urdu photos on Flickr

A group of well grown Hollyhocks in bloom is worth going to see. It is really the color that we look for, because the leaves are large, coarse and grow mostly in clumps at the base of the plant. The long spikes of flowers grow from. 5 feet to 8 feet high and there are usually from five to nine blossoms in bloom on each well grown stalk. The average size is about 2 inches or 3 inches across, but 5-inch blooms can be had if good attention is given. The colors range from white to almost black and include shades of pink, flesh, rose-pink, salmon-rose, golden yellow, canary-yellow, dark red, purple-crimson, dark maroon, white and combinations of practically all these colors with either white centers or white margins. Linnaeus, who named this plant, used both Alcea (Latin form) and Althea(Greek form) from the Greek word for 'to cure'.

### ........must view as slide show.......##

Late Night Singer by Florian Dehn

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A song thrush (urdus philomelos) singing into the night

Urdu Poetry by P. L. Tandon

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Urdu Poetry by Mohammad Muneem Nazir at Bengaluru Poetry Festival 2018.

Shahi Musjid Chiniot by KAMRAN SALEEM

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Chiniot (Punjabi, Urdu: چنیوٹ) comprising two Punjabi words, 'Chan' and 'Ote', translates as 'Behind the moon without light'. It is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Chiniot is the capital of Chiniot District, until 2009 it was part of Jhang District in the former Faisalabad Division. It is located on left bank of the Chenab River on the Sargodha to Faisalabad road. The population of Chiniot is estimated to be 1.5 million. Chiniot is located at Latitude: 31.7200 and Longitude: 72.9789.

Chiniot is on the bank of River Chenab, and is famous for its furniture industry, which it also exports. Its labour force is specially skilled in woodwork.

Chiniot comprises many small towns and villages. Villages are mostly "Chak No.," which is a village planned and established by English engineers during the colonial period. These villages were planned mostly along canal banks to distribute the population evenly. Bhawana and Lalian are its Tehsils. The Lalian Tehsil is the richest one in terms of educated and employed human resource, a lot of which is holding high offices in the national bureaucracy. Amin Pur Bangla is famous rest house built by British before independence of Pakistan at bank of Jhang Branch Canal. After independence of Pakistan in 1947, many Muslims of East Punjab and Haryana escaped from pograms and genocide in India and settled in Chiniot.

#urdu #shayiri #ishq by Imran Amin

Nanga Parbat in Diamer District, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan - July 2009 by Saffy H

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanga_Parbat

Nanga Parbat (literally, Naked Mountain Urdu: نانگا پربت [nəŋɡaː pərbət̪]) is the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 ft) above sea level. It is the western anchor of the Himalayas around which the Indus river skirts into the plains of Pakistan. It is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and is locally known as 'Deo Mir' ('mir' meaning 'mountain').[2]

Nanga Parbat is one of the eight-thousanders, with a summit elevation of 8,126 metres (26,660 ft).[3] An immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain, Nanga Parbat is also a notoriously difficult climb. Numerous mountaineering deaths in the mid and early 20th century lent it the nickname "killer mountain". Along with K2, it has never been climbed in winter.

Location

Nanga Parbat forms the western anchor of the Himalayan Range and is the westernmost eight-thousander. It lies just south of the Indus River in the Diamer District of Gilgit–Baltistan in Pakistan. Not far to the north is the western end of the Karakoram range.

Notable features

Nanga Parbat has tremendous vertical relief over local terrain in all directions.

To the south, Nanga Parbat boasts what is often referred to as the highest mountain face in the world: the Rupal Face rises 4,600 m (15,090 ft) above its base. To the north, the complex, somewhat more gently sloped Rakhiot Flank rises 7,000 m (22,966 ft) from the Indus River valley to the summit in just 25 km (16 mi), one of the 10 greatest elevation gains in so short a distance on Earth.[citation needed]

Nanga Parbat is one of only two peaks on Earth that rank in the top twenty of both the highest mountains in the world, and the most prominent peaks in the world, ranking ninth and fourteenth respectively. The other is Mount Everest, which is first on both lists.

Nanga Parbat along with Namcha Barwa on the Tibetan Plateau mark the west and east ends of the Himalayas.

