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Minar E Pakistan ( ur, , literally "Tower of Pakistan") is a tower located in
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-la ...
. The tower was built between 1960 and 1968 on the site where the
All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcont ...
passed the
Lahore Resolution The Lahore Resolution ( ur, , ''Qarardad-e-Lahore''; Bengali: লাহোর প্রস্তাব, ''Lahor Prostab''), also called Pakistan resolution, was written and prepared by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan and was presented by A. K. Fazl ...
(which was later called the Pakistan Resolution) on 23 March 1940 - the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
s of
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, as espoused by the
two-nation theory The two-nation theory is an ideology of religious nationalism that influenced the decolonisation of the British Raj in South Asia. According to this ideology, Indian Muslims and Indian Hindus are two separate nations, with their own custo ...
. The resolution eventually helped lead to the emergence of an independent Pakistani state in
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
. The tower is located in the middle of an
urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to re ...
, called the
Greater Iqbal Park Greater Iqbal Park ( ur, ), formerly Minto Park, is an urban park located in the outskirts of the Walled City in Lahore, Pakistan. Before current renovations and expansion, its name was Iqbal Park. Noted as the home of Minar-e-Pakistan'','' ...
.


Design

The tower reflects a blend of Mughal/
Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ma ...
and modern architecture. The tower was designed and supervised by, Nasreddin Murat-Khan, a Russian-born Pakistani
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
and
civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
. The minaret provides a panoramic view to visitors who can access the top by climbing up the stairs or by means of an
elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...
. The tower base is shaped like a flower. The area surrounding the monument is covered with parks and flowers. The location is often used for political and religious events. It is also known as the "Liberty Tower of Pakistan".


Structure

The base is about 8 metres above the ground. The tower rises about 62 metres on the base, and the total height of the Minar is about 70 metres above the ground. The unfolding petals of the flower-like base are 9 metres high. The diameter of the tower is about 9.75 meters. The rostrum is built of patterned tiles, and faces
Badshahi Mosque The Badshahi Mosque (Urdu, Punjabi: ; literally ''The Royal Mosque'') is a Mughal-era congregational mosque in Lahore, capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The mosque is located west of Lahore Fort along the outskirts of the Walled Ci ...
. The base consists of four platforms. To symbolise the humble beginning of the struggle for freedom, the first platform is built with uncut stones from
Taxila Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area a ...
, the second platform is made of hammer-dressed stones, and the third platform is made of chiselled stones. Polished white marble used for the fourth and final platform depicts the success of the
Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a List of historical separatist movements, political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslims, Muslim-majority a ...
. The structure uses the imagery of crescents and stars, signs that symbolize the culture of Pakistan, similarly seen in the
National Flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours a ...
. Mr. Mukhtar Masood, a prolific writer and the then–deputy commissioner of Lahore, was one of the members of the Building Committee for the tower. Services Engineer Mian Abdul Ghani Mughal went on to build many other landmarks of Pakistan, including Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, City Hospital Gujranwala, Chand da Qila By-Pass Gujranwala, Lords Hotel, and University of Punjab Campus Gujranwala.


Inscriptions

At the base, there are floral inscriptions on ten converging
white marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...
commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...
s. The inscriptions include the text of the Lahore Resolution in
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Bengali and English, as well as the Delhi Resolution's text, which was passed on 9 April 1946. On different plaques,
Quranic verses The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
and
99 names of Allah Names of God in Islam ( ar, أَسْمَاءُ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ , "''Allah's Beautiful Names''") are names attributed to God in Islam by Muslims. While some names are only in the Quran, and others are only in the hadith, th ...
are inscribed in
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as " ...
. Other important inscriptions included on the monument are the National Anthem of Pakistan in Urdu and Bengali, excerpts from the speeches of
Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...
in Urdu, Bengali and English; and a few
couplets A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the t ...
written by
Allama Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...
.


Construction

The
foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over ti ...
was laid on 23 March 1960. Construction took eight years, and was completed on 21 October 1968 at an estimated cost of Rs 7,058,000. The money was collected by imposing an additional tax on cinema and horse racing tickets at the demand of
Akhter Husain Akhter Husain (Urdu: ), HPk, OBE, (1 August 1902 – 15 July 1983) was a senior statesman and civil servant of Pakistan. He was appointed Governor of West Pakistan in September 1957 succeeding Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani and then continued in this ...
, governor of
West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was ...
.


Significance

Minar-e-Pakistan is considered the national emblem of Pakistan, and an expression of
post-colonial Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More specifically, it is ...
national identity.


Notable visits and events

On February 21, 1999, Indian PM
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
became the first Indian leader to visit Minar-e-Pakistan (previous Indian state visits to Pakistan had not included a visit to Lahore). Vajpayee's visit was compared to Nixon's visit to China in terms of significance. Minar-e-Pakistan has served as the location for a number of rallies. The rallies have often caused damage to the surrounding flora, according to the Parks and Horticulture Authority. In 2014, the Punjab government considered banning any political or non-political large gatherings.


Gallery

File:Minar e Pakistan night image.jpg, At night File:Minar-e-Pakistan by ZILL NIAZI 2.jpg, Aerial view File:The Minar-e-Pakistan.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
File:Minar-e-Pakistan Damn cruze DSC 0127a.jpg, View from Iqbal Park File:Minar-e-Pakistan Ground Level.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan Ground Level File:Minar-E-Pakistan Lights.jpg, View of Minar-e-Pakistan lit during special events File:Shahi Mosque 10.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan richly framed by an aisle arch File:Minar-e-Pakistan01.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan night view File:Minar-e-Pakistan 13.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan view from ground


See also

*
List of parks and gardens in Pakistan This is a list of notable parks and gardens in Pakistan. By type Amusement parks * Aladdin World, Karachi * Aquafun Resort, Bahtar near Taxila * Dino Valley Theme Park, Islamabad * Go Aish, Karachi * Japanese Park, Islamabad * Jinnah Park, Raw ...
*
List of parks and gardens in Lahore __NOTOC__ This is a list of popular parks and gardens in Lahore, often called the ''city of gardens''. Parks and gardens * Shahdara Bagh * Shalimar Gardens * Hazuri Bagh * Lawrence Garden * Islamia Park * Model Town Park * Nasir Bagh * Model Town ...
*
List of parks and gardens in Karachi {{Short description, none The following is a list of parks and gardens in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Many of them are maintained by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. Public parks * 5B Park (Phool Bagh), North Nazimabad Town * Afza Altaf Park * ...


Bibliography

* State of Human Rights in Pakistan. Pakistan, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 2004.


References


External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070311052425/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=364 * https://web.archive.org/web/20070109183759/http://www.lahore.com/content/section/4/45/ {{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan , state=autocollapse Architecture of Lahore Buildings and structures in Lahore Islamic architecture Monuments and memorials in Pakistan National symbols of Pakistan Architecture in Pakistan Towers in Lahore Tourist attractions in Lahore Walled City of Lahore Nasreddin Murat-Khan buildings and structures Minarets in Pakistan