Adil Najam
We have had some fascinating discussions about on ATP about buildings and architecture. A few days ago Pervaiz Munir Alvi took us through a tour of Pakistan’s architectural history (here). His concern about architectural neglect was not unsimilar to that expressed by Raza Rumi (here) and SAJ Shirazi (here) earlier. Earlier we have looked in detail at the architectural legacies of various cities, including Lahore (also here), Karachi (also here), Multan and, of course, had spirited discussions about the new ‘7-star’ hotel – The Centaurus – being built in Islamabad (here and here).
The discussion has been rich and many have already identified what their favorite buildings in Pakistan are. Maybe we should invite others to also join the discussion identify structures that ‘do it’ for them.
What are your architectural preferences? Which buildings in Pakistan do you find aesthetically pleasing? Which would you consider most emblematic of Pakistan and ‘Pakistaniat’? In short, what is/are your favorite buildings in Pakistan? And, always, why?
We don’t need any rules, but a few guidelines; if I may.
- You can name any building that you want, as long as it is in Pakistan and that actually exists (sorry, Centaurus does not count; not yet!).
- It does not matter if it was built before or after 1947, as long as it still exists.
- I expect that a lot of the entries will be commemorative structures (mousuleums, monuments, etc.). That is to be expected. I woudl love to also hear about which functional buildings (hotels, office towers, bridges, etc.) you find most fascinating.
- Do please also tell us why you like a particualr building (that is much more interesting than you telling us why you do not like someone else’s choice!). If you have any interesting information about the building, do please share.
- We hope to eventually turn this into a running list of “ATP Reader’s Choice,” so please do ask your friends who are interested in such issues to also come and post their choices here.
i most say, if there is a building which i like then it lahore fort.
i like it because it shows the history of pakistan in an architectural form. u can find halls constructed in mughal era sikh era n during colonial ear.
by observing the architecture u can clear say some abt the society of th time. coz architecture itself is a social phynomina.
Dear sir/Madam
please tell us some beatifu ( isalamic related Names for our house
thanks
Salam all the viewers i am hamza from lahore i just want 2 say that there is not any best and ambient character of pakistan in th eworld becoz there is no partition and no love for each other i just want 2 say u that u just keep happy
i consider mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam in Multan as one of the best architectures…no doubt there are many others in pakistan.. but the octangonal structure , slightly tilted walls , glazed tile pannels, string courses and battlements , raised relief patterns make it really magnificent…its dome which is second largest in the world after Gol Gumbad for sure is another reason… this is why i have dediced to study its art and architecture for my thesis also…
Adil,
Wouldn’t it be nice to put some of the beautiful landmark buildings of Pakistan in your header?
Islamia College Peshawar, as it appears in the picture in this post, would make a nice masthead. It would be promoting the cause of good architecture, and possibly it might even attract some readership from that part of the country. No?