Layout of the mountain

The core of Nanga Parbat is a long ridge trending southwest–northeast. The ridge is an enormous bulk of ice and rock. It has three faces, Diamir face, Rakhiot and Rupal. The southwestern portion of this main ridge is known as the Mazeno Wall, and has a number of subsidiary peaks. In the other direction, the main ridge arcs northeast at Rakhiot Peak (7,070 m / 23,196 ft). The south/southeast side of the mountain is dominated by the massive Rupal Face, noted above. The north/northwest side of the mountain, leading to the Indus, is more complex. It is split into the Diamir (west) face and the Rakhiot (north) face by a long ridge. There are a number of subsidiary summits, including North Peak (7,816 m / 25,643 ft) some 3 km north of the main summit. Near the base of the Rupal Face is a beautiful glacial lake called Latbo, above a seasonal shepherds' village of the same name.

Climbing history

Early attempts

Climbing attempts started very early on Nanga Parbat. In 1895 Albert F. Mummery led an expedition to the peak, and reached almost 6,100 m (20,000 ft) on the Diamir (West) Face,[6] but Mummery and two Gurkha companions later died reconnoitering the Rakhiot Face.

In the 1930s, Nanga Parbat became the focus of German interest in the Himalayas. The German mountaineers were unable to attempt Mount Everest, as only the British had access to Tibet. Initially German efforts focused on Kanchenjunga, to which Paul Bauer led two expeditions in 1930 and 1931, but with its long ridges and steep faces Kanchenjunga was more difficult than Everest and neither expedition made much progress. K2 was known to be harder still, and its remoteness meant that even reaching its base would be a major undertaking. Nanga Parbat was therefore the highest mountain accessible to Germans and also deemed reasonably possible by climbers at the time.[

The first German expedition to Nanga Parbat was led by Willy Merkl in 1932. It is sometimes referred to as a German-American expedition, as the eight climbers included Rand Herron, an American, and Fritz Wiessner, who would become an American citizen the following year. While the team were all strong climbers, none had Himalayan experience, and poor planning (particularly an inadequate number of porters), coupled with bad weather, prevented the team progressing far beyond the Rakhiot Peak northeast of the Nanga Parbat summit, reached by Peter Aschenbrenner and Herbert Kunigk, but they did establish the feasibility of a route via Rakhiot Peak and the main ridge.[8]

Merkl led another expedition in 1934, which was better prepared and financed with the full backing of the new Nazi government. Early in the expedition Alfred Drexel died, probably of high altitude pulmonary edema.[9] The Tyrolean climbers Peter Aschenbrenner and Erwin Schneider reached an estimated height of (7,895 m / 25,900 ft) on July 6, but were forced to return because of worsening weather. On July 7 they and 14 others were trapped by a ferocious storm at 7,480 m (24,540 ft). During the desperate retreat that followed, three famous German mountaineers, Uli Wieland, Willo Welzenbach and Merkl himself, and six Sherpas died of exhaustion, exposure and altitude sickness, and several more suffered severe frostbite. The last survivor to reach safety, Ang Tsering, did so having spent seven days battling through the storm.[10] It has been said that the disaster, "for sheer protracted agony, has no parallel in climbing annals."[11]

In 1937, Karl Wien led another expedition to the mountain, following the same route as Merkl's expeditions had done. Progress was made, but more slowly than before due to heavy snowfall. Some time around the 14th of June seven Germans and nine Sherpas, almost the entire team, were at Camp IV below Rakhiot Peak when it was overwhelmed by an avalanche. All sixteen men died instantly.[12]

The Germans returned in 1938 led by Paul Bauer, but the expedition was plagued by bad weather, and Bauer, mindful of the previous disasters, ordered the party down before the Silver Saddle, halfway between Rakhiot Peak and Nanga Parbat summit, was reached.[13] The following year a small four man expedition, including Heinrich Harrer, explored the Diamir Face with the aim of finding an easier route. They concluded that the face was a viable route, but the Second World War intervened and the four men were interned in India.[14] Harrer's escape and subsequent travels became the subject of his book Seven Years in Tibet.

First ascent

For a sense of scale, notice a 4-man yellow tent, dwarfed by the peak, near the bottom right. Just above the tent is a large white building.

