The great pool
A marble pavilion reflected.
Shahzaib Damn Cruze — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Shahzaib Damn Cruze — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France — CC BY 2.0 · Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France — CC BY 2.0 · Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France — CC BY 2.0
Shalimar Gardens is a Mughal garden complex in Baghbanpura, Lahore, among the most popular places to visit in Pakistan. It was laid out as a four-part charbagh, and UNESCO listed it in 1981 as an example of Mughal garden design at its peak. It offers rare shade and calm after the noise of the old city. Construction began in 1641 under Emperor Shah Jahan and finished in 1642. The gardens were first known as Farah Bakhsh, meaning delightful, until the reign of Shah Alam I. The present name first appears among the historians of Nader Shah as Shola-i-Mah, ray of the moon, while scholars suggest other origins, so there is no single settled answer. The gardens step down in terraces, and you walk paved paths beside long pools with rows of fountains, among marble and red pavilions and big trees. The finest view is at the great pool, where a marble pavilion reflects on the water. The fountains may not always run, so do not expect to see them as they appear in photos. They are about 6 km in a straight line from Lahore Fort, and easy to reach by taxi. The best times are after the summer rains, when the ground turns green, or any mild morning. Weekends get much busier.
A marble pavilion reflected.
Along the channels.
A stepped, shaded garden.
Baghbanpura, Lahore, Pakistan
Not always, so ask at the entrance if it matters to you.
Its origin is disputed, and the first name was Farah Bakhsh, meaning delightful.