The year 2024 is about to end, but I will say that the year 2024 was the year in which I have done the most travel, visits, and tours. There are many reasons behind all these tours but the main reason is that my graduation degree is about to it's end.
That's why I want to explore more in my last year of university and take some good experiences with me in my memory book.
That's why I go to visit different places and collect as many memories as possible. There is no doubt that 2024 is the year that has gathered the most memories.
On 2nd November 2024, we left for the Lahore tour. Lahore is a historical city that is very close to my heart. Even if you take me to Lahore 200 times, I will have the same excitement each time. The historic streets of Lahore and the buildings own my heart. Perhaps a lifetime is not enough to explore the fullness of Lahore. I am crazy about Mughal architecture, and I want to explore everything for hours and hours.
This time, our class decided that they would take the annual tour to Lahore. However, some students of the class were not willing to go to Lahore because they had heard many news about Lahore that there is a lot of smog in Lahore and that Lahore is not worth living. Hearing all this news, my heart was also sometimes heavy and sometimes not. Still, my heart was jumping with joy to go to Lahore.
We had made all the preparations on 1st November night and we were instructed that at sharp 12 the bus would leave. As usual, the bus was late, but I wasn't. I was wearing a coat to avoid the cold of the night, but as soon as the songs started playing, all this cold turned into heat. Because I could not stop my feet and my hands in the rhythm of the songs. Bhangra comes out!
Sometimes, we danced toward the girls and sometimes towards the boys. Those students who were not dancing were making dance videos and clapping. Every student was enjoying the trip in their way. Our bus was moving towards Lahore with great noise on GT Road.
Don't ask how much fun we had. It was above anything. The journey itself was fulfilling.
We had our breakfast at Old Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore. The breakfast consisted of the famous Lahori naan cranny, lassi, and other traditional food. At breakfast, everyone washed their faces to look fresh from the night's dance and went for a walk around the Anarkali Bazaar.
I was thinking of myself as a tour guide for all these students as I was narrating everything about these historical buildings. I already had so many towards to all these historical buildings that's why I remember the history.
The pictures you are looking at are of the historic Tollinton Market of Lahore which was built in colonial times in Lahore. This market was built for the Great Punjab Exhibition of 1864. These days, exhibitions are also happening, but all these exhibitions are taking place under the banner of the National College of Arts. In short, it has now become a part of the National College of Arts.
By the time we were visiting all these areas, it was sunrise time. Anarkali road was not so crowded while scavengers were cleaning and birds were flying around in search of food.
I and my friend Jawad took some pictures in front of the historical building of Tollinton Market. As most of my friends were from other parts of the country, they had not visited Lahore before. If any of these friends had visited Lahore. So they had not explored the historical buildings of Lahore. As this was the first experience of all these people that's why they were observing all these things and listening to me very carefully and curiously.
The building of the Lahore Museum stands right next to Tolanton Market. But its door was closed, and the guard did not even allow us to enter. The guard told us that the museum would open at half past nine. But we could not wait for nine. Students' desire to see the Museum evaporated in the air. We all just looked at the building and walked away.
There is a square right next to the museum and a cannon is placed in this square. A fence is also installed around this cannon so that no one crosses the fence.
Right in the middle of the square, this cannon was standing silently in a cluster of birds. On the opposite side of the building of the museum is the Allama Iqbal campus of Punjab University, while the building of the National College of Arts is right next to the museum.
My classmates wanted to explore the National College of Arts, so I asked the guard standing there if we could go in. The guard replied; " it is Sunday, so the college is closed."
With a disappointed face, we went back to our bus and headed for our main destination. Our first destination is the historic Delhi Gate in Lahore.
The bus took about five minutes to reach Delhi Gate. During these five minutes, I was telling my friend about the history of Lahore, and she was listening very carefully to everything I said.
