Faisal Chowk, formerly known as Charing Cross, is a major road intersection 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. ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Located on

Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam ( ur, ), formerly known as The Mall or Mall Road ( ur, , ''Sarak-e-Mall''), is a major List of streets in Lahore, road in Lahore, Pakistan. The road was laid out during the British Raj on a route leading to the Gove ...

, it is a popular site for protests within Lahore.Imtiaz, H. and Mustafa, M., 2018. The Charing Cross: Unfolding a Genius Loci in Lahore, Pakistan. Cities People Places : An International Journal on Urban Environments, 3(1), pp.1–16.

History

The area was part of Donald Town, a neighborhood named after Sir Donald McLeod, who served as

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

between 1865 and 1870. The planned intersection was developed at a juncture between Queens', Montgomery and Mall roads. It came to be known as Charing Cross, which historians believe is after

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The name is recorded in a 1908 publication by G.R. Elmslie titled “''Thirty Five Years in the Punjab''” (1908,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

). A 1918-19 ‘B&R Report’ refers to it as the ‘Charing Cross Scheme’. A white marble pavilion, designed by

Bhai Ram Singh Bhai Ram Singh (1858–1916) was one of pre-partition Punjab's foremost architects, dominating the scene for nearly two decades from the 1890s. Amongst his works is the Durbar Room, Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight, England; Lahore Museum and ...

, was constructed at Charing Cross in 1901 to mark

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

's jubilee as the first

Empress of India Emperor or Empress of India was a title used by British monarchs from 1 May 1876 (with the Royal Titles Act 1876) to 22 June 1948, that was used to signify their rule over British India, as its imperial head of state. Royal Proclamation of 22 ...

. A bronze statue of Victoria, cast in London in 1900, stood at the site in the pavilion from 1904 until 1951, when it was replaced by a model of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical 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 in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

.Imtiaz, H. and Mustafa, M., 2018. The Charing Cross: Unfolding a Genius Loci in Lahore, Pakistan. Cities People Places : An International Journal on Urban Environments, 3(1), pp.1–16. The statue now stands at

Lahore Museum The Lahore Museum ( pa, ; ur, ; ''"Lahore Wonder House"'') is a museum located in Lahore, Pakistan. Founded in 1865 at a smaller location and opened in 1894 at its current location on The Mall, Lahore, The Mall in Lahore during the British Ra ...

. To commemorate the 2nd Islamic Summit Conference held at Lahore in 1974, the

Islamic Summit Minar The Summit Minar is an obelisk-shaped structure built in the centre of Charing Cross, Mall Road in the city of Lahore, Punjab the province of Pakistan. It was built to commemorate the second Islamic Summit Conference held in Lahore from 22 to 24 ...

was constructed at the site.Imtiaz, H. and Mustafa, M., 2018. The Charing Cross: Unfolding a Genius Loci in Lahore, Pakistan. Cities People Places : An International Journal on Urban Environments, 3(1), pp.1–16. In 1981 Charing Cross was officially renamed Faisal Chowk to honour King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.Baqir M.; Lahore: Past and Present, Qindeel, Press, Lahore (1984), 456 In February 2013 a suicide bomber murdered at least 14 people at a protest in the area.Imtiaz, H. and Mustafa, M., 2018. The Charing Cross: Unfolding a Genius Loci in Lahore, Pakistan. Cities People Places : An International Journal on Urban Environments, 3(1), pp.1–16.

References

External links

* Majid Sheikh
Walking to Charing Cross
Dawn.com {{The Mall, Lahore, state=collapsed Tourist attractions in Lahore History of Lahore Lahore Squares in Pakistan The Mall, Lahore