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Few
references to Lahore exist for times before its
capture by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in the eleventh
century. In 1021, Mahmud appointed Malik Ayaz to the
throne and made Lahore the capital of the Ghaznavid
Empire. The sultan took Lahore after a long siege
and battle in which the city was torched and
depopulated. As the first Muslim ruler of Lahore,
Ayaz rebuilt and repopulated the city. He added many
important features, such as city gates and a masonry
fort, built in 1037-1040 on the ruins of the
previous one, which had been demolished in the
fighting (as recorded by Munshi Sujan Rae Bhandari,
author of the Khulasatut Tawarikh in 1695-96). The
present Lahore Fort stands in the same location.
Under his rule, the city became a cultural and
academic center, renowned for poetry. The tomb of
Malik Ayaz can still be seen in the Rang Mahal
commercial area of town.
After
the fall of the Ghaznavid Empire, Lahore was ruled
by various Muslim dynasties known as the Delhi
Sultanate, including the Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyid,
Lodhis and Suris.When Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aybak was
crowned here in 1206, he became the first Muslim
sultan of the Indian subcontinent.It was not until
1524 that Lahore became part of the Mughal Empire.
From
1524 to 1752, Lahore was part of the Mughal Empire,
and from 1584 to 1598, during the rules of the
emperors Akbar and Jahangir, the city served as its
capital. Lahore reached a peak of architectural
glory during the rule of the Mughals, whose
buildings and gardens survived the hazards of time.
Lahore's reputation for beauty fascinated the
English poet John Milton, who wrote "Agra and
Lahore, the Seat of Great Mughal" in 1670.
During this time, the massive Lahore Fort was built.
A few buildings within the fort were added by
Akbar's son, Mughal emperor Jahangir, who is buried
in the city. Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan, was born in
Lahore. He, like his father, extended the Lahore
Fort and built many other structures in the city,
including the Shalimar Gardens. The last of the
great Mughals, Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1658 to
1707, built the city's most famous monuments, the
Badshahi Masjid and the Alamgiri Gate next to the
Lahore Fort. This area attracts many tourists and is
used by the government for public speeches and
social events.
During
the 18th century, as Mughal power dwindled, Lahore
was often invaded. The city was a suba, a province
of the Afghan Empire, governed by provincial rulers
with their own court.
The
1740s were years of chaos, and the city had nine
different governors between 1745 and 1756. Invasions
and chaos in local government allowed bands of
warring Sikhs to gain control in some areas. In
1799, all Sikh Misls joined into one to form a
sovereign Sikh state ruled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
After
the death of Ranjit Singh, the empire of Lahore fell
into disorder. The second and final Anglo-Sikh war
brought Lahore under the rule of the British. During
their reign (1849-1947), British construction in
Lahore combined Mughal, Gothic and Victorian styles.
The GPO and YMCA buildings in Lahore commemorated
the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria, an event
marked by the construction of clock towers and
monuments all over India. Other important British
buildings included the High Court, the Government
College University, the museums, the National
College of Arts, Montgomery Hall, Tollinton Market,
the University of the Punjab (Old Campus) and the
Provincial Assembly. Even today, Mall Road retains a
variety of Gothic and Victorian style buildings
built during the British Raj. At one end of The Mall
stands the university, one of the most prestiguous
universities of Pakistan. The British also launched
the city's first horse-racing club in 1924, and
today function's under the Lahore Race Club.
Lahore
enjoys a special position in the history of India's
freedom-struggle. The 1929 Congress session was held
at Lahore. In this Congress, the Declaration of the
Independence of India was moved by Pandit Nehru and
passed unanimously at midnight on 31 December 1929.
On this occasion, the contemporary tricolour of
India (with a chakra at its centre) was hoisted as a
national flag, and thousands of people saluted it.
Lahore
prison was a place to detain revolutionary freedom
fighters. Noted freedom fighter Jatin Das died in
Lahore prison after fasting for 63 days in protest
of British treatment of political prisoners. One of
the greatest martyrs in the history of Indian
independence, Shaheed Sardar Bhagat Singh, was
hanged in Lahore Jail.
The
most important session of the All India Muslim
League, later the Pakistan Muslim League, the
premier party fighting for Indian independence and
the creation of Pakistan, was held in Lahore in
1940.Muslims under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam
demanded a separate homeland for Muslims of India in
a document known as the Pakistan Resolution or the
Lahore Resolution. During this session, Muhammad Ali
Jinnah, leader of the league, publicly proposed the
Two Nation Theory for the first time.
At
independence, Lahore was made capital of Punjab
province in the new state of Pakistan. After 1947,
Lahore was affected by large-scale riots among
Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs that led to huge
structural damage to historic monuments such as the
Lahore Fort, Badshahi mosque and other colonial
buildings.Among all cities of India, Lahore suffered
the greatest loss due to the Partition of Punjab in
1947. However, with United Nations assistance, the
government was able to re-build Lahore. The second
Islamic Summit Conference was held in the city. In
1996 the ICC Cricket World Cup final match was held
at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and Lahore along
with Colombo is to host the semi finals of the 2011
Cricket World Cup.s
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