Aside from the Karakoram Highway, Lahore was another big reason for visiting Pakistan. It has a reputation for a confluence of Mughal architecture, British history and Islamic tradition and I was very much looking forward to it. Driving into Lahore towards the evening, my initial reaction was one of disappointment. To be fair, I wasn't expecting another Bombay, where local tradition has developed a sophisticated international veneer, but I wasn't expecting such lack of repair or general grubbiness either.
In the daylight, Lahore does reveal its quirky and interesting idiosyncracies - where donkey and horse carts co-exist with motor cars, and horses are tied to railings outside modern office buildings. (Having been to India from 1999, I have long ceased to be amazed by rickshaws/tuk-tuks and chaotic traffic with no lanes and lights). We also had a fascinating encounter with "she-males" which I have heard about in India but didn't realise they also exist in Pakistan. These are people who are anatomically male but choose to dress and live as women. They usually make their living by performing at celebrations but are otherwise shunned by society. I understand many of them are on the waiting list for sex-change operations but may never achieve that. Our guide told us somewhat embarrassingly that the she-males often lurk in dark alleyways to lure young boys. I'd like to think that the group of she-males came up to us today not only because we were foreign (and by definition interesting), but also because they thought we would be non-judgmental.
Lahore, as expected, has a large reservoir of Mughal architecture because it was one of the capitals of the Mughal empire. We visited the Badshahi Mosque today, made of red sandstone and marble, and which stood in curious juxtaposition against a Sikh Temple which was a white and gold meringue-like confection. Opposite the mosque was the Lahore Fort which contains the Shish Mahal, a palace built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his queen, Mumtaz of the Taj Mahal fame. Unfortunately, Mumtaz died in Agra before she could visit Shish Mehal which today lies in a corner of the slwly crumbling Lahore Fort. The Shish Mahal is known for its hall of mirrors, a large pillared marble hall with its roof and walls once paved with a mosaic of patterned mirrors such that even if there is only one lamp in the hall, the entire hall would be lit from the reflection of the mirrors. The other remarkable structure in Shish Mahal is a marble pavilion once covered with faience work of semi-precious stones which are now mostly gone except for a few hard-to-reach corners. Continuing on the Mughal theme, we visited the Shalimar Gardens in the late afternoon. Just the world "Shalimar" conjures up such visions of exotic fantasy! The temperature has by now receded to below 30C and it has become more pleasant to stroll outdoors. The Shalimar Gardens had been built by another Mughal emperor, the Shah Jehangir, as a pleasure garden. Like a typical persian garden, it is laid out in wide symmetrical lawns lined with trees and flowerbeds, and interspersed with fountains and pavilions where royalty used to sit to enjoy music and dancing performances. In its heyday, it must have been incredibly beautiful and soothing. Today, the lawns are rather weedy, the flowerbeds are gone except for a few frangipani trees and the fountains are dry and occasionally littered with trash. Towards the end of the Gardens to the right is a large portal decorated again with rare faience work of flowers and leaves. Unfortunately, many of the tiles are now broken or missing (understandable given the passage of time), but what is more distressing are the rotting wooden doors and the large pile of rocks and dirt in front of the portal.
Lahore does have many treasures to offer but many of them are in Lahore Museum. The museum is well worth a visit not only for its Gandhara section and Miniatures section (tiny exquisite portraits on ivory) but also its section on the Pakistan Independence Movement. There are many valuable and fascinating photographs of Jinnah and other important Pakistani, British and Indian personages on display in the museum. I didn't have much of an understanding of the Independence Movement before but the photos were certainly illuminating (Jinnah was so thin that it was rumoured that he was being slowly poisoned...)
Pakistan tourism today focuses on its stark and stunning landscape and outdoors activities, and rightly so, but it has also much to offer by way of culture and art. I can understand that Pakistan has a lot of pressing challenges at this time and preserving its cultural heritage, which is costly and requires rare resources, may not be top of the list right now, but I hope this will not be deferred until it is too late.
