11 December 2009, 3:03 am
LAHORE is the capital of the Punjab province of Pakistan and it is the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. Lahore is popularly known as the Heart of Pakistan. Due to its historical importance in the creation of Pakistan, and also being a cultural, and it is educational center of the country. It is also often called the City of Gardens because of the heritage of the Mughal Empire.
Lahore is an exceptionally festive city. The people of Lahore celebrate many festivals and events throughout the year. It is famous that people of Lahore are very lively. Every festival in Lahore celebrated with great fun. Because Lahori peoples are amazing.
Basant is a Punjabi festival marking the coming of spring. Basant celebrations in Pakistan are centered in Lahore and people from all over the country as well as abroad come to the city for the annual festivities. Kite-flying competitions traditionally take place on city rooftops during Basant.
Historically it is the main city of the undivided Punjab; It is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage. Lahore is also home to many British colonial structures built in the Mughal-Gothic style, such as the Lahore High Court, the General Post Office (GPO), the Lahore Museum, and many older universities including the University of the Punjab. Lahore is often referred to as the cultural heart of Pakistan, as it is the center of Pakistani arts, films.
Punjabi is the native language of the province and is the most widely-spoken language in Lahore. Urdu has started to become more prominent in many areas due to its official status as the national language and due to increasing migration from other parts of the country, despite this Punjabi remains the primary means of communication in both the city and adjoining rural areas. English has also become increasingly more popular with educated and younger people due to its official status in government and preferred language status for business. Many Punjabi speakers in Lahore are known as Lahori Punjabi due to their use of a mixture of Punjabi and colloquial Urdu. According to the 1998 census, Lahore's population was nearly 7 million. Mid-2006 government estimates now put the population at approximately 10 million. This makes Lahore the fifth largest city in South Asia and the 26th largest city in the world. In 2008, Lahore was ranked as a city with High Sufficiency to become a Gamma world city. It has been ranked by The Guardian as the 2nd Best Tourist Destination in Pakistan.
Museums & bazaars. The Mall Road area in central Lahore hosts interesting museums as well as more historic buildings and a zoo. The rich suburbs of Gulberg and Defence have large mansions and modern shopping areas. Shopping in Lahore can be done also in the old Inner city bazaars. Lahore also has a family-oriented amusement park called Jallo Park that includes a zoo and a water park.
Local transport in Lahore is handled by trains, buses, minivans, taxis and auto-rickshaws. There are also plans for Mass Rapid Transit System, but its construction has not started. Lahore has a main railway station and seven local train stations for commuting traffic.
Auto-rickshaws are cheap motorized rickshaws that are handy to use for small distances and safer than minivans. Taxis are also plentiful, but they are not metered, so you need to haggle about the price. Car rental in Lahore is possible, but only recommended with a local driver.
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