2008 |work=Dawn |date=10 June 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> this was in the shade, and the meteorological office recording the figure reported a heat index in direct sunlight of {{convert|55|C}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pmd.gov.pk/cdpc/extrems/lahore.htm |title=Lahore Extremes (1881-2022) |publisher=Pakistan Meteorological Department |access-date=20 November 2022 |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224185713/http://www.pmd.gov.pk/cdpc/extrems/lahore.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The highest rainfall in a 24-hour period is {{convert|337|mm|in}}, recorded on 1 August 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pakmet.com.pk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716143942/http://www.pakmet.com.pk/FFD/index_files/rainaug.htm|url-status=dead|title=Pakmet.com.pk - Pakistan's Biggest Property Website|archive-date=16 July 2011|website=PakMet}}</ref>

{{Lahore weatherbox}}According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, Lahore is one of the world's most polluted cities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's Most Polluted Cities 2024 {{!}} AQI Ranking |url=https://www.aqi.in/world-most-polluted-cities |access-date=19 March 2025 |website=www.aqi.in |language=en}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Lahore}}

{{Historical populations
|align = right
|1881|138878
|1891|159947
|1901|186884
|1911|228687
|1921|281781
|1931|400075
|1941|671659
|1951|1130000
|1961|1630000
|1972|2198890<ref name="citypopulation.de">{{cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/Pakistan-100T.html|title=Pakistan: Provinces and Major Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=citypopulation.de|access-date=28 March 2019|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728172813/http://www.citypopulation.de/Pakistan-100T.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|1981|2988486<ref name="citypopulation.de" />
|1998|5209088<ref name="citypopulation.de" />
|2017|11126285<ref name="citypopulation.de" />
|2023|13004135<ref name="citypopulation.de" />}}

=== Population ===
The results of the [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017 Census]] determined the population of Lahore to be 11,126,285,<ref name="census2017">{{cite web |url=http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population_of_major_cities_census_2017%20_0.pdf|title=Population of Major Cities Census – 2017|publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829162305/http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population_of_major_cities_census_2017%20_0.pdf |archive-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> with an annual growth rate of 4.07% since [[1998 Pakistan Census|1998]].<ref name="census2017-district">{{cite web| publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics| url=http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/DISTRICT_WISE_CENSUS_RESULTS_CENSUS_2017.pdf#page=6| title=District Wise Population by Sex and Rural/Urban – Census 2017| access-date=30 August 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829164748/http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/DISTRICT_WISE_CENSUS_RESULTS_CENSUS_2017.pdf#page=6| archive-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> Gender-wise, 52.35% of the population are male, 47.64% are female, and 0.01% are transgender.<ref name="census2017-district" /> Lahore is a demographically young city, with over 40% of its inhabitants below the age of 15.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lahore Population 2018 |url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/lahore-population/|date=18 October 2017 |access-date=31 July 2018 |url-status=live |archive-date=6 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206081736/https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/lahore-population/}}</ref>

=== Tribes and background ===
At the time of the [[2017 Pakistani census]], the largest tribal group were [[Arain|Arain Punjabis]], constituting 40%, followed by [[Kashmiris in Punjab|Punjabi–Kashmiris]] at 30% with other tribes such as [[Muslim Rajputs|Rajput]] [[Punjabis]] and [[Kamboj|Kamboh Punjabis]] at 5% each. The majority of the rest 20% is constituted by other [[List of Punjabi tribes|Punjabi tribes]], with a minority constituted by other [[Ethnic groups in Pakistan|ethnic communities]] such as [[Muhajir (Pakistan)|Muhajirs]], [[Pashtuns]] and [[Meo (ethnic group)|Meo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=District Profile |url=https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/district_profile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127195943/https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/district_profile |archive-date=27 November 2023 |website=District Lahore - [[Government of Punjab, Pakistan|Government of Punjab]]}}</ref>

{{Pie chart|thumb=left|caption=Tribes and backgrounds in the [[Lahore district]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=District Profile |website=District Lahore |publisher=[[Government of Punjab, Pakistan|Government of Punjab]] |url=https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/district_profile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127195943/https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/district_profile |archive-date=27 November 2023}}</ref>
|label1=[[Arain]]s|value1=40|color1=red
|label2=[[Kashmiris in Punjab|Kashmiris]]|value2=30|color2=blue
|label3=[[Muslim Rajputs|Rajputs]]|value3=5|color3=green
|label4=[[Kamboj]]|value4=5|color4=orange
|label5=''Others''|value5=20|color5=purple}}

==== Controversy about the city's Pashtun population ====
Some [[Pashtun nationalism|Pashtun nationalist]] parties argue that the [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] population of Lahore in the 2017 census has been underestimated, with Ameer Bahadur Khan, provincial general secretary of [[Awami National Party]], putting their numbers at 1.5&nbsp;million, while Gul Muhammad Regwal, a member of [[Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party|Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party]], claiming more than 1 million including 300,000 in the [[Walled City of Lahore|Walled City]] alone, most of these having moved over the last 20 years, including due to military operations, but remaining uncounted as they're not considered permanent residents of Lahore.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ullah |first=Kaleem |date=27 September 2021 |title=Pakhtuns of Lahore: 'We have been deliberately undercounted in the census.' |url=https://loksujag.com/story/Pashtun-population-in-Pakistan-eng |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817190152/https://loksujag.com/story/Pashtun-population-in-Pakistan-eng |archive-date=17 August 2024 |website=Lok Sujag}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Lahore}}

{{bar box|width = 250px
 |barwidth = 200px |cellpadding="0"
 |title=Religion in Lahore District 2023<ref name="2023 census">{{cite web|title=District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2023)|url= https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/punjab/dcr/table_9.pdf |website=www.pbscensus.gov.pk|publisher=[[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]]}}</ref>
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|
[[Islam]]|green|95.26}}
{{bar percent|
[[Christianity]]|blue|4.64}}
{{bar percent|Others|grey|0.1}}}}
According to the 2023 Census, the vast majority of Lahore's population are [[Muslims]] (95.26%), up from 94.7% in 2017. Other religions include [[Christians]] (4.64%, slightly less than 5.14% in 2017)<ref name="2023 Census" /> and small numbers of [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadis]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼís]], [[Hindus]], [[Parsis]], and [[Sikhs]]. There is also a small but longstanding [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] community.