Nanga Parbat was first climbed, via the Rakhiot Flank (East Ridge), on July 3, 1953 by Austrian climber Hermann Buhl,[15] a member of a German-Austrian team. The expedition was organized by the half-brother of Willy Merkl, Karl Herrligkoffer from Munich, while the expedition leader was Peter Aschenbrenner from Innsbruck, who had participated in the 1932 and 1934 attempts. By the time of this expedition, 31 people had already died on the mountain.[16]

The final push for the summit was dramatic: Buhl last 1300 meters continued alone, after his companions had turned back. Under the influence of the drugs pervitin (based on the stimulant methamphetamine used by soldiers during World War II), padutin, and tea from coca leaves, he reached the summit dangerously late, at 7 p.m., the climbing harder and more time-consuming than he had anticipated. His descent was slowed when he lost a crampon. Caught by darkness, he was forced to bivouac standing upright on a narrow ledge, holding a small handhold with one hand. Exhausted, he dozed occasionally, but managed to maintain his balance. He was also very fortunate to have a calm night, so he was not subjected to wind chill. He finally reached his high camp at 7 p.m. the next day, 40 hours after setting out.[17] The ascent was made without oxygen, and Buhl is the only man to have made the first ascent of an 8000 m peak alone.

Subsequent attempts and ascents

The second ascent of Nanga Parbat was via the Diamir Face, in 1962, by Germans Toni Kinshofer, Siegfried "Siegi" Löw, and A. Mannhardt. The route is now the "standard route" on the mountain. The Kinshofer route does not ascend the middle of the Diamir Face, which is threatened by avalanches from massive hanging glaciers. Instead it climbs a buttress on the left side of the face.

In 1970 the brothers Günther and Reinhold Messner made the third ascent of the mountain and the first ascent of the Rupal Face. They were unable to descend by their original route, and instead descended by the Diamir Face, making the first traverse of the mountain. Unfortunately Günther was killed in an avalanche on the Diamir Face. (Messner's account of this incident has been disputed. In 2005 Günther's remains were found on the Diamir Face.)

In 1971 Ivan Fiala and Michael Orolin summited Nanga Parbat via Buhl's 1953 route while other expedition members climbed the SE peak (7,600 m / 24,925 ft) above the Silbersattel and the foresummit (7,850 m / 25,760 ft) above the Bazhin Gap.

In 1976 a team of four made the sixth summit via a new route on the Rupal Face (second ascent on this face), then named the Schell route after the Austrian team leader. The line had been plotted by Karl Herrligkoffer on a previous unsuccessful attempt.

In 1978 Reinhold Messner returned to the Diamir Face and achieved the first completely solo ascent (i.e. always solo above Base Camp) of an 8,000 m peak.

In 1984 the French climber Lilliane Barrard became the first woman to climb Nanga Parbat, along with her husband Maurice Barrard.

In 1985, Jerzy Kukuczka, Zygmunt Heinrich, Slawomir Lobodzinski (all Polish) and Carlos Carsolio (Mexico) climbed a bold line up the Southeast Pillar (or Polish Spur) on the right-hand side of the Rupal Face, reaching the summit July 13. It was Kukuczka's 9th 8000m summit.[18]

Also in 1985, a Polish women's team climbed the peak via the 1962 German Diamir Face route. Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krystyna Palmowska and Anna Czerwinska reached the summit on July 15.[18]

"Modern" superalpinism was brought to Nanga Parbat in 1988 with an unsuccessful attempt or two on the Rupal Face by Barry Blanchard, Mark Twight, Ward Robinson and Kevin Doyle.[19]

2005 saw a resurgence of lightweight, alpine-style attempts on the Rupal Face:

In August 2005, Pakistani military helicopters rescued Slovenian mountaineer Tomaž Humar, who was stuck under a narrow ice ledge at 5,900 m (19,400 ft) for six days. It is believed to be one of the few successful rescues carried out at such high altitude.[20]

In September 2005, Vince Anderson and Steve House did an extremely lightweight, fast ascent of a new, direct route on the face, earning high praise from the climbing community.[21]

On July 17 or 18, 2006, José Antonio Delgado from Venezuela died a few days after reaching the summit, where he was caught by bad weather for six days and was unable to make his way down. He is the only Venezuelan climber, and one of few Latin Americans, to have reached the summit of five eight-thousanders.[22] Part of the expedition and the rescue efforts at base camp were captured on video, as Delgado was the subject of a pilot for a mountaineering television series.[22] Explorart Films, the production company, later developed the project into a feature documentary film called Beyond the Summit, which was scheduled to be released in South America in January 2008.[23]

