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Minar-e-Pakistan

Coordinates: 31°35′33″N 74°18′34″E / 31.5925°N 74.3095°E / 31.5925; 74.3095
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Minar-e-Pakistan
مینارِ پاکستان
Minar-e-Pakistan is located in Lahore
Minar-e-Pakistan
Location within Lahore
Minar-e-Pakistan is located in Punjab, Pakistan
Minar-e-Pakistan
Location within Punjab
Minar-e-Pakistan is located in Pakistan
Minar-e-Pakistan
Location within Pakistan
Alternative namesPakistan Day Memorial
Tower of Pakistan
General information
StatusNational Tower of Pakistan
TypePublic monument
LocationLahore, Punjab, Pakistan
AddressGreater Iqbal Park, Circular Road, Lahore
Coordinates31°35′33″N 74°18′34″E / 31.5925°N 74.3095°E / 31.5925; 74.3095
Construction started23 March 1960
Completed22 March 1968[1]
Height
Roof70 metres (230 ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Nasreddin Murat-Khan

Minar-e-Pakistan (Urdu: مینارِ پاکستان, romanized: Mīnār-e-Pākistān; lit. 'Tower of Pakistan') is a public monument tower located in Lahore, Punjab, 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) on 23 March 1940 – the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the Muslims of British India, as espoused by the two-nation theory. The resolution eventually helped lead to the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

The tower is located in the middle of an urban park, called the Greater Iqbal Park.[2]

Construction

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The original foundation stone of Minar-e-Pakistan

On 23 March 1960, the foundation stone of the tower was laid by Akhter Husain, the then–governor of West Pakistan. The construction of the tower took eight years, and was completed on 22 March 1968[1] at an estimated cost of seven million.[3] The money was collected by imposing an additional tax on cinema and horse racing tickets at the demand of the governor.[3]

Mukhtar Masood, a prolific writer and the then–deputy commissioner of Lahore, was one of the members who undertook important role for the completion of the project.[4]

Design

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The monument sits atop a plinth.

The tower reflects a blend of Mughal, Islamic and modern architecture.[5][6] The tower was designed and supervised by, Nasreddin Murat-Khan, a Russian-born Pakistani architect and civil engineer.[7]

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".[8]

In the past, the tower was used to provide a panoramic view to visitors who could access the top by climbing up the stairs or by means of an elevator. However, this facility was later withdrawn due to a few suicide incidents.[9][10]

Structure

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The structure as seen from the above

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, 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.[1][11] The structure uses the imagery of crescents, stars and signs that symbolise the culture of Pakistan, similarly seen in the national flag of the country.[2]

Inscriptions

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A view of base of the structure
Texts over marble plaques

At the base, there are floral inscriptions on ten converging white marble commemorative plaques. The inscriptions include the text of the Lahore Resolution in Urdu, Bengali and English, as well as the Delhi Resolution's text,[1] which was passed on 9 April 1946. On different plaques, Quranic verses and 99 names of Allah are inscribed in Arabic calligraphy. Other important inscriptions included on the monument are the National Anthem of Pakistan in Urdu and Bengali, excerpts from the speeches of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Urdu, Bengali and English; and a few couplets written by Allama Iqbal.[1]

Significance

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Minar-e-Pakistan is considered the national emblem of Pakistan,[12][13] and an expression of post-colonial national identity.[citation needed]

Notable visits and events

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On February 21, 1999, the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the first Indian leader to visit Minar-e-Pakistan (previous Indian state visits to Pakistan had not included a visit to Lahore).[14] Vajpayee's visit was compared to Nixon's visit to China in terms of significance.[15]

Minar-e-Pakistan has served as the location for a number of rallies.[16] 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.[17]

[edit]
  • View from the Greater Iqbal Park
    View from the Greater Iqbal Park
  • A lit view of the monument in 2014
    A lit view of the monument in 2014
  • A view under cloudy sky with shadow on the marble floor
    A view under cloudy sky with shadow on the marble floor
  • An aerial view
    An aerial view
  • The richly framed by an aisle arch
    The richly framed by an aisle arch
  • The tower lit during special events
    The tower lit during special events
  • At night
    At night
  • Another night view
    Another night view

See also

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Bibliography

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

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Jamal, Amna Nasir (23 March 2002). "The Pakistan Day memorial". Dawn. pp. Dawn Young World. Archived from the original on 28 March 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  2. ^ a b Khan, Ahmed Z. (1 March 2013). "On Design and Politics of Co-producing Public Space: The Long Marches and the Reincarnation of the 'Forecourt' of the Pakistani Nation". International Journal of Islamic Architecture. 2 (1): 125–156. doi:10.1386/ijia.2.1.125_1. S2CID 152739234.
  3. ^ a b "مینارِ پاکستان: قراردادِ لاہور کی یادگار جس کی تعمیر کی رقم سینما گھروں اور گھڑ دوڑ کی ٹکٹوں سے جمع کی گئی" [Minar-e-Pakistan: A monument to the Lahore Resolution, built with money raised from cinema and horse racing tickets]. BBC Urdu (in Urdu). 26 July 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  4. ^ Parekh, Rauf (18 April 2017). "Literary Notes: Mukhtar Masood: a stylish and patriotic prose writer of Urdu". Dawn.
  5. ^ Devji, Faisal (2019). "An Elephant in the Room". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 39 (1). Duke University Press: 229. doi:10.1215/1089201X-7493931. ...the most important national monument of another Mughal capital, Lahore, is a modern tower called the Minar-e-Pakistan located outside the old city walls. Indeed, all of Pakistan's iconic national monuments are modern and even modernist, from the Minar to Jinnah's tomb in Karachi and the Shah Faisal Mosque in Islamabad.
  6. ^ "Minar-e-Pakistan: Re-living history". Pakistan Today. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. ^ Meral Murat Khan (22 March 2009). "Remembrance: The man behind the masterpiece". Dawn. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Minar-e-Pakistan – A Historical Monument". economy.pk. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  9. ^ Hanif, Intikhab (23 March 2007). "A park in search of a resolution". Dawn. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Man jumps from Minar-i-Pakistan". Dawn. 29 April 2003. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  11. ^ Adnan, Imran (30 October 2016). "Minar-e-Pakistan gets major facelift". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  12. ^ Minahan, James. The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems. ABC-CLIO. p. 141.
  13. ^ "National Symbols of Pakistan". Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage – Government of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013.
  14. ^ Singh, Rajkumar (2010). Relations of NDA and UPA with Neighbours. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-81-21-21060-7.
  15. ^ Wheeler, Nicholas J. (2018). Trusting Enemies: Interpersonal Relationships in International Conflict. Oxford University Press. pp. 128, 211. ISBN 978-01-99-69647-5.
  16. ^ "PTI to stage rally at Minar-e-Pakistan today". The News International. 23 March 2013.
  17. ^ "City diary : Govt mulls banning public rallies at Minar-i-Pakistan". Dawn. 25 November 2014.
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