Since Lahore contains some of [[Sikhism]]'s holiest sites, it is a major pilgrimage destination for Sikhs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1221210 |title=Sikh pilgrims from India arrive in Lahore |website=Dawn |date=21 November 2015 |location=Pakistan |access-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010040803/https://www.dawn.com/news/1221210|archive-date=10 October 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Lahore's first church was built during the reign of Emperor [[Akbar]] in the late 16th century, but was then levelled by [[Shah Jahan]] in 1632.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Chaudhry |first1=Nazir Ahmad|title=Lahore|date=2000|publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publications |isbn=969351047X}}</ref> Due to the few numbers of Hindus living in Lahore, the only two functional Hindu temples in the city are the [[Krishna Mandir, Lahore|Shri Krishna Mandir]] and the [[Valmiki Mandir]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1141505|title=Lahore's only functional Hindu temple: Persecution amidst lights|author=Sehyr Mirza |date=31 October 2014|work=Dawn|access-date=14 November 2020|archive-date=2 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202002919/https://www.dawn.com/news/1141505|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
<div style="overflow-x:auto; border: 1px solid #AAA; padding-left: 0.5em; padding-right: 0.5em">
{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"
|+ Religious groups in Lahore City (1868−2023){{efn|1881–1951: Data for the entirety of the town of Lahore, which included Lahore Municipality and Lahore Cantonment.<ref name="Census1941"/>{{rp|32}}<ref name="Census1951"/>{{rp|13}}|name="LahoreCity1881to1951"}}
! rowspan="2" |[[Religion in Pakistan|Religious]]<br>group
! colspan="2" |1868<ref name="Census1868">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057644 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057644 |access-date=7 July 2024 |title=Report on the census of the Punjab taken on 10th January, 1868. |year=1868 |pages=66 |last1=(India) |first1=Punjab }}</ref>{{efn|Also includes the suburban urban areas/villages of Mian Mir, Muzang, and Ichra, which ultimately became part of the town of Lahore.}}
! colspan="2" |1881<ref name="Census1881">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057656 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057656 |access-date=14 January 2024 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I. |year=1881 }}</ref><ref name="Census1881B">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057657 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057657 |access-date=14 January 2024 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II. |year=1881 }}</ref>{{rp|520}}
! colspan="2" |1891<ref name="Census1891">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1891-26575632/|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1891 GENERAL TABLES BRITISH PROVINCES AND FEUDATORY STATES VOL I|access-date=17 January 2023|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117090448/https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1891-26575632/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|68}}
! colspan="2" |1901<ref name="Census1901">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1901-26575826/|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1901 VOLUME I-A INDIA PART II-TABLES|access-date=17 January 2023|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117090447/https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1901-26575826/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|44}}
! colspan="2" |1911<ref name="Census1911">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1911-26575903/|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1911 VOLUME XIV PUNJAB PART II TABLES|access-date=17 January 2023|archive-date=7 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007223437/https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1911-26575903/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|20}}
! colspan="2" |1921<ref name="Census1921">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1921-26575918/|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1921 VOLUME XV PUNJAB AND DELHI PART II TABLES|access-date=17 January 2023|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117090446/https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1921-26575918/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|23}}
! colspan="2" |1931<ref name="Census1931">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1931-26575928/|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1931 VOLUME XVII PUNJAB PART II TABLES|access-date=17 January 2023|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117090447/https://www.jstor.org/site/SAOA/SouthAsiaOpenArchivesSAOA/CensusReports-1931-26575928/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|26}}
! colspan="2" |1941<ref name="Census1941">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/site/south-asia-open-archives/saoa/censusofindia1941-28216851/|title=CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI PUNJAB|access-date=17 January 2023|archive-date=11 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011130147/https://www.jstor.org/site/south-asia-open-archives/saoa/censusofindia1941-28216851/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|32}}
! colspan="2" |1951<ref name="Census1951">{{Cite web |title=India - Population According to Religion, Tables-6, Pakistan - Census 1951 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/31311 |access-date=11 February 2025 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>{{rp|13}}
! colspan="2" |2017<ref name="Census2017B">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/final-results-census-2017|title=Final Results (Census-2017)|access-date=17 January 2023|archive-date=17 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017214726/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/final-results-census-2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2023<ref name="Census2023B">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/digital-census/detailed-results|title=7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results Table-9 Population by sex, religion and rural/urban|website=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics|access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref>
|-
![[Population (human biology)|{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}]]
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
| [[Islam]] [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]]
| 70,974
| {{Percentage | 70974 | 126329 | 2 }}
| 86,413
| {{Percentage | 86413 | 149369 | 2 }}
| 102,280
| {{Percentage | 102280 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 119,601
| {{Percentage | 119601 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 129,801
| {{Percentage | 129801 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 149,044
| {{Percentage | 149044 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 249,315
| {{Percentage | 249315 | 429747 | 2 }}
| 433,170
| {{Percentage | 433170 | 671659 | 2 }}
| 817,236
| {{Percentage | 817236 | 849333 | 2 }}
| 10,530,816
| {{Percentage | 10530816 | 11119985 | 2 }}
| 12,363,149
| {{Percentage | 12363149 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Hinduism]] [[File:Om.svg|15px]]{{efn|name=ad-dharmi|1931–1941: Including [[Ad-Dharmi]]s}}
| 40,551
| {{Percentage | 40551 | 126329 | 2 }}
| 53,641
| {{Percentage | 53641 | 149369 | 2 }}
| 62,077
| {{Percentage | 62077 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 70,196
| {{Percentage | 70196 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 77,267
| {{Percentage | 77267 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 107,783
| {{Percentage | 107783 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 139,125
| {{Percentage | 139125 | 429747 | 2 }}
| 179,422
| {{Percentage | 179422 | 671659 | 2 }}
| 1,760
| {{Percentage | 1760 | 849333 | 2 }}
| 2,670
| {{Percentage | 2670 | 11119985 | 2 }}
| 2,811
| {{Percentage | 2811 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Sikhism]] [[File:Khanda.svg|15px]]
| 3,520
| {{Percentage | 3520 | 126329 | 2 }}
| 4,627
| {{Percentage | 4627 | 149369 | 2 }}
| 7,306
| {{Percentage | 7306 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 7,023
| {{Percentage | 7023 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 12,877
| {{Percentage | 12877 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 12,833
| {{Percentage | 12833 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 23,477
| {{Percentage | 23477 | 429747 | 2 }}
| 34,021
| {{Percentage | 34021 | 671659 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 715
| {{Percentage | 715 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Christianity]] [[File:Christian cross.svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 529{{efn|Only includes protestant population.<ref name="Census1881"/>{{rp|152}}}}
| {{Percentage | 529 | 149369 | 2 }}
| 4,697
| {{Percentage | 4697 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 5,558
| {{Percentage | 5558 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 8,436
| {{Percentage | 8436 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 11,287
| {{Percentage | 11287 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 16,875
| {{Percentage | 16875 | 429747 | 2 }}
| 21,495
| {{Percentage | 21495 | 671659 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 571,365
| {{Percentage | 571365 | 11119985 | 2 }}
| 602,431
| {{Percentage | 602431 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Jainism]] [[File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 227
| {{Percentage | 227 | 149369 | 2 }}
| 339
| {{Percentage | 339 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 420
| {{Percentage | 420 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 467
| {{Percentage | 467 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 474
| {{Percentage | 474 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 791
| {{Percentage | 791 | 429747 | 2 }}
| 1,094
| {{Percentage | 1094 | 671659 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
|-
| [[Zoroastrianism]] [[File:Faravahar.svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 132
| {{Percentage | 132 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 166
| {{Percentage | 166 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 198
| {{Percentage | 198 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 177
| {{Percentage | 177 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 150
| {{Percentage | 150 | 429747 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 77
| {{Percentage | 77 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|-
| [[Judaism]] [[File:Star_of_David.svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 14
| {{Percentage | 14 | 176854 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 13
| {{Percentage | 13 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 13
| {{Percentage | 13 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 429747 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
|-
| [[Buddhism]] [[File:Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 128
| {{Percentage | 128 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 170
| {{Percentage | 170 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 14
| {{Percentage | 14 | 429747 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
|-
| [[Ahmadiyya]] [[File:Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya_1-2.svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 13,433
| {{Percentage | 13433 | 11119985 | 2 }}
| 7,139
| {{Percentage | 7139 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|-
| Others
| 11,284
| {{Percentage | 11284 | 126329 | 2 }}
| 3,932
| {{Percentage | 3932 | 149369 | 2 }}
| 9
| {{Percentage | 9 | 176854 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 202964 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 228687 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 281781 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 429747 | 2 }}
| 2,457
| {{Percentage | 2457 | 671659 | 2 }}
| 30,337
| {{Percentage | 30337 | 849333 | 2 }}
| 1,701
| {{Percentage | 1701 | 11119985 | 2 }}
| 2,339
| {{Percentage | 2339 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|-
! Total population
! 126,329
! {{Percentage | 126329 | 126329 | 2 }}
! 149,369
! {{Percentage | 149369 | 149369 | 2 }}
! 176,854
! {{Percentage | 176854 | 176854 | 2 }}
! 202,964
! {{Percentage | 202964 | 202964 | 2 }}
! 228,687
! {{Percentage | 228687 | 228687 | 2 }}
! 281,781
! {{Percentage | 281781 | 281781 | 2 }}
! 429,747
! {{Percentage | 429747 | 429747 | 2 }}
! 671,659
! {{Percentage | 671659 | 671659 | 2 }}
! 849,333
! {{Percentage | 849333 | 849333 | 2 }}
! 11,119,985
! {{Percentage | 11119985 | 11119985 | 2 }}
! 12,978,661
! {{Percentage | 12978661 | 12978661 | 2 }}
|}
</div>

===Languages===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Languages by number of native speakers in the [[Lahore district]]<ref name="PBC 2017">{{Cite book|url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/results/05311.pdf|title=PBC 2017 Statistics|access-date=14 April 2022|archive-date=14 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414013852/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/results/05311.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
| value1 = 73.58
| color1 = maroon
| label2 = [[Urdu]]
| value2 = 21.1
| color2 = green
| value3 = 5.22
| color3 = red
| label3 = Other
}}The [[Punjabi language]] is the most-widely spoken native language in Lahore, with 73.58% of Lahore counting it as their first language according to the 2023 Census.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LAHORE DISTRICT - POPULATION BY MOTHER TONGUE, SEX AND RURAL/ URBAN |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/results/05311.pdf |website=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=14 April 2022 |archive-date=14 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414013852/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//population_census/results/05311.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Lahore is the largest Punjabi-speaking city in the world. According to the [[2023 Pakistani census]] 21.1% speak [[Urdu]], 2.06% [[Pashto]], 2.01% [[Mewati]] and 2.78% other mother tongues.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lahore (District, Pakistan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/pakistan/distr/admin/716__lahore/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=www.citypopulation.de |archive-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720212925/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/pakistan/distr/admin/716__lahore/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lahore District - 2017 Pakistan Census |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2017/results/05311.pdf |website=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730121149/https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2017/results/05311.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Urdu]] and English are used as official languages and as mediums of instruction and media administration. However, Punjabi is also taught at graduation level and used in theatres, films, and newspapers from Lahore.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/ba_gen_pattern.html |publisher=University of the Punjab|title=B.A. Two-year (pass course) Examinations|access-date=13 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208022145/http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/ba_gen_pattern.html |archive-date=8 February 2017|url-status=live}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Department of Punjabi|date=2015 |url=http://pu.edu.pk/home/department/32/Department-of-Punjabi |publisher=University of the Punjab |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127220237/http://pu.edu.pk/home/department/32/Department-of-Punjabi|archive-date=27 November 2016}}</ref> Several Lahore-based prominent educational leaders, researchers, and social commentators have demanded that the Punjabi language should be declared as the medium of instruction at the primary level and be used officially in the [[Provincial Assembly of the Punjab|Punjab Assembly]], Lahore.<ref name="The Nation 2015">{{cite web|url=http://nation.com.pk/blogs/15-Sep-2015/supreme-court-s-urdu-verdict-no-language-can-be-imposed-from-above|title=Supreme Court's Urdu verdict: No language can be imposed from above|date=15 September 2015|website=The Nation|access-date=15 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916165410/http://nation.com.pk/blogs/15-Sep-2015/supreme-court-s-urdu-verdict-no-language-can-be-imposed-from-above|archive-date=16 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Business Recorder 2015">{{cite web |url=http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/109-world-top-news/254518-two-member-sc-bench-refers-punjabi-language-case-to-cjp.html |title=Two-member SC bench refers Punjabi language case to CJP |date=14 September 2015|website=Business Recorder|access-date=15 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021133224/http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/109-world-top-news/254518-two-member-sc-bench-refers-punjabi-language-case-to-cjp.html|archive-date=21 October 2015}}</ref>

== Cityscape ==
=== Old City ===
[[File:Beauty of Pakistan (lahore).jpg|thumb|left|Cityscape of Lahore]]
Lahore's modern cityscape consists of the historic [[Walled City of Lahore]] in the northern part of the city, which contains several [[World Heritage Site]]s and national heritage sites. Lahore's urban planning was not based on geometric design but was instead built piecemeal, with small cul-de-sacs, as ''katrahs'' and ''galis'' developed in the context of neighbouring buildings.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Though certain neighbourhoods were named for particular religious or ethnic communities, the neighbourhoods themselves typically were diverse and were not dominated by the namesake group.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

[[File:Wazir Khan Mosque - Aerial View.jpg|thumb|right|The area around the [[Wazir Khan Mosque]] exemplifies the [[Walled City of Lahore|Walled City]]'s urban form]]
Lahore's urban typology is similar to other ancient cities in South Asia, such as [[Peshawar]], [[Multan]] and [[Delhi]] – all of which were founded near a major river, and included an old walled city and royal citadel.
[[File:Badshahi_Mosqu_-_Mughal_Art_in_an_Ocean_of_Concrete.jpg|thumb|Lahore's [[Hazuri Bagh]] is at the centre of an ensemble of Mughal and Sikh era monuments, including the [[Badshahi Mosque]], [[Lahore Fort]], [[Roshnai Gate]], and the [[Samadhi of Ranjit Singh]].]]
By the end of the Sikh rule, most of Lahore's massive [[haveli]] compounds had been occupied by settlers. New neighbourhoods occasionally grew up entirely within the confines of an old Mughal haveli, such as the Mohallah Pathan Wali, which grew within the ruins of a haveli of the same name, built by Mian Khan.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} By 1831, all Mughal Havelis in the Walled City had been encroached upon by the surrounding neighbourhood,{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} leading to the modern-day absence of any Mughal Havelis in Lahore.

