Once you have had enough of Karimabad, you can travel one hour north, and find yourself on the Karakorum Highway leading up to China. This part of Hunza is in fact known as Gojal valley. The first sight you will see is Attabad Lake. The lake was just formed back in 2010, when a massive landslide buried a 20 km stretch of the...
Another place I visited to document its history as part of the Mughal Gardens was Shalimar Gardens. These gardens are located near the renowned University of Engineering and Technology, just along the Grand Trunk or GT Road. These gardens were in fact influenced by the Shalimar Gardens in Srinagar, in India. The latter were built by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir, and they too...
A while back, I had organized a trip to Wazir Khan Mosque, and as you walk from Delhi Gate to the mosque, you are bound to encounter the Sunehri Masjid, which was built after the Wazir Khan, at a time when the Mughal empire was facing decline. The mosque was in fact constructed during the time of Muhammad Shah, one of the last...
After some email exchanges, I along with my friends finally got permission to visit the Asif Jan Haveli on a bright and clear Saturday. The haveli is now The Government College Fatima Jinnah, but is not open to visitors. Walking from Delhi gate (one of the thirteen gates of the walled city) and by-passing the famous Masjid Wazir Khan, we reached the Haveli....
In more recent months, I have been fortunate to enjoy breakfast with Mr. Babar Ali at Naqsh, an art school and gallery for unconventional artists. Attached to the school is the gallery where the artwork is displayed. The interesting thing about Naqsh is the school itself, which reflects the foundations aims. Like many other institutions committed to education, service and learning, Naqsh too...
Since having graduated, I have had perhaps ten friends from overseas visit me or come to do research in my native Lahore. Of course, I took them to the usual places to indulge in the food and culture, but it took me a while to show them old and even perhaps the not-so-nice parts of Lahore. There was an element of fear since I...
I have done the local favourites that are meant to cause some 'feeling' in your intestines, but if you would like to explore non-desi food, here are some of my favorite eats. These are again my personal favorites and since I am not a fan of Chinese food, please feel free to add more via comments - The list is small since I...
After a hiatus of two years, I am back ready to write ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been a while since I have been back home but the last time I was there, I chose to stick to one city- Lahore. This time around though, I decided to pay more heed to the forgotten parts of Lahore, the ordinary roads and streets that are now...
Every Lahori guy loves to eat and every Lahori girl at least pretends she loves to eat. However, I would say both would rather face the dire consequences of diabetes ('shugar') and high blood pressure ( 'blood'), then opt for a tasteless, bland, oil-free meal. Regardless, you can't blame us given that there is so much good food in Lahore. Gawalmandi Food Street...
What? I didn't write about Lahore! Well, here is to my hometown. ---------------------------------------- Lahore is the capital of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi. The city lies along the Ravi River, and a few kilometers from Amritsar, across the border. Historically, and even today, Lahore has been center hub. It successively served as regional capital of many empires that...
Deosai Plains are one of the most well-known tourist destinations up north. The plains are in fact, a plateau and the entire area is known as the Deosai National Park. The park is at an average elevation of 13,500 feet above sea level, making it the second highest plateau in the world, after the Tibetan Plateau. Deosai is the combination of two words ‘Deo’ (giant)...
I have been fortunate to experience the drive through the Karakoram highway. The Karakoram (the 'crumbling rock' in Turkish language) is quite an incredible engineering feat, mostly because building and maintaining a paved road through such a difficult terrain seems next to impossible. Of course, many people eventually DID die while constructing it.... so that makes me sad. When you drive on the...
