Anarkali is a famous bazār (market) in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded by Emperor Jahangir some 400 years back, Anarkali Bazar is one of the oldest surviving markets in South Asia. Originating from the Mall near Lahore Museum, it’s just like a maze of narrow alleys and lanes stretching northwards towards Old Lahore.
It has a captivating history related to the character after which it is named. According to the legend Mughal Emperor Akbar’s son Prince Salim fell in love with Anarkali, Emperor Akbar’s coutesan who was given the title of Anarkali; ‘Pomegranate Blossom’ due to her charm and beauty by the Emperor himself.
Anarkali Bazar is the oldest bazaar of Lahore, Pakistan, yet it has coped with the changing times by introducing new trends in business. Today it can be considered as one of the best business centres of Pakistan. Anarkali Bazar is divided into two portions, the Old Anarkali Bazar and the New Anarkali Bazar.
The Old Anarkali Bazar is famous for traditional food items while the New Anarakli Bazar is famous for its traditional handicraft and embroidery cloths. Babar Handicraft and Gift Centre is the oldest shop located at 110 New Anarkali. It is famous for its quality of hand made products.
The mausoleum of Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aybak of Mamluk Sultanate is also located at Anarkali Bazaar. In the early 1970’s, mausoleum was renovated at the orders of the then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
One of our fellows metrobloggers, who came to Lahore from Karachi describes her experience of Anarkali Bazaar:
Anarkali was one of the first places that I wanted to see the moment I landed in Lahore. It’s not just a gigantic sprawling shopping mall-type place. It’s more like an entire village of twisting alleys and shops and stalls. It’s still a collection of sometimes wide, sometimes squeezed-in dirty, overcrowded, winding streets though. And if you start walking, it takes you about three hours to go through a decent slice of the place before getting sick of the weird stares and crazy bargaining and heading back to a far away parked car.
You can get everything from fake designer bags to shoes to wigs to clothes to lights to real and fake antique jewelry to books here. I’ve seen starry eyed people emerge from this place with shiny accessorized souls.
Most people don’t just take a stroll down this street though. They come here on missions. I’ve been part of inexpensive-sports-gear search teams and inexpensive-red-shawl search teams – all of which have found their heaven and retirement home and seas in different corners and niches of this place.
Shiraz Hassan is a magazine reporter and feature writer for Sunday Magazine in Lahore, Pakistan, where he covers social issues, art and culture. At the magazine, he has published more than 400 features related to social problems, culture and ‘show biz.’ Shiraz has also worked as a news editor at the radio network “MAST FM 103” in Lahore.
He writes about culture and heritage of South Asia, particularly Pakistan. He advocates rich culture of this land and tries to explore facts. Recently he was given an award from the Federal Ministry of Population Welfare for his article on population crises. Writers Guild also awarded him a Medal of excellence for his work.
