Coordinates: 31°35′25″N, 74°18′35″E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Shalamar Gardens, Lahore*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Pakistan
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii
Reference	171-172
Region†	Asia-Pacific
Inscription History
Inscription	1881  (5th Session)
Endangered	2000-
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Shalimar Gardens (Urdu: شالیمار باغ), sometimes written Shalamar Gardens, were built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Lahore, modern day Pakistan. Construction began in 1641 A.D. (1051 A.H.) and was completed the following year. The project management was carried out under the superintendence of Khalilullah Khan, a noble of Shah Jahan's court, in cooperation with Ali Mardan Khan and Mulla Alaul Maulk Tuni. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1712, 326 KB) Image Info: <-: Description: The Shalamar Garden :-> Pavilion on the south wall of the Garden, near its entrance, on the first level. ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific (Australasia). ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... These are thirty sites which the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to include on a list of World Heritage Sites in danger; this list also shows the year in which the World Heritage committee added the site to this list. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ... Capital Delhi / Agra Language(s) Persian (initially also Chagatai; later also Urdu) Government Monarchy List of Mughal emperors  - 1526-1530 Babur  - 1530–1539 and after restoration 1555–1556 Humayun  - 1556–1605 Akbar  - 1605–1627 Jahangir  - 1628–1658 Shah Jahan  - 1659–1707 Aurangzeb History  - Established April 21, 1526  - Ended September 21... Shahabuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan. ...   (Urdu: لاہور, Punjabi: لہور, pronounced ) is the capital of the province of Punjab and is the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. ...

General info

The Shalimar Gardens are laid out in the form of an oblong parallelogram, surrounded by a high brick wall, which is famous for its intricate fretwork. The gardens measure 658 meters north to south and 258 meters east to west. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Lahore Fort, under the UNESCO Convention concerning the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage sites in 1972. Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, jigsaw or scrollsaw. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Alamgiri Gate - Main Entrance to Lahore Fort, with Hazuri Bagh Pavilion in foreground The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila (شاہى قلعه) is the citadel of the city of Lahore, in modern day Pakistan. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The three level terraces of the Gardens

The Gardens have been laid out from south to north in three descending terraces, which are elevated by 4-5 metres (13-15 feet) above one another. The three terraces have names in Urdu as follows: A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Urdu ( , , trans. ...

• The upper terrace named Farah Baksh meaning Bestower of Pleasure.
• The middle terrace named Faiz Baksh meaning Bestower of Goodness.
• The lower terrace named Hayat Baksh meaning Bestower of life.

Shah Nahar : Irrigation of the Gardens

To irrigate the Gardens, a canal named Shah Nahar meaning Royal canal, later also known as Hansti canal, meaning Laughing canal was brought from Rajpot (present day Madhpur in India), a distance of over 161 kilometers. The canal intersected the Gardens and discharged into a large marble basin in the middle terrace.

570 fountains

From this basin, and from the canal, rise 570 fountains, which discharge into wide marble pools. The surrounding area is rendered cooler by the flowing of the fountains, which is a particular relief for visitors during Lahore's blistering summers, with temperature sometimes exceeding 120 degrees fahrenheit. It is a credit to the ingenuity of the Mughal engineers that even today scientists are unable to fathom how the fountains were operated originally. The distribution of the fountains is as follows:

• The upper level terrace has 125 fountains.
• The middle level terrace has 172 fountains.
• The lower level terrace has 173 fountains.
• All combined, the Gardens therefore have 570 fountains.

Water cascades

The Gardens have 5 water cascades including the great marble cascade and Sawan Bhadoon.

Buildings of the Gardens

The buildings of the Gardens include:

Trees of the Gardens

Some of the varieties of trees that were planted included:

Site history

The Shalimar Gardens in Lahore

The site of the Shalimar Gardens originally belonged to one of the noble Zaildar family in the region, well known as Mian Family Baghbanpura. The family was also given the Royal title of 'Mian' by the Mughal Emperor, for its services to the Empire. Mian Muhammad Yusuf, then the head of Mian family, donated the site of Ishaq Pura to Emperor Shah Jahan, after pressure was placed on the family by the royal engineers, who wished to build on the site due to its good position and soil. In return, Shah Jahan granted the Mian family governance of the Shalimar Gardens. The Shalimar Gardens remained under the custodianship of this family for more than 350 years. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1712, 400 KB) Image Info: <-: Description: The Shalamar Garden :-> Sideview of the marble enclosure on the side of the pond, on the second level of the Garden. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1712, 400 KB) Image Info: <-: Description: The Shalamar Garden :-> Sideview of the marble enclosure on the side of the pond, on the second level of the Garden. ... Mian family of Baghbanpura is a Pakistani noble family. ... This article is about Pakistan nobility. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... Mian family of Baghbanpura is a Pakistani noble family. ... Shahabuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan. ...

In 1962, the Shalimar Gardens were nationalised by General Ayub Khan because top Mian family members had opposed his imposition of martial law on Pakistan. Mian family of Baghbanpura is a Pakistani noble family. ...

The Mela Chiraghan festival used to take place in the Gardens, until President Ayub Khan ordered against it in 1958. Mela Chiraghan or Mela Shalamar (Festival of Lights) is a three day annual festival to mark the urs (death anniversary) of the Punjabi Sufi poet and saint Shah Hussain. ... This article is about a Pakistani military officer. ...

Location of the Gardens

The Shalimar Gardens are located near Baghbanpura along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometers northeast of the main Lahore city. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

See also

View from Minto Park The Badshahi Mosque (Urdu: بادشاھی مسجد), or the Emperors Mosque, was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Alamgiri Gate - Main Entrance to Lahore Fort, with Hazuri Bagh Pavilion in foreground The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila (شاہى قلعه) is the citadel of the city of Lahore, in modern day Pakistan. ... Mian family of Baghbanpura is a Pakistani noble family. ... The gardens were the inspiration for other gardens of the same name, notably the Shalimar Gardens (Lahore). ... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific (Australasia). ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Shalamar Garden

• Satellite view from Google Maps
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre
• Shalimar Gardens - Photograph
• Photos from Shalamar Gardens by Waqas Usman
• Website of Mian Family Baghbanpura
• Pakistan Paedia

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Pakistan

Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro (Mohenjo-daro) · Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi (Takht Bhai) and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol · Fort and Shalamar (Shalimar) Gardens, Lahore · Monuments of Thatta · Rohtas Fort · Taxila Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Mian family of Baghbanpura is a Pakistani noble family. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Mohenjo-daro (literally, mound of the dead), like Harappa, was a city of the Indus Valley civilization. ... Takht Bhai is a Buddhist monastery in Pakistan. ... Alamgiri Gate - Main Entrance to Lahore Fort, with Hazuri Bagh Pavilion in foreground The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila (شاہى قلعه) is the citadel of the city of Lahore, in modern day Pakistan. ... Thatta or Thatto (Urdu: ٹھٹہ, Sindhi:ٺٽو) is a historic town of 22,000 inhabitants in the Sindh province of Pakistan, near Lake Keenjhar, the largest freshwater lake in the country. ... Rohtas Fort (Urdu: قلعہ روہتاس Qila Rohtas) is a garrison fort built by the Great Afghan King Sher Shah Suri. ... Taxila is an important archaelogical site in Pakistan containing the ruins of the Gandhāran city and university of Takshashila (also Takkasila or Taxila) an important Vedic/Hindu[1] and Buddhist[2] centre of learning from the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century CE. In 1980, Taxila was declared...