Shalimar Gardens in Lahore
| Fort and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore | |
|---|---|
UNESCO world heritage 
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| National territory: |
 Pakistan
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | (i) (ii) (iii) |
| Reference No .: | 171 |
| UNESCO region : | Asia and Pacific |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 1981 ( session 5 ) |
| Red list : | 2000-2012 |
The Shalimar Gardens , also Shalamar Gardens , of Lahore in Pakistan were laid out from around 1642 under Emperor Shah Jahan in the form of a Persian garden of the type of the four-part Tschāhār Bāgh . They are part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage .
description
Lahore in Pakistan was once the showplace of the Indian Mughal Empire . In the 16th century Mughal Akbar I initiated the renovation and restoration of the fort , a mighty military complex made of red sandstone . In the following decades this fortress was clad in white marble . The architectural highlight was set by Shah Jahan in the 17th century, under whose rule the Mirror Palace was built.
The Shalimar Gardens were modeled on the Shalimar Gardens of Srinagar in Kashmir . Lovers should find happiness on extensive marble terraces next to numerous ponds with fountains, surrounded by fragrant flowers and singing birds from all over the world. The word "Shalimar" comes from Persian and means something like the purest of all human pleasures .
The Shalimar Gardens have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 . In 1999, two of the three cisterns that water the gardens were destroyed while a road was being built. The fortress and gardens are also threatened by pollution, slow erosion and a lack of funds for restoration. Therefore, in 2000, at the request of the Pakistani government, UNESCO placed them on the Red List of World Heritage in Danger. In 2012 they were removed from the list.
Trivia
Because of the romantic atmosphere in the gardens, a perfume from the Guerlain company was named Shalimar . Guerlain claims that the word comes from Sanskrit and means "house of joy", but that is wrong.
literature
- James L. Wescoat Jr. and Joachim Wolschke-Bulmahn: The Mughal Gardens of Lahore. History, Geography and Conservation Issues . In: Die Gartenkunst 6 (1/1994), pp. 19–33.
Web links
- Fort and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Status report 2006 of the World Heritage Committee (PDF; 742 kB), p. 94ff (English)
- Gardens of the Mughal Empire (Engl.)
Cultural heritage: Archaeological ruins in Moenjodaro (1980) | Taxila (1980) | Buddhist ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and adjacent relics in Sahr-i-Bahlol (1980) | Historic Monuments in Makli, Thatta (1981) | Fortress and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore (1981) | Rohtas Fortress (1997)
Coordinates: 31 ° 35 ′ 13.8 ″ N , 74 ° 22 ′ 55 ″ E