A total of thirteen gates once surrounded the historic walled city. Some of the remaining gates include the Raushnai Gate, Masti Gate, Yakki Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Khizri Gate, Shah Burj Gate, Akbari Gate, and Lahori Gate. Southeast of the walled city is the spacious British-era [[Lahore Cantonment]].

=== Bazaars ===
The city also contains many bazaars. Some are as follows in the old walled-city: Sarafa Bazaar, Copper and Brass Bazaar, [[Kashmiri Bazaar]], Lakshami Bazaar, Shah Almi Bazaar, Soha Bazaar, and Dabi Bazaar. Other bazaars found outside of the walled-city includes [[Anarkali Bazaar]], Ichra Bazaar, Garhi Shahu Bazaar, [[Landa bazaar|Landa Bazaar]], [[Saddar Bazaar|Sadar Bazaar]], [[Urdu Bazaar (Lahore)|Urdu Bazaar]], and [[Naulakha Bazaar]].<ref name=":022">Naz, Neelum. ''A Historical and Social Portrait: Naulakha Bazaar, Lahore''. Landscape, no. 37, 2012. Retrieved on 24 April 2026 from: https://www.academia.edu/11753016/Spatial_and_Social_Portrait_of_Naulakha_Bazaar_Lahore</ref>

=== Architecture ===
{{Further|Architecture of Lahore}}
[[File:Grand Jamia Masjid Bahria Town Lahore Pakistan cropped.jpg|thumb|Built in 2012, [[Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore|Grand Jamia Mosque]] in southern Lahore is a blend of [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]] and modern architecture.]]

Lahore is home to numerous monuments from the [[Mughal Dynasty|Mughal Empire]], [[Sikh Empire]], and the [[British Raj|British Indian Raj]]. The architectural style of the [[Walled City of Lahore]] has traditionally been influenced by Mughal and Sikh styles.<ref>"[[Architecture of Lahore]]." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Web. 19 August 2016.</ref>

====Sikh period====
By the arrival of the Sikh Empire at the end of the 18th century, rebuilding efforts under Ranjit Singh and his successors were influenced by Mughal practices, and Lahore was known as the 'City of Gardens' during the Ranjit Singh period.<ref>[http://nation.com.pk/columns/23-Sep-2010/Some-vanished-gardens-of-Lahore, The Nation newspaper, Published 23 September 2010, Retrieved 27 February 2017]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lahore.city-history.com/places/hazori-bagh/ |title=Hazori Bagh |website=lahore.city-history.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421163950/http://lahore.city-history.com/places/hazori-bagh/ |archive-date=21 April 2019|access-date=27 February 2017}}</ref> Later, British maps of the area surrounding Lahore dating from the mid-19th century show many walled private gardens which were confiscated from the Muslim noble families bearing the names of prominent Sikh nobles – a pattern of patronage which was inherited from the Mughals.

While much of Lahore's Mughal-era fabric lay in ruins by the time of his arrival, Ranjit Singh's army's plundered most of Lahore's most precious Mughal monuments, and stripped the white marble from several monuments to send to different parts of the Sikh Empire.{{sfnp|Sidhwa|2005|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Monuments plundered of their marble include the [[Tomb of Asif Khan]] and the [[Tomb of Nur Jahan]]; the [[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalimar Gardens]] was plundered of much of its marble, and its costly [[agate]] gate was stripped.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}<ref name="Archaeological Survey of India"/> The Sikh state also demolished a number of shrines and monuments laying outside the city's walls.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p=87}}
[[File:Temple associated with Loh.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Lava Temple]] at the [[Lahore Fort]] dates from the Sikh period,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1382839|title=Heritage: the Lonely Little Temple|author=Sufia Zamir|date=14 January 2018 |access-date=27 April 2020|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803115758/https://www.dawn.com/news/1382839|url-status=live |work=Dawn}}</ref> and is dedicated to the Hindu deity ''[[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]]'']]
Still, Sikh rule left Lahore with several monuments, and a heavily altered Lahore Fort. Ranjit Singh's rule restored some of Lahore's previous grandeur,{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} however also damaged or destroyed a number of Mughal historical monuments,{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} Several havelis were built during the Sikh era, though only a few still remain.{{sfnp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}

====British period====
[[File:Front elevation, Aitchison College.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A syncretic architectural style that blends Islamic, Hindu, and Western motifs took root during the colonial era, as shown at [[Aitchison College]].]]
[[File:Tollington market, Mall Road, Lahore, Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Much of old Lahore features colonial-era buildings, such as the Tollinton Market.]]
As the capital of British Punjab, the city derived much of its architecture from British colonialists. Structures were built predominantly in the [[Indo-Gothic]] style – a syncretic architectural style that blends elements of [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] and [[Islamic architecture]] or in the distinct [[Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture|Indo-Saracenic style]]. The British also built [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]] Montgomery Hall, which today serves as the [[Quaid-e-Azam Library]].<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed| date=August 2024}}}}. "Montgomery Hall faced inward, toward the main avenue of what would become a and reading room, a teak dance and a "rinking" floor (skating rink), and room for the Gymkhana Club. Lawrence Hall was devoted to the white community in Lahore; the spaces and programme of Montgomery Hall allowed for racial interaction between British civilians and officials and the elites of Lahori society."</ref>

[[Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore|Lawrence Gardens]] were also laid near Civil Station, and were paid for by donations solicited from both Lahore's European community, as well as from wealthy locals. The gardens featured over 600 species of plants, and were tended to by a horticulturist sent from London's [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew]].<ref>{{harvp|Glover|2008|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}}. "Like Lawrence and Montgomery Halls, moreover, the garden's major elements were all financed through a combination of provincial, municipal, and private funds from both British carefully isolated space of controlled cultural interaction underwritten by elite collaboration. Both the botanical garden and the zoo in Lawrence Gardens drafted a controlled display of exotic nature to the garden's overall didactic programme. The botanical garden exhibited over six hundred species of plants, trees, and shrubs, all carefully tended by a horticulturist sent out from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew."</ref>

The leafy suburbs to the south of the Old City, as well as the Cantonment southwest of the Old City, were largely developed under British colonial rule, and feature colonial-era buildings built alongside leafy avenues.

The British authorities built several important structures around the time of the [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria]] in 1887 in the distinctive Indo-Saracenic style, such as the [[Lahore Museum]] and [[National College of Arts|Mayo School of Industrial Arts]].<ref name="Making Lahore Modern 1894" /> Other prominent examples of the Indo-Saracenic style in Lahore include Lahore's prestigious [[Aitchison College]], the Punjab Chief Court (today the [[Lahore High Court]]), [[Lahore Museum]], and the [[University of the Punjab]].

Many of Lahore's most important buildings were designed by civil engineer and architect [[Ganga Ram|Sir Ganga Ram]], who is considered "the father of modern Lahore".<ref name="Ahmed2001">{{cite book |author=Khaled Ahmed |title=Pakistan: behind the ideological mask : facts about great men we don't want to know |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hjRuAAAAMAAJ |publisher=[[Vanguard Press|Vanguard]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-969-402-353-3}}</ref><ref name="HaroonKhalid">{{cite web |author=Haroon Khalid |date=25 April 2018 |title=Lahore owes Hindu philanthropist Ganga Ram more than it would care to admit |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1403799 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522083126/https://www.dawn.com/news/1403799 |archive-date=22 May 2021 |access-date=27 February 2022 |work=Dawn}}</ref><ref name="thenews.com.pk">{{cite web |author=[[Mazhar Abbas]] |date=18 July 2021 |title=A hard call—II |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/865550-a-hard-callii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226063657/https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/865550-a-hard-callii |archive-date=26 February 2022 |access-date=27 February 2022 |work=[[The News International]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gill |first=Anjum |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_12-7-2004_pg7_24 |title=Father of modern Lahore remembered on anniversary |work=Daily Times |location=Pakistan |date=12 July 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103222357/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_12-7-2004_pg7_24 |archive-date=3 November 2013}}</ref>

=== Parks and gardens ===
{{Main|List of parks and gardens in Lahore}}

[[File:Bagh-e-Jinnah Lahore Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Lahore's [[Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore|Bagh-e-Jinnah]] was laid in 1862 as the [[Bagh-e-Jinnah (Lahore)|Lawrence Garden]].]]
Lahore is also known as "the city of gardens" due to its large number of gardens. The [[Shahdara Bagh]] was one of the earliest [[Mughal garden]]s, laid out in 15th century, and contains the [[Tomb of Jahangir]]. The [[Shalimar Gardens (Lahore)|Shalimar Gardens]] were laid out during the reign of [[Shah Jahan]] and were designed to mimic the [[Islamic]] paradise of the afterlife described in the [[Qur'an]]. The gardens follow the familiar [[charbagh]] layout of four squares, with three descending terraces. In 1818, [[Hazuri Bagh]] was built during reign of Ranjit Singh to celebrate his capture of the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond from Shuja Shah Durrani.

The [[Bagh-e-Jinnah (Lahore)|Lawrence Garden]] was established in 1862 and was originally named after [[Sir John Lawrence]], late 19th-century British Viceroy to India. The Circular Garden, which surrounds the Walled City on three sides, was established by 1892.{{sfnp|Latif|1892|p={{page needed|date=August 2024}}}} The former parade ground adjacent to Badshahi Mosque was also renamed during the British era as [[Greater Iqbal Park|Minto Park]], which after restoration was re-established as Iqbal Park.