On July 15, 2008, Italian alpinist Karl Unterkircher fell into a crevasse during an attempt to open a new route to the top with Walter Nones and Simon Kehrer. Unterkircher died, but Kehrer and Nones were rescued by the Pakistani army.[24]

On July 12, 2009, after reaching the summit, South Korean climber Go Mi-Young fell off a cliff on the descent in bad weather in her race to be the first woman to climb all 14 eight-thousanders.[25]

On July 15, 2012 Scottish mountaineers Sandy Allan and Rick Allen made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat via the 10 km-long Mazeno Ridge,[26] and in April 2013 were awarded the Piolet d'Or for their achievement.[

Winter climbing

Nanga Parbat has yet to be climbed in winter; 28 expeditions have tried this feat as of 2015.

Winter expeditions:

1988/89 - Polish 12-seater expedition KW Zakopane under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka. They first attempted the Rupal wall and then the Diamir wall. On the Messner route, Maciej Berbeka, Piotr Konopka and Andrzej Osika reached an altitude of about 6500-6800m.

1990/91 - Polish-English expedition under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka reached the height of 6600 m on the Messner route, and then Andrzej Osika and John Tinker by the Schell route up the Rupal wall reached a height of 6600m.

1991/92 - Polish expedition KW Zakopane under the leadership of Maciej Berbeka from the Rupal valley. This light, bold attack in alpine style on the Schell route reached the height of 7000 m.

1992/93 - French expedition Eric Monier and Monique Loscos - Schell route on the south-eastern Rupal wall. They came to BC on December 20. Eric reached January 9 6500 m. January 13 expedition has been completed.

1996/97 - two expedition: Polish expedition led by Andrzej Zawada from the Diamir valley, Kinshofer route. During the summit team Zbigniew Trzmiel and Krzysztof Pankiewicz, Trzmiel reached a height of 7800 m. The assault was interrupted because of frostbite. After descending to the base camp, both climbers were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital.

British expedition led by Victor Saunders, taking the Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall. Victor Saunders, Dane Rafael Jensen and Pakistani Ghulam Hassan reached the height of 6000m.

1997/98 - Polish expedition led by Andrzej Zawada from the Diamir valley, Kinshofer route. Expedition reached the height 6800 m, encountered an unusually heavy snowfall. A falling stone broke Ryszard Pawłowski's leg.

2004/05 - Austrian expedition brothers Wolfgang and Gerfried Göschl via the Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall reached the height of 6500m.

2006/07 - Polish HiMountain expedition from the Rupal by Schell route. Expedition led by Krzysztof Wielicki, with Jan Szulc, Artur Hajzer, Dariusz Załuski, Jacek Jawień, Jacek Berbeka, Przemysław Łoziński, and Robert Szymczak. Reached a height of 7000m.

2007/08 - Italian Simone La Terra started climbing solo at the beginning of December, reaching a height of 6000 m.

2008/09 - Polish expedition on the Diamir side. Jacek Teler (leader) and Jarosław Żurawski. Deep snow is not allowed to reach with luggage to the base of the wall, forcing the base camp five kilometers before. Assume camp I at an altitude of 5400 m.

2010/11 - two expedition: Sergei Nikolayevich Cygankow in a single expedition Kinshofer route on the Diamir wall reached the 6,000 m. Pulmonary edema ended the expedition.

Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Kinshofer route on the Diamir side. Reached 5100 m.

2011/12 - three expedition: Tomasz Mackiewicz, Marek Klonowski and "Krzaq" - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Kinshofer route on the Diamir side. Reached 5500 m.

Denis Urubko and Simone Moro first Diamir side on the Kinshofer route, and then by Messner route in year 2000 reached a height of 6800 m.

2012/13 - four expeditions: alone Frenchman Joël Wischnewski on Rupal Face in an alpine style. He was lost in February, the body found in September at an altitude of about 6100 m.[28] He went missing after February 6 and was probably hit by an avalanche.[29]

Italy's Daniele Nardi and French Elisabeth Revol - Mummery Rib on the Diamir reached the height of 6450 m.

