Lahore is the capital of the province of Punjab, and is the second largest city in Pakistan. It is also known as the Gardens of the Mughals or City of Gardens, because of the significant rich heritage of the Mughal Empire. In popular culture, Lahore is known as the Heart of Pakistan. It is located near Ravi River and Wagah close to the Pakistan-India border.
As evidence of Lahore's rich history, much of the Mughal and colonial architecture has been preserved in all its splendour. Mughal architecture such as the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens and the mausoleums of Jehangir and Nur Jehan are very popular tourist spots in the city. Various colonial buildings originally built by the British, such as the Lahore High Court, General Post Office (GPO) and many of the older universities, still retain their Mughal-Gothic style. 
Punjabi is the native language of the province, and is the most widely-spoken language in Lahore and rural areas. Urdu and English, however, are becoming more popular with younger generations since they are officially supported, whereas Punjabi has no official patronage. Many people of Lahore who speak Punjabi are known as Lahori Punjabi due to their use of a mixture of Punjabi and colloquial Urdu. According to the 1998 census, Lahore's population was nearly 7 million. Mid-2006 government estimates now put the population at approximately 10 million. This makes Lahore the second largest city in Pakistan (after Karachi), the fifth largest city in South Asia and 23rd largest city in the world.
Culture
Lahore is cultural, intellectual and artistic center of the nation. Its faded elegance, busy streets and bazaars, and wide variety of Islamic and British architecture make it a city full of atmosphere, contrast and surprise.
The warm and receptive people of Lahore are known for their traditional hospitality. This is a city of vivid differences, of haunting nuances; where bustling bazaars, frenetic streets, glorious fading elegance, British Architecture and echoing atmosphere of city's many mosques merge together into a history that is both dramatic and fascinating.
Lahore is country's undisputed centre of Cultural life. When somebody is asked to define the particular charm of their city , Lahoris are apt to shrug and respond with a laconic , 'Lahore is Lahore'.
Being the center of cultural and literary activities it may rightly be called the cultural capital of Pakistan.
Shopping
Lahore's most famous tech-bazaar is the Hafeez Center located on the Gulberg Main Boulevard and Electronics Market at Hall Road.Hafeez Center is one of Asia's largest centers specific for the electronic.Here one can find the latest computer systems, accessories, mobile phones and music CDs. "Pace" is also located on the Main Boulevard besided the Hafeez Center. It is a shopping center and once was considered to be owned by Imran Khan.Other well known and popular shopping areas are the Liberty Market in Gulberg and at the Fortress Stadium. There are also many smart shopping malls in Gulberg, Model Town, M.M. Alam Road and Cantonment. Apart from these are many new shopping areas being developed in many of Lahore's brand new suburban developments, such as Bahria, Lake City, and the cantonment.
For traditional shopping, the Anarkali and Ichhra bazaars are the most popular of the city’s many bazaars. The alleys and lanes of this bazaar are full of traditional wares like leather articles, embroidered garments, glass bangles, beaten gold and silver jewellery, creations in silk-anything that your wish for a bargain. Anarkali is named after the famous courtesan of Akbar’s court called Anarkali (Pomegranate Blossom). The grave of Sultan Qutbuddin Aibak, who died falling off his horse while playing polo is located in Anarkali. Mahmud Ghaznavi's General Malik Ayaz lies buried in the commercial area of Rang Mahal.
Restaurants and cafes
Lahoris are known for their love of food and eating. While Lahore has a great many traditional and modern restaurants, in recent years there have been the appearance of Western fast food chains, such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway Sandwiches, Dunkin Donuts, Nando's and Kentucky Fried Chicken all over the city. A recent tourist attraction in Lahore is the famous Food Street in the historic locales of Lahore (Gawalmandi, Anarkali, and Badshahi). Food Streets have undergone restorations and are cordoned off in the evenings for pedestrian traffic only, with numerous cafés serving local delicacies under the lights and balconies of restored havelis (traditional residential dwellings).
Some of the trendiest restaurants in Lahore are concentrated on the M M Alam Road in Gulberg. Here, dozens of high-class culinary outlets, ranging from western franchises to very traditional, ethnic, or theme restaurants, attract all classes of Lahore's citizens. New restaurants are constantly opening, and the business is extremely competitive. It is said that eating well is a peculiarly Lahori attribute, and the innumerable crowded, boisterous restaurants of Lahore that are open late into the night are a visible testament to this passion.
One of Lahore's unique café restaurants is "Coocoo's Den", located in the old city just behind the Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort at the edge of Lahores Red light district. The restaurant is housed in a 300-year-old "Kothi" style house of a famous artist and once used to be a brothel. At different points in the life of this property, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim families have owned it. Another famous Lahore landmark is the Pak Tea House in Anarkali, long a favoured haunt of intellectuals and artists.
Museums
Lahore Museum was established in 1894 in Lahore, Pakistan, and is one of the major museums of South Asia. Lahore Museum is also known as Central Museum, and is located on The Mall. Rudyard Kipling's father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the curators of the museum.
It is located opposite the old University Hall, a Mughal style building on the Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam. The Museum contains some fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh door-ways and wood-work and contains a large collection of paintings dating back to Mughal, Sikh and British era.
Tollinton Market is one of the earliest Raj buildings on the Mall. This building, according to the excellent guide by Thornton and Kipling "was hastily constructed for the Punjab Exhibition of 1864, and was not intended to be permanent; but want of funds has prevented hitherto the erection of a more suitable structure." At its entrance stood the famous cannon Zamzamah, which was brought there from its previous location near the Delhi gate. The exhibition displayed both specimens of the antiquities, arts and manufactures of the Punjab, and specimens of its raw products, vegetable, mineral and animal. Later, it became the most important municipal market outside the Old City selling fresh fruit, vegetables and other consumable items.
Faqirkhana Museum is a private museum located inside the bhati gate. It houses artifacts from South Asia, original manuscripts and an art gallery.
Mughal Museum established in 1950 is dedicated to the industries of Pakistan. It houses among other things classical musical instruments, camel skin lamps and embroidered textiles from all major cities of Pakistan.
Gardens and Parks
Lahore is known as the City of Gardens. There were many gardens in Lahore during the Mughal era, and although some have since been destroyed, many still survive.
The Shalimar Gardens were laid out during the reign of Shah Jahan and were designed to mimic the Islamic paradise of the afterlife described in the Quran. The gardens follow the familiar char bagh model (four squares) with three descending terraces.
The Lawrence Gardens were established in 1862 and were originally named after Sir John Lawrence, late nineteenth century British Viceroy to India. The gardens were organized in an area covering 112 acres. The vow of the East India Company was that it would bring 80,000 saplings of 600 different species from every corner of the world, where in those days, the sun never set. After collecting money from the sale of Badami Bagh, the Soldier's Bazaar at Anarkali and from a grant by the "Company Bahadur”, the land was purchased in the year 1860. Today it is known as Bagh-e-Jinnah.
There are also many other gardens and parks in the city, including: Hazuri Bagh, Iqbal Park, Mochi Bagh, Gulshan Iqbal Park, Model Town Park, Race Course Park, Nasir Bagh Lahore, Jallo Park, Wild Life Park, and Changa Manga (Artificial Forest Near Lahore in Kasur district).