The many other gardens and parks in the city include [[Hazuri Bagh]], [[Iqbal Park]], Mochi Bagh, [[Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park]], [[Model Town Park]], [[Jilani Park]], Nasir Bagh Lahore, [[Jallo Park]], [[Lahore Zoo Safari|Lahore Zoo Safari Park]], and [[Changa Manga]], a human-made forest near Lahore in the [[Kasur]] district. Another example is the [[Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore|Bagh-e-Jinnah]], a {{convert|141|acre|ha|adj=on}} botanical garden that houses entertainment and sports facilities as well as a library.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lawrence Gardens (Bagh-e-Jinnah) |url=http://www.gardenvisit.com/ge/lawrencegardens.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006025455/http://www.gardenvisit.com/ge/lawrencegardens.htm |archive-date=6 October 2007 |website=Gardenvisit.com |access-date=27 March 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lahore.city-history.com/places/bagh-e-jinnah-lawrence-gardens/|title=Bagh-E-Jinnah / Lawrence Gardens|date=12 February 2015|access-date=31 July 2018|archive-date=31 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731183128/http://lahore.city-history.com/places/bagh-e-jinnah-lawrence-gardens/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Lahore}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="120">
File:Lahore Expo Centre.jpg|[[Expo Centre Lahore]]
File:PIA Head Office, Lahore.jpg|[[Pakistan International Airline|PIA Head Office]]
File:Emporium Mall.jpg|[[Emporium Mall]]
File:MCB-HQ (square).jpg|[[Muslim Commercial Bank|MCB]] headquarters
</gallery>

{{As of|2008}}, the city's gross domestic product (GDP) by [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP) was estimated at $40&nbsp;billion with a projected average growth rate of 5.6 per cent. This is on par with Karachi, Pakistan's economic hub, with Lahore (having half the population) fostering an economy that is 51% of the size of Karachi's ($78&nbsp;billion in 2008).<ref name="pwc1">{{cite web |url=https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3421&NewsAreaID=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513190317/http://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/content/detail.aspx?releaseid=3421&newsareaid=2 |archive-date=13 May 2013 |title=Global city GDP rankings 2008–2025 |publisher=PricewaterhouseCoopers |access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref> It is estimated that Lahore contributes 11.5% to the national economy, and 19% to the provincial economy of Punjab.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1518677/lahores-shahbaz-growth-rate/ |title=Lahore's Shahbaz growth rate |newspaper=Express Tribune |date=29 September 2017 |access-date=8 November 2017 |archive-date=7 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207041511/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1518677/lahores-shahbaz-growth-rate |url-status=live }}</ref> As a whole, Punjab has a $115&nbsp;billion economy, making it the first (and to date,{{As of?|date=January 2023}} only) Pakistani Subdivision with an economy of more than $100&nbsp;billion, at the rank 144{{Of what|date=January 2023}}.<ref name="pwc1" />{{Failed verification|date=January 2023}} Lahore's GDP is projected to be $102&nbsp;billion by 2025, with a slightly higher growth rate of 5.6% per annum, as compared to Karachi's 5.5%.<ref name="pwc1" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/richest-cities-2020.html |title=Richest cities in the world in 2020 by GDP |publisher=City Mayors |date=11 March 2007 |access-date=6 July 2009 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604174033/http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/richest-cities-2020.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A major industrial agglomeration with about 9,000 industrial units, Lahore has shifted in recent decades from manufacturing to service industries.<ref name="adb">{{cite web|title=Rapid Mass Transit System Project |author=Asian Development Bank |url=http://www.adb.org/Documents/RRPs/PAK/40573-PAK-RRP.pdf |access-date=1 January 2009|archive-date=16 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816144832/http://www.adb.org/Documents/RRPs/PAK/40573-PAK-RRP.pdf}}</ref> Some 42% of its workforce is employed in finance, banking, real estate, community, cultural, and social services.<ref name="adb" /> The city is Pakistan's largest software and hardware producing centre,<ref name="adb" /> and hosts a growing computer-assembly industry.<ref name="adb" /> The city has always been a centre for publications; 80% of Pakistan's books are published in Lahore, and it remains the foremost centre of literary, educational, and cultural activity in Pakistan.<ref name=2005_pg7_15/>

The [[Expo Centre Lahore|Lahore Expo Centre]] is one of the biggest projects in the history of the city and was inaugurated on 22 May 2010.<ref name="expolahore.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.expolahore.com/new/index.php |title=Expo Centre Lahore |publisher=LahoreExpo |access-date=1 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702085110/http://www.expolahore.com/new/index.php |archive-date=2 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Defence Raya Golf Resort, now fully operational (as of the 2024), boasts Pakistan's largest and Asia's premier golf course. This luxurious project is a result of a partnership between DHA Lahore and BRDB Malaysia, offering world-class residential, recreational, and commercial facilities. The development of such large-scale projects continues to elevate Lahore's profile, contributing significantly to the national economy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DEFENCE RAYA GOLF RESORT - Pakistan {{!}} BRDB {{!}} BRDB |url=https://www.brdb.com.my/portfolio/defence-raya-golf-resort |access-date=23 December 2024 |website=www.brdb.com.my}}</ref> Ferozepur Road of the [[Central business district]]s of Lahore contains high-rises and skyscrapers including Kayre International Hotel and [[Arfa Software Technology Park]].

== Transport ==
{{main|Transport in Lahore}}

[[File:Kalma Underpass1.jpg|thumb|[[Kalma Underpass]]]]

=== Public transportation ===
[[File:Lahore Bus Service at Central Station, Lahore.jpg|thumb|[[Lahore Metrobus]]]]

Lahore's main public transportation system is operated by the [[Lahore Transport Company]] (LTC) and Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMTA). The backbone of its public transport network is the PMTA's [[Lahore Metrobus]] and the [[Orange Line (Lahore Metro)|Orange Line]] of the [[Lahore Metro]] train. LTC and PMTA also operates an extensive network of buses, providing bus service to many parts of the city and acting as a feeder system for the Metrobus. The Orange Line metro spans {{convert|27.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} around the city and operates at a speed of {{convert|80|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.

====Metrobus====
{{main|Lahore Metrobus}}

The [[Lahore Metrobus]] is a [[bus rapid transit]] service operating in Lahore, [[Punjab, Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pakvisit.com/pakistan/metrobus.html|title=Metro Bus Lahore Pakistan -Rapid Bus Transport|website=pakvisit.com|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180609002127/http://www.pakvisit.com/pakistan/metrobus.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lahore Metrobus service is integrated with [[Lahore Transport Company]]'s local bus service to operate as one urban transport system, providing a connected transit service across [[Lahore District]] with connections to neighbouring suburban communities.

==== Low occupancy vehicles ====
Low occupancy vehicle (LOVs)—functionally a medium-sized van or wagon—run on routes throughout the city. They function like buses and operate on many routes throughout the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Urban (LOV) Wagon / Mini Bus - Routes & Fares {{!}} Lahore Transport Company |url=https://ltc.gop.pk/lov_routes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609130117/https://ltc.gop.pk/lov_routes |archive-date=9 June 2019 |access-date=9 June 2019 |website=ltc.gop.pk}}</ref>

===Metro Train===
[[File:Lahore Metro 07.jpg|thumb|The [[Orange Line (Lahore Metro)|Orange Line]] is Pakistan's first metro rail line.]]

====Orange Line====
{{Main|Orange Line (Lahore Metro)}}

The [[Orange Line (Lahore Metro)|Orange Line Metro Train]] is an automated [[rapid transit]] system in Lahore.<ref>[http://tribune.com.pk/story/711864/good-news-on-track-lahore-to-get-pakistans-first-metro-train/ "Good news on track: Lahore to get Pakistan's first metro train"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613152814/https://tribune.com.pk/story/711864/good-news-on-track-lahore-to-get-pakistans-first-metro-train/ |date=13 June 2018 }}, ''[[Express Tribune]]'', Lahore, 23 March 2014. Retrieved on 20 October 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/886037/development-agenda-lahore-metro-train-gets-green-signal/|title=Development agenda: Lahore metro train gets green signal – The Express Tribune|date=14 May 2015|access-date=4 July 2018|archive-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704214626/https://tribune.com.pk/story/886037/development-agenda-lahore-metro-train-gets-green-signal/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Orange line is the first of the three proposed rail lines proposed for the [[Lahore Metro]]. As of 2020, it is the primary metro rail line in the city. The line spans {{convert|27.1|km|mi|1|abbr=on}}, with {{convert|25.4|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} elevated and {{convert|1.72|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} underground,<ref name="Norinco">{{cite web|title=Norinco Technical Proposal|url=http://www.lahoremetroauraap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Norinco-Technical-Proposal.pdf|access-date=25 January 2017|date=January 2016|page=12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202022759/http://www.lahoremetroauraap.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Norinco-Technical-Proposal.pdf|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=usurped}}</ref> and had a cost of 251.06&nbsp;billion [[Pakistani rupee|rupees]] ($1.6&nbsp;billion). The line consists of 26 subway stations (Ali Town Station to Dera Gujran Station) and is designed to carry over 250,000 passengers daily. [[CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive]] rolled out the first of 27 trains for the metro on 16 May 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1410624/first-orange-line-metro-train-rolls/|title=First Orange Line Metro train rolls out – The Express Tribune|date=16 May 2017|work=The Express Tribune|access-date=16 May 2017|archive-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704213001/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1410624/first-orange-line-metro-train-rolls/|url-status=live}}</ref> The train has speed up to {{convert|80|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}. For improved durability, its [[bogie]]s are heat-resistant, can manage unstable voltage, and feature energy-saving air-conditioning.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Briginshaw |first1=David |date=26 October 2020|title=Lahore opens Pakistan's first metro line|url=https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/metros/lahore-opens-pakistans-first-metro-line/|access-date=30 March 2021|website=International Railway Journal|language=en|archive-date=1 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101134906/https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/metros/lahore-opens-pakistans-first-metro-line/|url-status=live}}</ref> Successful initial test trials were run in mid-2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/285872-orange-line-metro-train-run-on-trial-basis-in-lahore|title=Orange Line Metro train runs on trial basis in Lahore|website=thenews.com.pk|date=26 February 2018 |access-date=1 March 2018|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618175757/https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/285872-orange-line-metro-train-run-on-trial-basis-in-lahore|url-status=live}}</ref> and commercial operations began on 25 October 2020.<ref name="Lahore Metro Train">{{cite web|url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/25-Oct-2020/punjab-cm-inaugurates-lahore-s-much-delayed-orange-line-metro-train|title=Punjab CM inaugurates Lahore's much-delayed Orange Line Metro Train|date=25 October 2020|publisher=Daily Pakistan|access-date=25 October 2020|archive-date=28 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028213320/https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/25-Oct-2020/punjab-cm-inaugurates-lahore-s-much-delayed-orange-line-metro-train|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Blue Line====
The Blue Line is a proposed {{convert|24|km|mi}} line from Chauburji to College Road Township. Along the way, it will connect places like Mozang Chungi, Shadman Chowk, Jail Road, Mian Boulevard Gulberg, Mian Boulevard Garden Town, and Faisal Town.<ref name="railway-technology.com">{{cite web|title=Lahore Rapid Mass Transit Rail - Railway Technology|url=https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/lahorerapidmasstrans/|access-date=30 March 2021|website=www.railway-technology.com|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309121009/https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/lahorerapidmasstrans/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Purple Line====
The Purple Line is a proposed {{convert|19|km|mi}} line from Bhaati Chowk to the Allama Iqbal International Airport. Along the way, it will connect places like Brandreth Road, Railway Station, Allama Iqbal Road, Dharampura, and Ghazi Road.<ref name="railway-technology.com"/>

=== Taxi and rickshaw ===
Ride-sharing services such as [[Uber]] and [[Careem]] are available in the city. Motorcycle rides are also available in the city, which have been introduced by private companies.