Hungarian-American expedition: David Klein, Zoltan Acs and Ian Overton. Zoltan has suffered frostbite while reaching the base and did not participate in the further ascent. David and Ian reached the Diamir wall height of about 5400 m.

Tomasz Mackiewicz and Marek Klonowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Schell route on the south-eastern wall of the Rupal. Marek Klonowski reached a height of 6600 m. February 7, 2013 Tomasz Mackiewicz in a lone attack reached a height of 7400 m.

2013/14 - four expeditions: Italian Simone Moro, Germany David Göttler and Italy Emilio Previtali - by Rupal wall on the Schell route. Expedition cooperated with Polish expedition. David Göttler on February 28, founded the camp 4 at about 7000 m, March 1, together with Tomasz Mackiewicz reached an altitude of about 7200 m. On the same day David and Simone decided to end the expedition.[30]

Tomasz Mackiewicz, Marek Klonowski, Jacek Teler, Paweł Dunaj, Michał Obrycki, Michał Dzikowski - Polish expedition "Justice for All - Nanga Dream" by Schell route on the south-eastern wall of the Rupal. Expedition cooperated with Italian-German expedition. March 1, Tomasz Mackiewicz and David Göttler reached an altitude of about 7200 m. March 8 at a height of about 5,000 m on the Paweł Dunaj and Michał Obrycki avalanche hit. Both were roughed up and suffered fractures. The rescue operation was successful.

German Ralf Dujmovits Diamir wall, by Reinhold Messner route in 1978 (as a filmmaker this expedition Pole Dariusz Załuski - he had no plan of summit attack). December 30 both came at 5500 m. Jan. 2 because of the threat serac Dujmovits decided to complete the expedition.

Italy's Daniele Nardi. Solo expedition from the Diamir side on Mummery Rib. Italy founded the camp I on the 4900. Reached an altitude of about 5450 m. March 1 decided to end the expedition.

2014/15 - four expeditions: Pole Tomasz Mackiewicz and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol - Nanga Parbat Winter Expedition 2014/2015. The north-west Diamir wall, unfinished road Messner-Hanspeter 2000. They reached 7800m.[31]

Italian Daniele Nardi planning the trip solo summit Mummery Rib on the Diamir wall, accompanied by Roberto Delle Monache (photographer) and Federico Santinii (filmmaker)

4-seater Russian expedition - Nikolay Totmjanin, Sergei Kondraszkin, Valery Szamało, Victor Smith - Schell route on the Rupal Wall. They reached 7150m.[32]

3-person expedition Iran - Reza Bahador, Iraj Maani and Mahmoud Hashemi

Taliban attack

On June 23, 2013, about 15 extremist militants wearing Gilgit Scouts uniforms shot to death ten foreign climbers (one Lithuanian, three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, two Chinese, one Chinese-American and one Nepali)[33] and one Pakistani guide at Base Camp. Another foreign victim was injured. The attack occurred at around 1AM and was claimed by a local branch of the Taliban. (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan).[

References in popular culture

Books

In the first chapter of Mistress of Mistresses, by E.R. Eddison, the narrator compares his now deceased compatriot, Lessingham, to Nanga Parbat in a descriptive passage:

"I remember, years later, his describing to me the effect of the sudden view you get of Nanga Parbat from one of those Kashmir valleys; you have been riding for hours among quiet richly wooded scenery, winding up along the side of some kind of gorge, with nothing very big to look at, just lush, leafy, pussy-cat country of steep hillsides and waterfalls; then suddenly you come round a corner where the view opens up the valley, and you are almost struck senseless by the blinding splendour of that vast face of ice-hung precipices and soaring ridges, sixteen thousand feet from top to toe, filling a whole quarter of the heavens at a distance of, I suppose, only a dozen miles. And now, whenever I call to mind my first sight of Lessingham in that little daleside church so many years ago, I think of Nanga Parbat." (Mistress of Mistresses, 1935, p.2-3)

Jonathan Neale wrote a book about the 1934 climbing season on Nanga Parbat called Tigers of the Snow. He interviewed many old Sherpas, including Ang Tsering, the last man off Nanga Parbat alive in 1934. The book attempts to narrate what went wrong on the expedition, set against mountaineering history of the early twentieth century, the background of German politics in the 1930s, and the hardship and passion of life in the Sherpa valleys.[36]

Movies

Nanga Parbat is a movie by Joseph Vilsmaier about the 1970 expedition of brothers Günther Messner and Reinhold Messner.[37]

Donald Shebib's 1986 film The Climb covers the story of Hermann Buhl making the first ascent.[38] Seven Years in Tibet features Nanga parbat.

