Minar-e-Pakistan (; ) is a public monument

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

located in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The tower was built during 1960–1968 on the site where on 23 March 1940, the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslims, Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim L ...

passed the

Lahore Resolution The Lahore Resolution, later called the Pakistan Resolution in Pakistan, was a formal political statement adopted by the All-India Muslim League on the occasion of its three-day general session in Lahore, Punjab, from 22 to 24 March 1940, call ...

which was later called the Pakistan Resolution – the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

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 in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, as espoused by the two-nation theory. The resolution eventually helped lead to the creation of Pakistan 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 city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

, called the Greater Iqbal Park.

Construction

On 23 March 1960, the foundation stone of the tower was laid by Akhter Husain, the then–governor of

West Pakistan West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between One Unit, 1955 and Legal Framework Order, 1970, 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border wit ...

. The construction of the tower took eight years, and was completed on 22 March 1968 at an estimated cost of seven million. The money was collected by imposing an additional tax on cinema and horse racing tickets at the demand of the governor. Mian Abdul Khaliq was assigned as the main contractor for the project. Mukhtar Masood, a well-known writer and the then–deputy commissioner of Lahore, was one of the members who undertook important role for the completion of the project.

Design

The tower reflects a blend of Mughal,

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

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 i ...

. 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". In the past, the tower was used to provide a panoramic view to visitors who could access the top by climbing up the spiral stairs or using an elevator. However, this facility was later withdrawn due to a few suicide incidents.

Structure

The base of the tower rises from the ground while the tower stands at a height of on the base. This makes the total height of the tower around above the ground. The eight unfolding petals of the flower-like base are high. The circular diameter of the tower is about . The rostrum is built of patterned tiles, and faces

Badshahi Mosque The Badshahi Mosque (; ) is a Mughal Empire, Mughal-era congregational mosque, imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 during the rule of Aurangzeb, opposite of the Lahore Fort on the north ...

. The base consists of four platforms that are made of different types of marble and stones. To symbolise the humble beginning of the struggle for freedom, the first platform is built with uncut stones from

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...

, the second platform is made of hammer-dressed stones, and the third platform is made of chiselled stones. The polished white marble used in the fourth and final platform of the base depicts the success of the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

. The structure uses the imagery of crescents, stars and signs that symbolise the culture of Pakistan, similarly seen in the national flag of the country.

Inscriptions

At the base, there are floral inscriptions on ten converging

white marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is typically not foliat ...

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, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

s. The inscriptions include the text of the Lahore Resolution in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, 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, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and 99 names of Allah are inscribed in the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

. Other important inscriptions included on the monument are the national anthem of the country in Urdu and Bengali, excerpts from the speeches of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 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 inception of Pa ...

in Urdu, Bengali and English; and a few

couplets In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...

written by

Muhammad Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

Significance

Minar-e-Pakistan is considered the national emblem of Pakistan, and an expression of post-colonial national identity.

Notable visits and events

On 21 February 1999, the then Indian Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...

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. On 9 September 2012, the erstwhile Indian Minister for External Affairs S. M. Krishna with Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal, also made a visit to the monument. Krishna wrote his remarks in visitors album of the monument. The monument 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 Government of Punjab considered banning any large political or non-political gatherings.

Gallery

File:Minar-e-Pakistan Damn cruze DSC 0127a.jpg, View from the Greater Iqbal Park File:The Minar-e-Pakistan.jpg, A lit view of the monument in 2014 File:Minar e pakistan in blue sky with shadow.jpg, A view under cloudy sky with shadow on the marble floor File:Minar-e-Pakistan by ZILL NIAZI 2.jpg, An aerial view File:Shahi Mosque 10.jpg, The richly framed by an aisle arch File:Minar-E-Pakistan Lights.jpg, The tower lit during special events File:Minar e Pakistan night image.jpg, At night File:Minar-e-Pakistan01.jpg, Another night view

Bibliography

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

References

External links

* * * {{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan , state=autocollapse 1968 establishments in Pakistan Towers completed in 1968 Islamic architecture in Pakistan 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