Chauburji, Lahore   چابورجی، لاہور

Photograph of the Chauburji Gateway at Lahore, Pakistan, taken by an unknown photographer in the 1880s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, is considered the cultural centre of Pakistan. Islam came here after the advent of Mahmud of Ghazni in 1021 AD, and it was subsequently ruled by a succession of dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, followed by the Mughals, the Sikhs and the British. It reached its apogee under the Mughals, known as the Garden City and with enough architecture to rank it with other great Mughal centres like Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The Gateway of the Four Minarets or Chauburji was once the entrance to one of Lahore's many pleasure gardens. The garden, together with one of the gate's corner minarets (on the north-west) is now lost. An inscription on the gateway records that the garden was established here in 1646, in the reign of Shahjahan, by a lady described as Sahib-e-Zebinda Begum-e-Dauran, or 'the elegant lady of the age'. The lady referred to is probably Jahan Ara Begum, the eldest and favourite daughter of Shahjahan, who was known to have built gardens at Lahore. The gateway is beautifully decorated with rich mosaic-work.

Bridge in Murree

مری میں پل

Photograph of a bridge in Murree, now in Pakistan, taken by William Henry Baker in 1865, from the Macnabb collection. Murree is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas north-east of Islamabad in Pakistan. It was the summer residence of the local Government in the Punjab until 1876. There was a large military cantonment nearby, on the Grand Trunk road at Rawalpindi. The hill-station at Murree was established in 1851; it was the second largest hill-station in the area after the summer Presidency Capital at Simla. Murree was the site of one of four Lawrence Asylums set up by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence and Reverend William Parker to provide for the children of Officers and other serving soldiers. It is still in use as a private school today.

Clifton, Karachi [Bird Eye View]

کلفٹن ، کراچی

Photograph with a view looking along Clifton Road in Karachi, taken by an unknown photographer, c.1900, from an album of 46 prints titled 'Karachi Views'. Views 21-32 from this album join together to form a 360 degree panorama of the city from the tower of Trinity Church. Part of the Frere Hall can be seen at the extreme right. (Clifton is now one of the most exclusive residential areas of the city). Karachi, one of the world's largest metropolises, was once the capital of Pakistan. It is now the capital of the Sindh province in the lower Indus valley, and is the financial and commercial centre of Pakistan. This huge city was however developed only in the mid-19th century after the British conquest of Sindh. Karachi is built around a bay which is a natural harbour protected from storms by a group of small islands. Its history prior to the 18th century is sketchy but it is believed to be the ancient port of Krokala on the Arabian Sea, visited by Alexander's admirals in 326 BC. The small fishing village was known as Kolachi-jo-Goth in the 18th century, and then became a trading post under the Kalhoras and the Talpur rulers of Sindh, but the port remained small. With the British development of its harbour it grew into the large city of Karachi and an important centre of trade, particularly of cotton and wheat.