in the mughals garden

the bloody partition of india into predominately muslim and hindu nations also split the fertile region of punjab into pakistani and indian parts. today punjab province boasts over half of pakistans 132 million people with lahore as its cultural, intellectual, artistic and municipal capital.

lahore street

tho the first reliable remarks about lahore were documented by chinese traveller hsuan tsang in 630 ad, legend goes that lahore was named after king lav, the son of the hindu god rama. this cradle of civilization has been home to many peoples, 'starting' with the indus and aryans (whose vedic religion formed the basis for hinduism), alexander the great (whose soldiers legacy is supposedly reflected in the kalash peoples light hair, fair skin and blue eyes), and the bactrians and mauryas (who settled and promoted buddhism). in 711 mohammad bin qasim introduced islam to the heart of the subcontinent. more recent history saw lahore in the hands of the flamboyant mughals during the 16th and 17th centuries, followed by british colonial rule and finally partition and independence by 1947.

lahore fort (shahi qila)

ali and i connected around 11 and started our 2-day grand tour. by now im familiar with crazy and dangerous driving conditions so lahores traffic madness wasnt especially remarkable. actually, after having navigated most cities on foot, bike or moped, i felt downright invincible inside a car driven by a local. ali suggested that we first visit the impressive lahore fort (shahi qila), which had been built, destroyed and rebuilt for centuries before it took its current form by emperor akbar in 1566.

inside the lahore fort (shahi qila)

the massive complex was fairly rundown, but sporadic restoration work was underway on some of the most spectacular sections and it was still impressive to see what faint frescoes and tile work remained despite centuries of exposure. my favorite section was a large hall whose walls and ceilings were once completely adorned with small mirrors. i can only imagine how brilliant it was when illuminated by candles or torch during the night. one side entrances wide, gentle incline was built to accommodate elephants - yet another indication of a different time and place.

white and gold gurdwara of arjan dev

near the forts grand entry is the gurdwara of arjan dev, a special temple for sikhisms 5th guru and an important pilgrimage site for mostly indian sikhs. we didnt enter the temple as busses from india were ushering through loads of devout pilgrims for what was an important sikh holiday. ali pointed to the busses and the preservation of the sikh gurdwara as important goodwill gestures by the pakistani government towards its indian rival.

i was hungry and since infidels like me cant access the giant mosque during prayers, we grabbed lunch. along the way ali chuckled at a sign congratulating north korea on its recent nuclear missile test. pakistan,

lahore museum

whose nuclear program has been called 'the islamic bomb' by the islamophobic west, knows nuclear pariah status well. shortly after we reached the lahore museum, an impressive red brick structure built by the brits that includes one of the worlds finest collections of gandhara and mughal art. inside we enjoyed several exhibits displaying early hindu and buddhist art, beautiful small paintings depicting glamorous mughal life and elaborate weaponry. i especially enjoyed the distinctive ancient shoes and intricate and colorful textiles from pakistans rugged northern areas.

shalimar garden

we ended the day at shalimar gardens where ali was surprised and upset by the parks 800% price gouge targeting foreign visitors (tho it was still only a couple bucks). he felt this fee discrepancy contradicted the muslim tenet of hospitality. although run down today, at its peak i bet the gardens could rival the hanging gardens of babylon! the massive park was enclosed by high walls and featured a series of three huge terraces that were decorated with elaborate formal ponds and dormant fountains. a popular venue for handsomely dressed families, i noticed that most of the children had what looked like black eye liner surrounding their eyes. when i asked ali about their 'makeup' he said it was due to malnutrition. the park also drew small groups of teenage boys who found me an endlessly curious anomaly. while trying to photograph the sun setting behind a garden wall, a couple of them entered my frame. thinking they were the subject of some chinese tourists snapshot one of them snapped his own momento of me via his camera phone. why not? i was the more exotic sight. when i asked ali about the conspicuous absence of young girls to complement the gaggles of boys, his explanation was nonsensical. sure, pakistan is a relatively conservative, muslim nation that frowns on pre-marital co-mingling of the sexes, but i wondered if his evasiveness was rooted in his desire to avoid reinforcing common stereotypes. it reminded me of similar conversations with my mormon friend and made me think about how people respond once theyre weary of being perceived as fringe wackos.

no doubt lahore is the most uncomfortable and unfamiliar place ive been so far. i feel culturally illiterate, phenotypically conspicuous and politically vulnerable here. but thank gawd for it all.
more lahore photos here.