Lahore, second largest city ofPakistan and the capital ofPunjab province. It lies 811 miles (1,305 km) northeast ofKarāchi in the upper Indus plain on theRāvi River, a tributary of theIndus.

Little is known of the history of the settlement prior to the Muslim period. Hindulegend attributes the founding of Lahore to Lava, or Lōh, son ofRāma, for whom it is said to have been named Lōhāwar. The city of “Labokla” mentioned inPtolemy’s 2nd-centuryGuide to Geography may have been Lahore.

The city has had a turbulent history. It was the capital of theGhaznavid dynasty from 1163 to 1186. AMongol army sacked Lahore in 1241. During the 14th century the city was repeatedly attacked by the Mongols until 1398, when it fell under the control of the Turkic conquerorTimur. In 1524 it was captured by the MughalBābur’s troops. This marked the beginning of Lahore’s golden age under theMughal dynasty, when the city was often the place of royal residence. It was greatly expanded during the reign ofShāh Jahān (1628–58) but declined in importance during the reign of hissuccessor,Aurangzeb.

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From the death of Aurangzeb (1707), Lahore was subjected to a power struggle between Mughal rulers andSikh insurrectionists. With the invasion ofNādir Shāh in the mid-18th century, Lahore became an outpost of the Iranian empire. However, it soon was associated with therise of the Sikhs, becoming once more the seat of a powerful government during the rule ofRanjit Singh (1799–1839). After Singh’s death, the city rapidly declined, and it passed under British rule in 1849. When theIndian subcontinent received independence in 1947, Lahore became the capital of West Punjab province; in 1955 it was made the capital of the newly created West Pakistan province, which was reconstituted as Punjab province in 1970.

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Lahore consists of an old city areaflanked on the southeast by newer commercial, industrial, and residential areas that are in turn ringed by suburbs. The old city was at one time surrounded by a wall and a moat, but these structures have been replaced, except in the north, by parklands. A circular road around the rampart provides access to the old city by 13 gates. Notable structures within the old city include the mosque of Wazīr Khān (1634) andLahore Fort. A walled complex that covers some 36 acres (14.5 hectares), the fort is a splendid example ofMughal architecture; it was partially built byAkbar (reigned 1556–1605) and extended by the next three emperors. The mosque and the fort are decorated in marble and kashi, or encaustic tile work. Other historic landmarks include theBādshāhī (Imperial) Mosque, built by Aurangzeb and still one of the largest mosques in the world; the 14-foot- (4.3-metre-) long Zamzama, or Zam-Zammah, a cannon that is immortalized (along with other details of the city) inRudyard Kipling’s novelKim (1901); Ranjit Singh’s buildings and mausoleum; the Shāhdara gardens, containing the tomb of the Mughal emperorJahāngīr; and the magnificentShālīmār Garden, laid out east of the city in 1642 by Shāh Jahān as a refuge for the royal family. Jahān’s refuge consists of about 80 acres (32 hectares) of terraced, walled gardens, with about 450 fountains. The fort and Shālīmār Garden were collectively designated aUNESCOWorld Heritage site in 1981.

An important educational centre, Lahore is the seat of theUniversity of the Punjab (1882), which is the oldest university in Pakistan. Near the university is theLahore Museum (1864), which houseseclectic collections of art and historical items. The University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (1961), and numerous other colleges and institutes also are located in the city.

Lahore is a leading commercial, banking, and industrial centre. Textiles are the single most important industry, but there are many rubber factories, as well as iron, steel, and other mills. Railways and air services link Lahore with other major cities of Pakistan. Pop. (2005 est.) urban agglom., 6,289,000; (2017) urban agglom., 11,119,985.

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