[[Auto rickshaws]] play an important role of public transport in Lahore. As of 2019, there were approximately 82,000 auto rickshaws and 65,000 motorcycle rickshaws in the city.<ref name="The Express Tribune 2019 c467">{{cite news |last=Asif |first=Rizwan | title=Bumper to bumper: One car too many on Lahore's roads | website=The Express Tribune | date=26 March 2019 | url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1938097/bumper-bumper-one-car-many-lahores-roads | access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> Motorcycle rickshaws, usually called ''[[Jinan Qingqi|chingchi]]''<ref name="Khan 2023 j517">{{cite news | last=Khan | first=Abid | title=Punjab Govt decides to impose ban on Qingqi rickshaws | website=BOL News | date=2 December 2023 | url=https://www.bolnews.com/latest/2023/12/punjab-govt-decides-to-impose-ban-on-qingqi-rickshaws/ | access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> (after the Chinese company Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co. Ltd, who first introduced these to the market){{Citation needed|reason=Unsourced |date=April 2024}} or ''chand gari'' ('moon car')<ref name="BOL News 2023 a520">{{cite web | title=Behind the wheel | website=BOL News | date=31 March 2023 | url=https://www.bolnews.com/newspaper/urban-insight/2023/01/behind-the-wheel/ | access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> are cheaper than auto rickshaws and provide a shared ride experience for multiple passengers and fares, whereas auto rickshaws cater to only one passenger or group for a fare.{{Citation needed|reason=Unsourced |date=April 2024}} Since 2002, all auto rickshaws have been required to use [[compressed natural gas]] as fuel,<ref>{{cite web|date=29 May 2020|title=2020 Ultimate Guide To Lahore|url=https://visitlahore.com/ultimate-guide-to-lahore/|access-date=16 July 2020|website=Visit Lahore|language=en-US|archive-date=16 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716152503/https://visitlahore.com/ultimate-guide-to-lahore/|url-status=live}}</ref> and all-electric rickshaws were introduced in 2023.<ref name="Sheikh 2023 x607">{{cite news | last=Sheikh | first=Hamza | title=Lahore Gears Up for Greener Streets: Introducing Electric Rickshaw | website=BOL News | date=27 December 2023 | url=https://www.bolnews.com/business/2023/12/lahore-gears-up-for-greener-streets-introducing-electric-rickshaw/ | access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref>

=== Intercity transportation ===
==== Railways ====
{{see also|Lahore Junction railway station}}
[[Lahore Junction railway station|Lahore Junction Station]] serves as the main railway station for Lahore, and serves as a major hub for all [[Pakistan Railways]] services in [[Northern Pakistan]]. It includes services to [[Peshawar]] and the national capital metropolitan area of [[Islamabad]]–[[Rawalpindi]], and long-distance services to [[Karachi]] and [[Quetta]]. [[Lahore Cantonment railway station|Lahore Cantonment Station]] also operates a few trains.

==== Buses ====
[[Lahore Badami Bagh Bus Terminal]] (known colloquially as "Lari Adda") serves as a hub for intercity bus services in Lahore, served by multiple bus companies providing a comprehensive network of services in Punjab and neighbouring provinces. [[Lahore Jinnah Bus Terminal]] is also a major bus stand in southern Lahore. Apart from these stations, multiple privately owned bus transportation companies operate from Band Road (referred to colloquially as Chowk Yateem Khana), offering intercity transport at varying fares and comfort levels.

=== Airports ===
{{Further|Allama Iqbal International Airport|Walton Airport}}
[[File:AllamaIqbalAirport.JPG|thumb|Allama Iqbal International Airport]]
Pakistan's third busiest airport, [[Allama Iqbal International Airport]] ([[International Air Transport Association airport code|IATA]]: LHE), straddles the city's eastern boundary. The new passenger terminal was opened in 2003, replacing the old terminal which now serves as a VIP and Hajj lounge. The airport was named after the national poet-philosopher, [[Muhammad Iqbal]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lahoreairport.com.pk/About/About-History.aspx/ |title=History of Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore |publisher=lahoreairport.com.pk |access-date=9 June 2016 |archive-date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622023425/http://lahoreairport.com.pk/About/About-History.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> and is a secondary hub for the national carrier, [[Pakistan International Airlines]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.piac.com.pk/
 |title=Pakistan International Airlines
 |access-date=3 October 2015
|url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123211900/http://www.piac.com.pk/
 |archive-date=23 January 2011
}}</ref> [[Walton Airport]] in Askari neighbourhood provides [[general aviation]] facilities. [[Sialkot International Airport]] (IATA: SKT) and [[Faisalabad International Airport]] (IATA: LYP) also serve as alternate airports for the Lahore area, in addition to serving their respective cities.

Allama Iqbal International Airport connects Lahore with many cities worldwide (including domestic destinations) by both passenger and cargo flight including [[Ras Al Khaimah International Airport|Ras al Khaimah]], [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]] (begins 28 August 2018),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/278958/china-southern-adds-guangzhou-lahore-route-from-aug-2018/|title=China Southern adds Guangzhou – Lahore route from Aug 2018|website=Routes|access-date=4 July 2018|archive-date=24 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624072440/https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/278958/china-southern-adds-guangzhou-lahore-route-from-aug-2018/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport|Ürümqi]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/277683/china-southern-adds-plans-lahore-launch-from-late-june-2018/|title=China Southern adds plans Lahore launch from late-June 2018|author=Liu, Jim|date=18 March 2018|access-date=18 March 2018|website=Routesonline|archive-date=18 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318155230/https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/277683/china-southern-adds-plans-lahore-launch-from-late-june-2018/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Abu Dhabi International Airport|Abu Dhabi]], [[Barcelona–El Prat Airport|Barcelona]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fbcdn-photos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xal1/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/14671345_1423459961016358_4246096401604852753_n.jpg|title=PIA advertisement promoting Barcelona resumption|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014061703/https://fbcdn-photos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xal1/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/14671345_1423459961016358_4246096401604852753_n.jpg?oh=15579c834ea244a3dcdb980a910cf249&oe=58AC4175&__gda__=1487737463_8b00fa6bdbfdff08a38910633e323afe|archive-date=14 October 2016}}</ref> [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]], [[Copenhagen Airport|Copenhagen]], [[King Fahd International Airport|Dammam]], [[Dera Ghazi Khan International Airport|Dera Ghazi Khan]], [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]], [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]], [[Islamabad International Airport|Islamabad]], [[King Abdulaziz International Airport|Jeddah]], [[Jinnah International Airport|Karachi]], [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur–International]], [[Heathrow Airport|London–Heathrow]], [[Manchester Airport|Manchester]], [[Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport|Medina]], [[Milan–Malpensa Airport|Milan–Malpensa]], [[Multan Airport|Multan]], [[Muscat International Airport|Muscat]], [[Oslo Airport, Gardermoen|Oslo–Gardermoen]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]], [[Bacha Khan International Airport|Peshawar]], [[Quetta Airport|Quetta]], [[Shaikh Zayed International Airport (Rahim Yar Khan)|Rahim Yar Khan]], [[King Khalid International Airport|Riyadh]], [[Salalah International Airport|Salalah]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269378/pakistan-international-w16-international-route-additions/|title=Pakistan International W16 International route additions|website=Routes|access-date=6 March 2023|archive-date=6 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306040014/https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269378/pakistan-international-w16-international-route-additions/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Tokyo–Narita]], [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]], [[Mashhad International Airport|Mashhad]], [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi]], and [[Tashkent International Airport|Tashkent]].<ref>{{cite web|author1=Mati |url=https://dnd.com.pk/uzbek-airways-resumes-flight-from-tashkent-to-lahore/126944|title=Uzbek Airways resumes flight from Tashkent to Lahore|work=Dispatch news Desk |date=5 April 2017|access-date=4 July 2018|archive-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704213648/https://dnd.com.pk/uzbek-airways-resumes-flight-from-tashkent-to-lahore/126944|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Roads ===
{{see also|List of streets in Lahore}}
[[File:Badshahi Mosque, Lahore VII.jpg|thumb|The [[Chowk Minar-e-Pakistan|Azadi Chowk]] is located near the [[Badshahi Mosque]].]]
[[File:Lahore Ring Road (L-20).jpg|thumb|[[Lahore Ring Road]]]]

There are a number of municipal, provincial and federal [[Roads in Pakistan|roads]] that serve Lahore.
* Municipal roads
** [[Canal Road, Lahore|Canal Road]] – serves as the major north–south artery
* [[Provincial Highways of Punjab|Provincial highways]]
** [[Lahore Ring Road]]
** [[Lahore–Kasur Road]] ([[Ferozepur Road]])
** Lahore–Raiwind Road (Raiwind Road)
** Lahore–Sharaqpur Road (Sagianwala Bypass Road)
** Lahore–Wagah Road
** Grand Trunk Road (G.T Road )
* [[Roads in Pakistan#Federal roads|Federal highways]]
** [[M-2 motorway (Pakistan)|M-2 motorway]]
** [[M3 motorway (Pakistan)|M-3 motorway]]
** [[M11 motorway (Pakistan)|M-11 motorway]]
** [[N-5 National Highway]] (Multan Road)
** [[N-60 National Highway]] ([[Sargodha]]–Lahore road)

== Government ==
===Metropolitan Corporation===
Under Punjab Local Government Act 2013, Lahore is a [[metropolitan area]] under the authority of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lahore.gop.pk/MunicipalCorporation.php|title=Metropolitan Corporation Lahore|website=lahore.gop.pk|access-date=24 September 2017|archive-date=20 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220201642/http://www.lahore.gop.pk/MunicipalCorporation.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Metropolitan Corporation Lahore is a body consisting of nine deputy mayors (one from each zone in the district) and the city's mayor – all of whom are elected in popular elections. The Metropolitan Corporation approves zoning and land use, coordinates urban design and planning, sets environmental protection laws, and provides municipal services.

