Shalamar Gardens of Lahore

The Shalamar Gardens are a Mughal complex beside Baghbanpura in Lahore, Pakistan. Construction began in 1641 under emperor Shah Jahan.

The gardens are laid out as a Charbagh-style rectangle measuring 658 by 258 metres across 16 hectares.

Each terrace level sits 4 to 5 metres higher than the previous; the middle held the most elaborate waterworks.

The uppermost terrace is named Bagh-e-Farah Baksh, meaning Bestower of Pleasure. Pleasure required a lot of plumbing.

During the Sikh Empire, much marble was pillaged for Amritsar buildings. Lehna Singh Majithia preferred cash over agate.

Water flows from every fountain into wide marble pools.

General Ayub Khan nationalised the gardens in 1962. The Arain Mian family had governed them for over 350 years.

In 1981, UNESCO inscribed the Shalamar Gardens as a World Heritage Site—Mughal garden design at its apogee.