If you don't know about Delhi Gate, then let me tell you that Delhi Gate is one of the 13 gates of Lahore. Many gates were built around it to make Lahore a safe city during the Mughal period. These were entrance and exit gates. Delhi Gate is one of these gates. Delhi Gate was demolished after the mutiny of 1857 but was renovated again.
It often happens to me that I get so lost in things that I am not seen in the group photos of my class. My classmates were taking pictures and maybe I was touching the walls of Delhi Gate.
I was excitedly telling my friends that there are many shops inside Delhi Gate where you can buy handicraft items. But when we entered the gate, all the shops were closed as it was morning and the shopkeepers did not get up early enough to open their shops.
All of our friends stood for a while in the inner courtyard of the Delhi Gate and were in awe. All the historical buildings of the Mughal era have one thing in common, and that is the red thin bricks, also known as Nankshahi bricks. These bricks are not seen anywhere in today's architecture because they are very rare now. But my heart always says that whenever I build a house, I must use Nanakshahi bricks in it.
Right next to Delhi Gate is the Sabeel Wali Gali(Sabeel's Street). The meaning of Sabeel is to give water to the people walking on the road for the sake of goodness. There are many water tanks along this street, and that is why this street is called Sabeel Wali Gali.
Sabeel Wali Gali has been renovated by the government. The Agah Khan Trust and the Walled City of Lahore have played a key role in this renovation.
Walking a little further from Sabeel Wali Gali, there is another historical and narrow street in Lahore called Galli Surjan Singh. I have always seen this street in Instagram Reels and TikTok videos, but this was the first time I was exploring this street.
Galli Surjan Singh is very famous for its beautiful colored havelis and the vines falling from the top of the havelis. Due to its vibrant look, this street has become a tourist spot. It attracts the utmost attention of tourists.
The best thing about Gali Surjan Singh is the old architecture, the wooden doors, and the overall ambiance of the street.
We had left all our other friends behind and my friend Anita and I were exploring Gali Surjan Singh. I have also seen the places where diyas (lamps) used to keep and lit, but in today's architecture, these things are nowhere to be seen. I miss all these things so much that I wish to revive all these things. Then life would be so colourful.
I stood in a street with my friend and listened to the voices of women coming from the window of a house and we both smiled a little. We were kinda spying π . There is also a saint's shrine at the very end of the street, but I don't know who he was.
Without even thinking for a while we were keep on walking. We were not really concerned about our destination but enjoying the process of exploring the raw things.
I think where our you go you should take one pictures of you that you can carry as a memory. That's why I always prefer to have one picture of me with place.
My friend was standing outside Khalifa Manzil looking at the lock on the door. A thought ran through my mind- maybe no one lives here now and the people living here might have moved somewhere else.
Just on the other side of the Khalifa Manzil is the Mughal Well. This well is protected with the help of an iron net and a small iron board is also attached to it, on which the date of the well is written <since 1727>.
A sign board right next to the well told us the way to the fountain room. Without thinking, we walked towards the fountain room. All these things were new to me too because in my previous tour i was unaware of it.
As soon as you enter the fountain room, you will see a small fountain. As soon as we both entered the room, there was a guy sitting there who welcomed us very happily and requested us to sit down. We sat there and he asked both of us whether we are interested in knowing the history of this fountain room or not? Both of us were excited to hear the history of the fountain room.
After listening to the history, we found out that this fountain room was actually a room in which Wazir Khan, who was the governor of Lahore, sat and made all the plans to build the Wazir Khan Mosque. The fountain of this room is such a fountain that does not allow the conversation going on in the room to reach the ears of the servant standing at the door.
Further we came to know that this room is 500 years old and it has been made tourist spot by Punjab government. Previously, It was ignored by all the authorities and people. You can even entertain yourself by listening to soothing voice of the person who is sitting in the room. He sings so well.
I took some pictures of the various antique items kept in the room and after taking all those pictures we both gave 50 rupees to the person sitting inside the fountain room as this is the ticket to the fountain room.
Here our first part ends ! Stay tunned for next historical spot.
Thank you so much for stopping by π«