Minar E Pakistan ( ur, , literally "Tower of Pakistan") is a tower located in Lahore, Pakistan. The tower was built between 1960 and 1968 on the site where the All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution (which was later called the

Pakistan Resolution The Lahore Resolution ( ur, , ''Qarardad-e-Lahore''; Bengali: লাহোর প্রস্তাব, ''Lahor Prostab''), also called Pakistan resolution, was written and prepared by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan and was presented by A. K. Fazlul ...

) on 23 March 1940 - the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the

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

s of British India, as espoused by the two-nation theory. The resolution eventually helped lead to the emergence of an independent Pakistani state 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 in ...

. The tower is located in the middle of an urban park, called the Greater Iqbal Park.

Design

The tower reflects a blend of

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

and modern architecture. The tower was designed and supervised by,

Nasreddin Murat-Khan Nasreddin Murat-Khan ِALA-LC: ; tr, Nasreddin Murat-han ; russian: Насреддин Муратханов ALA-LC: ; ur, ِALA-LC: (1904 – 15 October 1970) was a Russian-born Pakistani architect and civil engineer. He is renowned for ...

, a Russian-born Pakistani architect 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 ...

. The minaret provides a panoramic view to visitors who can access the top by climbing up the stairs or by means of an elevator. 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".

Structure

The base is about 8 metres above the ground. The tower rises about 62 metres on the base, and the total height of the Minar is about 70 metres above the ground. The unfolding petals of the flower-like base are 9 metres high. The diameter of the tower is about 9.75 meters. The rostrum is built of patterned tiles, and faces Badshahi Mosque. The base consists of four platforms. To symbolise the humble beginning of the struggle for freedom, the first platform is built with uncut stones from

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and ...

, the second platform is made of hammer-dressed stones, and the third platform is made of chiselled stones. Polished white marble used for the fourth and final platform depicts the success of the Pakistan Movement. The structure uses the imagery of crescents and stars, signs that symbolize the culture of Pakistan, similarly seen in the

National Flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

. Mr. Mukhtar Masood, a prolific writer and the then–deputy commissioner of Lahore, was one of the members of the Building Committee for the tower. Services Engineer Mian Abdul Ghani Mughal went on to build many other landmarks of Pakistan, including Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, City Hospital Gujranwala, Chand da Qila By-Pass Gujranwala, Lords Hotel, and University of Punjab Campus Gujranwala.

Inscriptions

At the base, there are floral inscriptions on ten converging white marble

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, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

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

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

and English, as well as the Delhi Resolution's text, which was passed on 9 April 1946. On different plaques, Quranic verses and

99 names of Allah Names of God in Islam ( ar, أَسْمَاءُ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ , "''Allah's Beautiful Names''") are names attributed to God in Islam by Muslims. While some names are only in the Quran, and others are only in the hadith, th ...

are inscribed in Arabic

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

. Other important inscriptions included on the monument are the

National Anthem of Pakistan The "" ( ur, , ; "National Anthem"), also known as "" ( ur, , ; "Thy Sacred Land"), is the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and formerly the Dominion of Pakistan. It was written by Hafeez Jalandhari in 1952 and the music ...

in Urdu and Bengali, excerpts from the speeches of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 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 ...

in Urdu, Bengali and English; and a few

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

written by Allama Iqbal.

Construction

The foundation stone was laid on 23 March 1960. Construction took eight years, and was completed on 21 October 1968 at an estimated cost of Rs 7,058,000. The money was collected by imposing an additional tax on cinema and horse racing tickets at the demand of Akhter Husain, governor of West Pakistan.

Significance

Minar-e-Pakistan is considered the national emblem of Pakistan, and an expression of

post-colonial Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More specifically, it is a ...

national identity.

Notable visits and events

On February 21, 1999, Indian PM

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

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 The 1972 visit by United States President Richard Nixon to the People's Republic of China (PRC) was an important strategic and diplomatic overture that marked the culmination of the Nixon administration's resumption of harmonious relations betwe ...

in terms of significance. Minar-e-Pakistan 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 Punjab government considered banning any political or non-political large gatherings.

Gallery

File:Minar e Pakistan night image.jpg, At night File:Minar-e-Pakistan by ZILL NIAZI 2.jpg, Aerial view File:The Minar-e-Pakistan.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore File:Minar-e-Pakistan Damn cruze DSC 0127a.jpg, View from Iqbal Park File:Minar-e-Pakistan Ground Level.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan Ground Level File:Minar-E-Pakistan Lights.jpg, View of Minar-e-Pakistan lit during special events File:Shahi Mosque 10.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan richly framed by an aisle arch File:Minar-e-Pakistan01.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan night view File:Minar-e-Pakistan 13.jpg, Minar-e-Pakistan view from ground

Bibliography

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

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070311052425/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=364 * https://web.archive.org/web/20070109183759/http://www.lahore.com/content/section/4/45/ {{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan , state=autocollapse Architecture of Lahore Buildings and structures in Lahore Islamic architecture 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