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 Lahore is an ancient city situated
on the east bank of the Ravi River. Legend traces its origin to Loh, the so
of Rama Chandra, the hero of the Ramayana, but history records that it began
as a dependency of the 8th century AD Hindu ruler, Lalitiditya. In the early
11th century it came under Muslim rule and evolved as a center of Islamic
culture and learning as well as trade and commerce. In the 13th century it
was depopulated andrazed to the ground by the Tartar-Mongol
hordes of Genghis Khan. Timurlane and his Muslim Turks also arrived and
destroyed the city.
Lahore was a cultural and
intellectual center during both the Moghul and British eras, and it's an
atmosphere, which still pervades today, but it is the diversity and contrast
of the different sections of the city, which make Lahore interesting. Apart from local
tourists with their blaring transistors, you could almost be back in the
Moghul era. In the Mughal days a 9-meter high brick wall surrounded the Old City
and had a rampart running around it with a most connected with the River Ravi
which served as a protection for the city.
A circular road around the rampart
gave access to the city through thirteen gates. Some of the imposing
structures of these gates are still preserved. In the bazaars of the
Old City
one still comes across tiny shops where craftsmen can be seen busy turning
out master-pieces in copper, brass, silver as well as textiles in the
traditional fashion. In modern days, there are a large number of industrial
factories, which are running day and night to play their vital role in
country's economy. Ittefaq foundries are one of the biggest and most
important industrial units, which has played its role commendably in
stabilizing the country's economy. Lahore
is also an important center of journalistic activities. A large number of
newspapers, journals and magazines are published here. Lahore
is a great commercial and trade
center. There are a large number of commercial and trade markets dealing in
different types of trade and business.
Like
Karachi
, Lahore is also a cos mopolitan
city where people of different nationalities can be seen. It has combined the
life style of east and west and presents a lively mixture of old and new
patterns of life.
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