Comics

Nanda Parbat is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe, patterned after the fictional Shangri-La and the real Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.

Nearby peaks

Rakhiot Peak

Chongra Peak

Mazeno Peak

Rupal Peak

Laila Peak (Rupal Valley)

Shaigiri

#urdu #shayari #poetry #Sad by BASEER CH

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Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan - April 2008 by Saffy H

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The Badshahi Mosque (Urdu: بادشاھی مسجد), or the 'Emperor's Mosque', was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of the city's best known landmarks, and a major tourist attraction epitomising the beauty and grandeur of the Mughal era.

Capable of accommodating over 55,000 worshipers, it is the second largest mosque in Pakistan, after the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. The architecture and design of the Badshahi Masjid is closely related to the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, which was built in 1648 by Aurangzeb's father and predecessor, emperor Shah Jahan.

Badshahi Masjid is one of the locations where Qari' Abdul Basit recited the Qur'an.[citation needed] The Imam-e-Kaaba (Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Al-Sudais of Saudi Arabia) has also led prayers in this mosque in 2007.

The mosque was built under the patronage of the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb Alamgir. It was completed in 1673 under the supervision of Aurangzeb's foster brother Muzaffar Hussain (also known as Fidaie Khan Koka) who was appointed governor of Lahore in May 1671 and held this post until 1675. He was also Master of Ordnance to the emperor. The construction of the mosque took about two years from May 1671 to April 1673. The mosque was built opposite the Lahore Fort, illustrating its stature in the Mughal Empire. In conjunction with the building of the mosque, a new gate was built at the fort, named Alamgiri Gate after the Emperor.

Badshahi Mosque was badly damaged and was misused during Sikh Rule. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the mosque was used as a stable for the army's horses.[1][2] They also would steal the jewels from the mosque, such as marble, rubies, gold, and other valuables. Muslims were not allowed to enter the mosque to worship; they were only given a small place outside the mosque where they could worship.

Even when the British took control of India, they would use the mosque for their military practices by using the mosque for gun practices, cannons, etc. Even when they sensed Muslim hate for the British, they demolished a large portion of the wall of the mosque so the Muslims could not use it as a kind of "fort" for anti-British reasons. After a while, they finally returned it to the Muslims as a good will gesture even though it was in terrible condition. It was then given to Badshahi Mosque Authority to restore it to its original glory.

From 1852 onwards, piecemeal repairs were carried out under the supervision of the Badshahi Mosque Authority. Extensive repairs were carried out from 1939 to 1960 at a cost of about 4.8 million rupees, which brought the mosque to its original shape and condition. The blueprint for the repairs was prepared by the late architect Nawab Zen Yar Jang Bahadur.

In 2000, the repair work of marble inlay in the main vault was repaired under the supervision of Saleem Anjum Qureshi.

On the occasion of the second Islamic Summit held at Lahore on February 22, 1974, thirty-nine heads of Muslim states offered their Friday prayers in the Badshahi Masjid, led by Maulana Abdul Qadir Azad, the 'Khatib' of the mosque.

Recently a small museum has also been added to the mosque complex. It contains relics of Muhammad (peace be upon him), his cousin Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and his daughter, Hazrat Fatima Zahra (may Allah be pleased with her). On August 14, 1947, the Pakistani people celebrated their independence from the British command.

Pakistan(Urdu: "land of the pure"), a country of 160 million people, is now the second most populous country in the Muslim world.

Hailed as the country's cultural capital, Lahore – also known as the "Heart of Pakistan" – is rich with many examples of Moghul architecture.[3]

Like the character of its founder, the mosque is bold, vast and majestic in its expression. It was the largest mosque in the world for a long time.

The interior has rich embellishment in stucco tracery (Manbatkari) and paneling with a fresco touch, all in bold relief, as well as marble inlay.