====Mayor====
{{main|Mayor of Lahore}}

As per the Punjab Local Government Act 2013, the [[Mayor of Lahore]] is the elected head of the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore. The mayor is directly elected in municipal elections every four years alongside 9 deputy [[List of towns in Lahore|town]] mayors. Mubashir Javed of the [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)]] was elected mayor of Lahore in 2016. The mayor is responsible for the administration of government services, the composition of councils and committees overseeing [[Lahore District|Lahore City District]] departments and serves as the chairperson for the meeting of the Lahore Council. The mayor also functions to help devise long-term development plans in consultation with other stakeholders and bodies to improve the condition, livability, and sustainability of urban areas.

=== Neighbourhoods ===
{{further|List of zones in Lahore}}
[[Lahore District]] is a subdivision of the Punjab, and is further divided into 9 administrative zones.<ref name="NRB2">{{cite web |url=http://www.nrb.gov.pk/local_government/city_district_government.html |title=City District Governments |access-date=18 February 2009 |publisher=National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005024105/http://www.nrb.gov.pk/local_government/city_district_government.html}}</ref> Each town in turn consists of a group of union councils, of which there are 274 total.<ref name="NRB3">{{cite web |title=City District |url=http://www.nrb.gov.pk/city_district/index.html |access-date=18 February 2009 |publisher=National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013065059/http://www.nrb.gov.pk/city_district/index.html |archive-date=13 October 2008}}</ref>

{{Lahore City District}}

== Festivals ==
[[File:In March 2015 the Spring start. Canal get decorated. it feels amazing. Canal Bridge Jail Road, Lahore.JPG|thumb|[[Lahore Canal]] during the spring [[Basant Kite Festival|Basant]] festival]]
The people of Lahore [[Festivals in Lahore|celebrate many festivals]] and events throughout the year, including Islamic, traditional Punjabi, Christian, and national holidays and festivals.

Some people decorate their houses and light candles to illuminate the streets and houses during public holidays; roads and businesses may be lit for days. Many of Lahore's dozens of [[Sufism|Sufi]] shrines hold annual festivals called ''[[urs]]'' to honour their respective saints. For example, the mausoleum of [[Ali al-Hujwiri]] at the [[Data Darbar]] shrine has an annual ''urs'' that attracts up to one million visitors per year.<ref name="linus">{{cite book|first=Linus|last=Strothman|chapter=The politics of Sufism on the ground: The political dimension of Pakistan's largest shrine|editor1-last=Tschacher|editor1-first=Torsten|editor2-last=Dandekar|editor2-first=Deepra |title=Islam, Sufism and Everyday Politics of Belonging in South Asia|date=2016|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317435969 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQNADQAAQBAJ&q=data+ganj+-bomb+-bombers+-suicide+-attack&pg=PA232|access-date=12 September 2017}}</ref> The [[Mela Chiraghan]] festival in Lahore takes place at the shrine of [[Madho Lal Hussain]], while other large ''urs'' take place at the shrines of [[Bibi Pak Daman]], and at the [[Shrine of Mian Mir]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Devotees throng Lahore shrine for Mian Mir Sahab's Urs|website=Samaa TV |url=https://www.samaa.tv/culture/2019/11/devotees-throng-lahore-shrine-for-mian-mir-sahabs-urs/ |date=7 November 2019|access-date=18 June 2020|archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803052036/https://www.samaa.tv/culture/2019/11/devotees-throng-lahore-shrine-for-mian-mir-sahabs-urs/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Eid ul-Fitr]] and [[Eid ul-Adha]] are celebrated in the city with public buildings and shopping centres decorated in lights. The people of Lahore also commemorate the martyrdom of [[Imam Husain|Imam Husayn]] at [[Karbala]] with massive processions that take place during the first ten days of the month of [[Muharram]].<ref>{{cite web|author1=QAM |author2=Sheharyar Rizwan |author3=Kalbe Ali |author4=Shakeel Ahmed |author5=Mohammad Hussain Khan |author6=Zulfiqar Ali |author7=Saleem Shahid|date=8 September 2019 |title=Muharram: Walking the Mourners' Path |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1504130|access-date=18 June 2020 |work=Dawn|archive-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618143653/https://www.dawn.com/news/1504130|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Basant (season)|Basant]] is a traditional [[Punjabi culture|Punjabi]] festival that marks the coming of spring. Basant celebrations in Pakistan are centred in Lahore, and people from all over the country and abroad come to the city for the annual festivities. [[Kite]]-flying competitions traditionally take place on city rooftops during Basant, while the [[Lahore Canal]] is decorated with floating lanterns. Courts have banned kite-flying because of casualties and power installation losses. The ban was lifted for two days in 2007, then immediately reimposed when 11 people were killed by [[celebratory gunfire]], sharp kite-strings, electrocution, and falls related to the competition.<ref>{{cite news |title=11 Dead at Pakistani Kite Festival, Metal Kite Strings, Stray Celebratory Gunfire Claim Lives at Annual Event, More Than 100 Injured |date=26 February 2007|work=CBS News|url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/26/world/main2514554.shtml |access-date=2 August 2007 |archive-date=13 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013184108/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/26/world/main2514554.shtml |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lahore's churches are elaborately decorated for [[Christmas]] and [[Easter]] celebrations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/263797-in-pictures-christmas-celebrations-across-pakistan|title=In pictures: Christmas celebrations across Pakistan|website=www.geo.tv|date=25 December 2019 |access-date=18 June 2020|archive-date=19 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619041918/https://www.geo.tv/latest/263797-in-pictures-christmas-celebrations-across-pakistan |url-status=live}}</ref> Shopping centres and public buildings also feature Christmas installations to celebrate the holiday, even though Christians only constitute 5.1% of the total population of Lahore in 2024. See [[Religion in Lahore]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1872635/1-christmas-festivities-set-begin-lahore?amp=1|title=Christmas festivities all set to begin in Lahore |date=22 December 2018|website=The Express Tribune |access-date=7 December 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308140313/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1872635/1-christmas-festivities-set-begin-lahore?amp=1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Tourism ==
{{main|Tourism in Lahore}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Wazir Khan Mosque by Moiz.jpg|[[Wazir Khan Mosque]]
File:Night View of Badshahi Mosque (King’s Mosque).jpg|[[Badshahi Mosque]]
File:Lahore Fort.jpg|[[Lahore Fort]] (Shahi Qila)
File:Minar e Pakistan night image.jpg|[[Minar-e-Pakistan]] at night
File:Reflection of Farah Baksh Terrace (Upper Terrace) main building.jpg|[[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalimar Gardens]]
</gallery>

Lahore remains a major tourist destination in Pakistan. The [[Walled City of Lahore]] was renovated in 2014 and is popular due to the presence of [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1230220|title=Ten-fold increase in foreign tourists for Lahore Walled City|date=2 January 2016|website=Dawn|location=Pakistan|access-date=16 June 2016|archive-date=12 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412232613/http://www.dawn.com/news/1230220|url-status=live}}</ref> Among the most popular sights are the [[Lahore Fort]], adjacent to the Walled City, and home to the [[Sheesh Mahal (Lahore)|Sheesh Mahal]], the [[Alamgiri Gate]], the [[Naulakha Pavilion]], and the [[Moti Masjid (Lahore)|Moti Masjid]]. The fort and adjoining [[Shalimar Gardens, Lahore|Shalimar Gardens]] have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical mosques of Lahore |url=http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/01/03/comment/historical-mosques-of-lahore/ |access-date=16 June 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081754/http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/01/03/comment/historical-mosques-of-lahore/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city is home to Muslim historical religious sites, most prominently the [[Badshahi Mosque]], constructed in 1673; it was the largest mosque in the world upon construction. Another popular sight is the [[Wazir Khan Mosque]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 September 2017 |title=Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan – A Guide For Travelers – The Tourist |url=http://thetourist.pk/lahore-a-guide-for-travelers/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109210329/http://thetourist.pk/lahore-a-guide-for-travelers/ |archive-date=9 November 2017 |access-date=3 January 2018 |work=The Tourist}}</ref> constructed in 1635 and known for its extensive ''faience'' tile work.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blanshard Asher |first=Catherine |title=Architecture of Mughal India |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-521-26728-1}}</ref> [[Data Darbar]], near the Old City of Lahore, is the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia.<ref name="a">{{cite book |last1=Halafoff |first1=Anna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cTslDwAAQBAJ&q=data+darbar+-bomb+-bombers+-suicide+-attack&pg=PA57 |title=Religion and Development in the Asia-Pacific: Sacred Places as Development Spaces |last2=Clarke |first2=Matthew |date=2016 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781317647454 |access-date=12 September 2017}}</ref> Apart from Islam, two functional Hindu temples exist: the [[Krishna Mandir demolition reports|Krishna Temple]] and [[Valmiki Mandir, Lahore|Valmiki Mandir]]. The [[Samadhi of Ranjit Singh]], also located near the Walled City, houses the [[Urn|funerary urns]] of the [[Sikh]] ruler [[Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjab)|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]].

