Legend has that it was founded by two sons of Lord Rama about 4000 years ago. Historically it has been proved that Lahore is about 2000 years old. Hieun-tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim, has given a vivid description of Lahore city which he visited in the early parts of the seventh century A.D.
For 200 years, beginning from about 1525 A.D., Lahore was a thriving cultural center of the great Mughal Empire. Mughal Emperors beautified Lahore with palaces, gardens and mosques. During the British regime many monuments sprang up in Lahore which blended beautifully with the Mughal, Gothic and Victorian styles of architecture.
Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan and provincial capital of Punjab. Apart from being the cultural and academic center of the country, Lahore is the Mughal "show-window" of Pakistan. The origins of Lahore are shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Reminiscence of its hoary past are the remains of a subterranean temple in the northern part of the Royal fort, attributed to Lord Rama, the legendry hero of Ramayana. Lying on the main trade and invasion routes to the sub-continent, Lahore has been ruled and plundered by a number of dynasties and heroes. However it touched the zenith of its glory during the rule of Mughals. The Mughals, who were famous as builders, gave Lahore some of its finest architectural monuments that are extinct today.

APPROACH:
Lahore is linked with the rest of the country by air, rail and road. It lies on the Grand Trunk Road or the Shahrah-e-Aazam, which connected Kabul with Calcutta. The road was originally built by the Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century. The Mughals also used this road as means of communications. One can cross over to India at Wahga, which is about 24kms east of Lahore.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
The most important historical monuments of the Mughals in Lahore are the Royal Fort, the Badshahi mosque, the Tombs of Emperor Jehangir, Empress noor Jehan, Anarkali and Asif-Jah and the famous Shalimar garden.