LAHORE from the skies

The inverted 'U' is Lahore 's popular Liberty Market   The famous Gaddafi cricket stadium; the Alhamra Art Gallery ; the Alhamra amphiteatre - Foreground: Hockey and athletics stadia. Background, left: grounds of Forman Christian College set up in 1865, named after Dr Charles Forman an American Protestant missionary who settled in Lahore in 1849.  The college was nationalized by the government of the late Prime Minister Z. A. Bhutto (father of Benazir Bhutto) and stayed so for over 30 years before being returned to the mission which had run it since inception.       An older Lahore locality forming an interesting mosaic.   The Dawood Hercules fertilizer plant on the way to Sheikhupura     Sheikhupura Fort, Sheikhupura. Built at the centre of a dense forest in 1607 on the orders of Jahangir, the Mughal emperor of India , father of Shah Jehan who built the Taj Mahal. Sheikhupura, initially called Jahangirpura, later Sheikhupura after Jahangir's nickname 'Sheikhu', was a hunting retreat for the emperor who came here frequently from Lahore to relax.  Interestingly, Alexander the Great fought one of his fiercest battles in the vicinity of Sheikhupura around 100 BC      Hiran Minar, built by Emperor Jahangir as a monument to Mansraj his favorite pet deer. A remarkable structure with many features some being added after Jahangir's death by his son and successor the Emperor Shahjehan.   Lahore's Badshahi Mosque. Clad in red sandstone this breathtakingly beautiful place of worship was built in 1673 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, grandson of Jahangir and son of Shah Jehan. Opposite the mosque the white structure is Alam giri Gate, the main entrance to Lahore 's historic Shahi Qila. Structures behind the gate within the fort's massive walls were royal quarters for various Mughal emperors. According to excavations and historical references the origins of the Lahore Fort date back to before 1000 AD. Most of the existing structures were built in the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar between 1550-1600 AD. The densely packed houses to the right of the Fort and Mosque form Lahore 's famous Walled City , the original Lahore dating back over 2000 years.   The pink structure with the tall tower and a playing field in front is Lahore 's famous Government College , now Government College University . Established in 1864, 'GC' as it is popularly called soon became and continues to be one of the foremost centers of education in Pakistan . The square structure next to the college is the Quadrangle, the male students' hostel. Other buildings within the grounds to the right and left were added later to house various academic faculties.