Whereas the Walled City reflects Lahore's historic grandeur, Defence Raya Golf Resort contributes to the city's modern side. Other posh areas include [[Gulberg, Lahore|Gulberg]], [[Iqbal Town, Lahore|Iqbal Town]] and the [[Nahr, Lahore|Nahr]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reporter |first=The Newspaper's Staff |date=2024-10-05 |title=Police heavily barricade Lahore to thwart PTI's protest plan |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1863122 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=AMSHE |date=2015-07-26 |title=Discovering 'posh' food with a 'health-conscious' Khwaja |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1196407 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Lahori cuisine}}

=== Religious sites ===
Well-known religious sites in the city include:

{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Badshahi Mosque]]
* [[Dai Anga Mosque]]
* [[Madho Lal Hussain|Darbar Madho Lal Hussain]]
* [[Data Durbar Complex|Data Darbar Complex]]
* [[Grand Jamia Mosque, Lahore]]
* [[Gurdwara Dera Sahib]]
* [[Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das]]
* [[Krishna Mandir, Lahore]]
* [[Lava Temple]]
* Lohari Gate Mosque
* [[Masjid of Mariyam Zamani]]
* Masjid Shuhada
* [[Moti Masjid (Lahore Fort)]]
* [[Saleh Kamboh Mosque|Muhammad Saleh Kamboh Mosque]]
* [[Neevin Mosque]]
* [[Oonchi Mosque]]
* [[Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore]]
* [[Shab Bhar Mosque]]
* [[Shaheed Ganj Mosque]]
* [[St. Andrew's Church, Lahore|St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church]]
* [[Suneri Mosque]]
* [[Valmiki Temple]]
* [[Wazir Khan Mosque]]
{{colend}}

=== Museums ===
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Army Museum Lahore]]
* [[Fakir Khana]]
* [[Islamic Summit Minar]]
* [[Javed Manzil]]
* [[Lahore Museum]]
* [[National History Museum (Lahore)|National History Museum]]
* House of NANNA's by Dr. Ejaz Anwar
* Como Museum of Art
* [[National Museum of Science and Technology, Lahore|National Museum of Science and Technology]]
* [[Shakir Ali Museum]]
* Tollinton Market-Lahore City Heritage Museum
{{colend}}

=== Tombs ===
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Tomb of Ali Mardan Khan]]
* [[Tomb of Allama Iqbal]]
* [[Tomb of Anarkali]]
* [[Tomb of Asif Khan]]
* [[Tomb of Dai Anga]]
* [[Tomb of Jani Khan]]
* [[Tomb of Jahangir]]
* [[Tomb of Nadira Begum]]
* [[Tomb of Nur Jahan]]
* [[Tomb of Dai Anga]]
* [[Buddhu's Tomb]]
* [[Cypress Tomb]] or Sarowala Maqbara
* Tomb of [[Zeb-un-Nissa]] Begum
* Tomb of [[Gulbahar Begum|Gul Begum]]
* Tomb of [[Malik Ayaz]]
* Kuri Bagh
* Mai Dai
* Mian Khan
* Nusrat Khan
* [[Parviz Mirza|Prince Pervez]]
* [[Qutb-ud-din Aibak]]
* [[Saleh Kamboh]]
* Mir Niamat Khan
* Rasul Shahyun
* [[Tomb of Khan-e-Jahan Bahadur Kokaltash|Zafar Jang Kokaltash]]
{{colend}}

=== Shrines ===
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Bibi Pak Daman]]
* [[Ali Hujwiri]]
* [[Mian Mir]]
* [[Madho Lal Hussain]]
* Khawaja Tahir Bandgi
* [[Ghazi Ilm Din Shaheed]]
* Sheikh Musa Ahangar
* Khawaja Mehmud
* Nizam-ud-Din
* Siraj-ud-Din Gilani
* Peer Makki
* [[Baba Shah Jamal]]
{{colend}}

=== Samadhis ===
* Bhai Vasti Ram
* [[Samadhi of Ranjit Singh|Ranjit Singh]]
* Samadhi of [[Bhai Mani Singh]]
* [[Ganga Ram|Sir Ganga Ram]]
* [[Bhai Taru Singh]]

=== Havelis ===
There are many [[haveli]]s inside the Walled City of Lahore, some in good condition while others need urgent attention. Many of these havelis are fine examples of [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]] and [[Sikh]] architecture. Some of the havelis inside the Walled City include:
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* Chuna Mandi Havelis
* Dina Nath Ki Haveli
* Haveli Barood Khana
* Haveli Mian Khan (Rang Mehal)
* Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh
* Haveli Shergharian (near Lal Khou)
* Haveli Sir Wajid Ali Shah (near Nisar Haveli)
* Lal Haveli beside Mochi Bagh
* Mubarak Begum Haveli – Bhatti Gate
* Mubarak Haveli – Chowk Nawab Sahib, Mochi/Akbari Gate
* Mughal Haveli (residence of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh)
* Nisar Haveli
* Salman Sirhindi ki Haveli
{{colend}}

=== Other landmarks ===
* [[Shahi Hammam]]
* [[Alhamra Arts Council|Alhamra Art Council]]
* [[Lahore Fort|Lahore Royal Fort]]
* [[Greater Iqbal Park]]

=== Historic neighbourhoods ===
* [[Anarkali Bazaar|Anarkali]]
* [[Badami Bagh railway station|Badami Bagh]]
* [[Baghbanpura]]
* [[Begampura]]
* [[Chuna Mandi]]
* [[Heera Mandi]]
* [[Mughalpura]]
* [[Shahdara Bagh]]
* [[Walled City of Lahore]]

== Education ==
{{Main|Education in Lahore}}

{{See also|List of educational institutions in Lahore|List of special schools in Lahore|List of libraries in Lahore}}
[[File:Government College University Tower in Lahore.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Government College University (Lahore)|Government College University]]]]
[[File:King edward medical university front gate.jpg|thumb|[[King Edward Medical University]]]]
[[File:Mainblock2.jpg|thumb|[[University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore|University of Engineering and Technology]], Main Block]]
[[File:Punjab university Art & Design Dept.jpg|thumb|upright|[[University of the Punjab]], Old Campus]]
Lahore is sometimes considered Pakistan's educational capital,{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} with more colleges and universities than any other city in Pakistan. The literacy rate of Lahore is 74%. The city is Pakistan's largest producer of professionals in the fields of science, technology, IT, law, engineering, medicine, nuclear sciences, pharmacology, telecommunication, biotechnology, microelectronics, and nanotechnology, and has the only future hyper high-tech centre{{Clarify|date=January 2023|reason=What does "future hyper" mean? Is this high-tech centre even better than normal in some way?}} in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Raza
 | first = M. Hanif
 | title = Portrait of Pakistan
 | publisher = Ferozsons, Ltd.
 | year = 1999
 | location = Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
 | page = [https://archive.org/details/portraitofpakist00raza/page/155 155]
 | isbn = 969-0-01545-1
 | url-access = registration
 | url = https://archive.org/details/portraitofpakist00raza/page/155
 }}</ref>
Most of the reputable universities are public, but in recent years there has also been an upsurge in the number of private universities. Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) is the only [[Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business|AACSB]] accredited business school in Pakistan. Lahore hosts some of Pakistan's oldest and best educational institutes, including:

* [[Aitchison College]], established in 1886
* [[Beaconhouse National University]], established in 2003
* [[Central Model School, Lahore|Central Model School]], established in 1883
* [[Crescent Model Higher Secondary School]], established in 1968
* [[University of Home Economics Lahore|College of Home Economics]], established in 1955
* [[College of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences]], established in 1950
* [[Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore|Convent of Jesus and Mary]], established in 1867
* [[Dayal Singh College (Lahore)|Dayal Singh College]], established in 1910
* [[De'Montmorency College of Dentistry]], established in 1929
* [[Fatima Jinnah Medical University]], established in 1948
* [[Forman Christian College]], established in 1864
* [[GC University, Lahore|Government College University, Lahore]], established in 1864
* [[Hailey College of Commerce]], established in 1927
* [[Islamia College (Lahore)|Islamia College]], established in 1892
* [[Jamia Ashrafia]], established in 1947
* [[King Edward Medical University]], established in 1860
* [[Kinnaird College for Women University]], established in 1913
* [[University of Education|Lady Maclagan Training College]], established in 1933
* [[Lady Willingdon Hospital|Lady Willingdon Nursing School]], established in 1933
* [[Lahore College for Women University]], established in 1922
* [[Lahore Garrison University]]
* [[Lahore Grammar School]], established in 1979
* [[Lahore Medical and Dental College]], established in 1997
* [[Lahore School of Economics]], established in 1993
* [[Lahore University of Management Sciences]], established in 1986
* [[Govt. M.A.O College Lahore|M.A.O College]], established in 1933
* [[Muslim Model High School, Lahore|Muslim Model High School]], established in 1890
* [[National College of Arts]], established in 1875
* [[Oriental College, Lahore|Oriental College]], established in 1876
* [[Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design]], established in 1994
* [[PakTurk International Schools and Colleges]], established in 2006
* [[Queen Mary College, Lahore|Queen Mary College]], established in 1908
* [[Sacred Heart High School for Girls|Sacred Heart High School]], established in 1906
* [[Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Medical and Dental College]], established in 2009
* [[St. Anthony's High School (Lahore)|St. Anthony's High School]], established in 1892
* [[St Francis High School, Lahore|St. Francis High School]], established in 1842
* [[University College of Pharmacy]], established in 1944
* [[University of the Punjab|University Law College]], established in 1868
* [[University of Central Punjab]], established in 2002
* [[University of Education]], established in 2002
* [[University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore]], established in 1921
* [[University of Health Sciences, Lahore]], established in 2002
* [[University of Lahore]], established in 1999
* [[University of Management and Technology (Lahore)]], established in 2002
* [[University of the Punjab]], established in 1882
* [[University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences]], established in 1882

== Notable people ==
{{Main|List of people from Lahore}}
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->

== Sports ==
{{Main|List of sports venues in Lahore}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150" caption="Sports venues">
File:Gaddafi stadium lahore.jpg|[[Gaddafi Stadium]] is one of the largest [[List of stadiums in Pakistan|stadiums of Pakistan]], with a capacity of 27,000 spectators.
File:Stadium f.jpg|[[Punjab Stadium, Pakistan|Punjab Stadium]]
File:HOCKEY ARGENTINA PAKISTAN.jpg|Pakistan playing against [[Argentina]] in 2005
</gallery>

Lahore has successfully hosted many international sports events, including the finals of the [[1990 Men's Hockey World Cup]] and the [[1996 Cricket World Cup]]. The headquarters of all major sports governing bodies in Pakistan are located in Lahore, including cricket, hockey, rugby, and football.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} Lahore is also home to the head office of the [[Pakistan Olympic Association]].

[[Gaddafi Stadium]] is a [[List of Test cricket grounds|Test cricket ground]] in Lahore. It was completed in 1959, and renovations were carried out by Pakistani architect [[Nayyar Ali Dada]] in the 1990s.

