The Summit Minar is an

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

-shaped structure built in the centre of

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 ...

, Mall Road in the city of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

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

the province of

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 ...

. It was built to commemorate the second Islamic Summit Conference held in Lahore from 22 to 24 February 1974. It is located in front of

WAPDA House The WAPDA House (Urdu/ Punjabi: ) is a nine-story office building located in Lahore, Pakistan, that serves as the headquarters of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). It is one of several prominent government buildings located at Cha ...

and the Punjab Assembly Building. Its foundation stone was laid on 22 February 1975 on the first anniversary of the conference. It is high.

Structure

The minar was designed by a Turkish architect,

Vedat Dalokay Vedat Dalokay (10 November 1927 – 21 March 1991) was a renowned Turkish people, Turkish architect and a former mayor of Ankara. Early life and education He was born in Elazığ in 1927 to İbrahim Bey from Pertek. He completed his element ...

, who also designed the

Faisal Mosque The Faisal Mosque ( ur, , faisal masjid) is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in capital Islamabad. It is the fifth-largest mosque in the world and the largest within South Asia, located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Pakistan ...

located in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

. The National Construction Company Pakistan Ltd. was tasked with the construction, which was overseen by the

Pakistan Public Works Department Pakistan Public Works Department ( ur, ) is a Federal Department under Ministry of Housing and Works of which, Tariq Bashir Cheema is serving as federal minister and Shabbir Ali Qureshi is serving as minister of state. Its headquarters are locate ...

. Construction of the project commenced in February 1975, and took 20 months to complete, costing approximately Rs.15 million. The monument, composed of an obelisk and reflecting pool, completes the design of an

urban square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings ...

. Below ground, there is a museum display housing art pieces, paintings and gifts given by the countries which attend the Summit in 1974, meeting rooms, and a small auditorium. The pavilion located outside was built before the minaret, and houses a copy of the

Holy Quran The Quran (, ; Standard 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 from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing.: ...

(written in gold leaves) in a glass case.

References

{{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan , state=autocollapse Diplomatic conferences in Pakistan Islamic architecture Architecture of Lahore Monuments and memorials in Pakistan Obelisks in Pakistan Organisation of Islamic Cooperation The Mall, Lahore Minarets in Pakistan

Structure

See also

References