The multi purpose [[Punjab Stadium, Pakistan|Punjab Stadium]] located near the headquarters of the [[Pakistan Football Federation]], is mainly used for [[Association football|football]] matches and has hosted several events including [[AFC President's Cup]] and [[FIFA World Cup qualification|FIFA World Cup qualifiers]]. [[Wohaib FC|Wohaib]] club from Lahore was one of the leading football clubs in Pakistan in the 1990s.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Ahsan |first=Ali |date=23 December 2010 |title=A history of football in Pakistan — Part III |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/593100/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-iii |access-date=2 December 2023 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref>

Lahore is home to several [[golf]] courses, including the [[Lahore Gymkhana Club|Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course]], the Lahore Garrison Golf and Country Club, the Royal Palm Golf Club, and newly built Defence Raya Golf & Country Club. Lake City, a 9-hole course, opened in nearby [[Raiwind]] Road in 2011. The newly opened Oasis Golf and Aqua Resort is a state-of-the-art resort, featuring golf, water parks, and leisure activities like horse riding and archery.

The [[Lahore Marathon]] is part of an annual package of six international marathons sponsored by [[Standard Chartered Bank]] across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. More than 20,000 athletes from Pakistan and all over the world participate in this event. It was first held on 30 January 2005, and again on 29 January 2006. More than 22,000 people participated in the 2006 race. The third marathon was held on 14 January 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lahoremarathon.com |title=Lahore Marathon Website |publisher=Lahoremarathon.com |access-date=15 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118195349/http://www.lahoremarathon.com/ |archive-date=18 January 2011 }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2016}} Plans exist to build Pakistan's first sports city in Lahore, on the bank of the [[Ravi River]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lahore.metblogs.com/2006/07/31/lahore-soon-to-get-a-sports-city/ |title=Lahore soon to get a Sports City |publisher=Lahore Metblogs |access-date=15 March 2011 |archive-date=14 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714080800/http://lahore.metblogs.com/2006/07/31/lahore-soon-to-get-a-sports-city/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2016}}

; Professional sports teams from Lahore
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | Club
! scope="col" | League
! scope="col" | Sport
! scope="col" | Venue
! scope="col" | Established
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | [[Lahore Qalandars]]
| [[Pakistan Super League]]
| [[Cricket]]
| [[Gaddafi Stadium]]
| 2015
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | [[Wohaib FC|Wohaib]]
| [[PFF League]]
| [[Association football|Football]]
| Punjab University Old Campus Ground
| 1982
|}

== Twin towns and sister cities ==
{{Main|List of twin towns and sister cities in Pakistan}}

The following international cities have been declared [[twin towns and sister cities]] of Lahore.

{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagdeco|TUR}} [[Istanbul]], Turkey (1975)<ref name="dailytimes">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C03%5C02%5Cstory_2-3-2007_pg7_43 |title=No committee to develop ties with Lahore's twins |publisher=Daily Times of Pakistan |date=2 March 2007 |access-date=8 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929013640/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C03%5C02%5Cstory_2-3-2007_pg7_43 |archive-date=29 September 2013 }}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|North Korea}} [[Sariwon]], North Korea (1988)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagdeco|CHN}} [[Xi'an]], [[Shaanxi]], China (1992)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagdeco|BEL}} [[Kortrijk]], Belgium (1993)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagdeco|Morocco}} [[Fes, Morocco|Fez]], Morocco (1994)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagdeco|UZB}} [[Bukhara]], Uzbekistan (1995)<ref name="dawn-sister">{{cite news|title=Islamabad to get new sister city|date=5 January 2016 |newspaper=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|publisher=[[Pakistan Herald Publications]]|location=Karachi, Pakistan |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1230842}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|UZB}} [[Samarkand]], Uzbekistan (1995)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagdeco|IRN}} [[Isfahan]], Iran (2004)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagdeco|IRN}} [[Mashad]], Iran (2006)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Glasgow]], Scotland (2006)<ref name="heraldscotland">{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/default_content/12436106.glasgow-finds-another-new-twin-punjab/ |title=Glasgow finds another new twin in Punjab |publisher=[[Herald Scotland]] |date=26 May 2006 |access-date=12 January 2023 |archive-date=12 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112213028/https://www.heraldscotland.com/default_content/12436106.glasgow-finds-another-new-twin-punjab/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|USA}} [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], United States (2007)<ref name="chicago2">{{cite web|url=http://www.lahore.gov.pk/news/english/english-news.aspx?id=168 |title=Lahore and Chicago declared sister cities |publisher=City District Government of Lahore |access-date=8 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501235446/http://lahore.gov.pk/news/english/english-news.aspx?id=168 |archive-date=1 May 2008 }}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Serbia}} [[Belgrade]], Serbia (2007)<ref name="dailytimes"/>
* {{flagdeco|POL}} [[Kraków]], Poland (2007)<ref name="dawn-sister"/>
* {{flagdeco|POR}} [[Coimbra]], Portugal (2007)<ref name="dawn-sister"/>
* {{flagdeco|TJK}} [[Dushanbe]], Tajikistan (2008)<ref name="dawn-sister"/>
* {{flagdeco|ESP}} [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], Spain (2008)<ref name="cordoba-lahore">{{cite news|newspaper=[[The News International]] |title=Musharraf for Lahore-Cordoba liaison to promote ties with Spain|date=27 April 2007|editor-last=Aslam|editor-first=Talat |publisher=[[Jang Group of Newspapers]]|location=Karachi, Pakistan}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|COL}} [[Bogotá]], Colombia (2009)<ref name="Shayan"/>
* {{flagdeco|IRN}} [[Amol]], Iran (2010)<ref name=Shayan>{{cite web|url=http://www.peela.pk/column4.html|title=Ground Realities 4 |last1=Syed Shayan|date=February 2015|publisher=Akhbar Peela|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305094736/http://www.peela.pk/column4.html|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|BRA}} [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil (2015)<ref>{{cite web |title=Lei nº 6.105/2016 |date=25 November 2016 |language=pt |url=http://mail.camara.rj.gov.br/APL/Legislativos/contlei.nsf/66ff1c35b8d68ddd032578690069dda8/22079af2dbb477688325807600636fa4?OpenDocument |publisher=Câmara Municipal do Rio de Janeiro |access-date=28 November 2016 |archive-date=29 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129025115/http://mail.camara.rj.gov.br/APL/Legislativos/contlei.nsf/66ff1c35b8d68ddd032578690069dda8/22079af2dbb477688325807600636fa4?OpenDocument |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{colend}}

==Awards==
In 1966, the [[Government of Pakistan]] awarded a special flag, the [[Hilal-i-istaqlal]], to the cities of Lahore, [[Sargodha]], and [[Sialkot]] for showing severe resistance to the enemy during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]], as these cities were targets of the Indian aggression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/601035/commemorating-sept-1965-nation-celebrates-defence-day-with-fervour?amp=1 |title=Commemorating Sept 1965: Nation celebrates Defence Day with fervour|date=6 September 2013|website=The Express Tribune|access-date=7 December 2020|archive-date=12 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112234144/https://tribune.com.pk/story/601035/commemorating-sept-1965-nation-celebrates-defence-day-with-fervour?amp=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Every year on [[Defence Day]] (6 September), this flag is hoisted in these cities in recognition of the will, courage, and perseverance of their people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/56110/defence-day-celebrated-with-renewed-pledges|title=Defence Day celebrated with renewed pledges |date=7 September 2002|work=Dawn|access-date=7 December 2020 |url-status=live|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630093031/https://www.dawn.com/news/56110/defence-day-celebrated-with-renewed-pledges}}</ref>

==See also==
{{colbegin|colwidth=20em}}
* {{Portal-inline|size=tiny|Pakistan}}
* [[Lahore Fashion Week]]
* [[Lahore Knowledge Park]]
* [[Lahore Literary Festival]]
* [[Lahore Railway Station]]
* [[Lahori chaddar]]
* [[Lahori cuisine]]
* [[List of cemeteries in Lahore]]
* [[List of cities proper by population]]
* [[List of films set in Lahore]]
* [[List of hospitals in Lahore]]
* [[List of largest cities in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries]]
* [[List of metropolitan areas in Asia]]
* [[List of people from Lahore]]
* [[List of streets in Lahore]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Lahore]]
* [[List of towns in Lahore]]
* [[List of urban areas by population]]
* [[Sikh period in Lahore]]
* [[Transport in Lahore]]
* [[Walled City of Lahore]]
{{colend}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{See also|Timeline of Lahore#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Lahore}}
* {{cite book|last1=Glover|first1=William|title=Making Lahore Modern, Constructing and Imagining a Colonial City|date=2008 |publisher=Univ. of Minnesota Press|isbn=978-0-8166-5022-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Kudaisya |first1=Gyanesh|author-link=Gyanesh Kudaisya |last2=Yong |first2=Tan Tai|author-link2=Tan Tai Yong |title=The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1134440481 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPOBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA173}}
* {{cite book|author-link=Syad Muhammad Latif|last=Latif|first=Syad Muhammad|title=Lahore: Its History, Architectural Remains and Antiquities |publisher=New Imperial Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RWsTAAAAQAAJ |year=1892}} [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.536426 Internet Archive]
* {{cite book |last=Neville|first=Pran|author-link=Pran Nevile|year=2006|title=Lahore: A Sentimental Journey|isbn=978-0-14-306197-7|publisher=Penguin Books}}
* {{cite book |last=Sidhwa|author-link=Bapsi Sidhwa|first=Bapsi|date=2005|title=City of Sin and Splendour: Writings on Lahore|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-303166-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AxnjJp_kpFkC&pg=PA23}}
* {{cite book |last=Wink |first=André |year=2002a|author-link=André Wink|title=Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Vol. I, early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th-11th centuries |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |isbn=0-391-04173-8 |location=Boston and Leiden}}
* {{cite book |last=Wink |first=André |year=2002b |title=Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Vol. II, the Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest, 11th–13th centuries |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |isbn=0-391-04174-6 |location=Boston and Leiden}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|Lahore|voy=Lahore}}
* {{Official website|1=https://lahore-mc.punjab.gov.pk}}

{{LahoreTopics}}
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[[Category:Lahore]]
[[Category:Cities in Punjab (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Populated places in Lahore District]]
[[Category:Capitals of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Metropolitan areas of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Populated places with period of establishment missing]]
[[Category:Megacities]]