The exterior is decorated with stone carving as well as marble inlay on red sandstone, specially of loti form motifs in bold relief. The embellishment has Indo-Greek, Central Asian and Indian architectural influence both in technique and motifs.

The skyline is furnished by beautiful ornamental merlons inlaid with marble lining adding grace to the perimeter of the mosque. In its various architectural features like the vast square courtyard, the side aisles (dalans), the four corner minars, the projecting central transept of the prayer chamber and the grand entrance gate, is summed up the history of development of mosque architecture of the Muslim world over the thousand years prior to its construction in 1673.

The north enclosure wall of the mosque was laid close to the Ravi River bank, so a majestic gateway could not be provided on that side and, to keep the symmetry the gate had to be omitted on the south wall as well. Thus a four aiwan plan like the earlier Delhi Jamia Masjid could not be adopted here.

The walls were built with small kiln-burnt bricks laid in kankar, lime mortar (a kind of hydraulic lime) but have a veneer of red sandstone. The steps leading to the prayer chamber and its plinth are in variegated marble.

The prayer chamber is very deep and is divided into seven compartments by rich engraved arches carried on very heavy piers. Out of the seven compartments, three double domes finished in marble have superb curvature, whilst the rest have curvilinear domes with a central rib in their interior and flat roof above. In the eastern front aisle, the ceiling of the compartment is flat (Qalamdani) with a curved border (ghalatan) at the cornice level.

The original floor of the courtyard was laid with small kiln-burnt bricks laid in the Mussalah pattern. The present red sandstone flooring was laid during the last thorough repairs (1939-60). Similarly, the original floor of the prayer chamber was in cut and dressed bricks with marble and Sang-i-Abri lining forming Mussalah and was also replaced by marble Mussalah during the last repairs.

There are only two inscriptions in the mosque:

•one on the gateway

•the other of Kalimah in the prayer chamber under the main high vault.

•Courtyard: 528'-8" x 528'-4" (Area: 278,784 ft2), divided into two levels: the upper and the lower. In the latter, funeral prayers can also be offered.

•Prayer Chamber: 275'-8" x 83'-7" x 50'-6" high, with its main vault 37'-3" x 59'-4" high but with the merlons 74'-6". (Area: 22,825 ft2)

•Corner Minars: 67' in circumference, 176'-4" high are in four stages and have a contained staircase with 204 steps.

•Central Dome: Diameter 65' at bottom (at bulging 70'-6"); height 49'; pinnacle 24 ft and neck 15 ft high.

•Side Domes: Diameter 51'-6" (at bulging 54'-2"); height 32 ft; pinnacle 19 ft; neck 9'-6" high.

•Gateway: 66'-7" x 62'-10" x 65 high including domelets; vault 21'-6" x 32'-6" high. Its three sided approach steps are 22 in number.

•Side aisles (Dalans): 80 in number. Height above floor 23'-9"; plinth 2'-7".

•Central Tank: 50' x 50' x 3' deep (Area: 2,500 ft2)

Hingol National Park in Las Bela, Balochistan - January 2011 by Saffy H

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Very few people have seen the Hingol National Park in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Its nearest approach is from Karachi. Most visitors tend to go to the Hinglaj temple, an important sight for Hindu pilgrims but we managed to go deep into the national park with the Offroad pakistan who have made numerous visits there. Their website is worth a look :- offroadpakistan.com/

Hingol National Park or Hungol National Park (Urdu: ہنگول) is the largest of National Parks of Pakistan. It is on the Makran coast in Balochistan and is approximately 190 km from Karachi. The area was declared reserved in 1988.[1]

The park area covers parts of the three districts: Lasbela, Gwadar and Owaran of Balochistan province. It contains a variety of topographical features and vegetation, varying from arid sub tropical forest in the north to arid montane in the west. Large tracts of the NP are covered with drift sand and can be classified as coastal semi desert. The National Park includes the estuary of the Hingol river which supports a significant diversity of bird and fish species.

Currently, 20 staff members including 18 game watchers, two deputy rangers are responsible for the management of the Park under the guidance of the park Manager who reports to the Conservator and the Secretary Wildlife, Forest, Livestock, Environment and Tourism.

The shrine of Devi Hinglaj, the holiest among the 51 Shakti Peeths of Hinduism is situated in the park. It is a 15km trek from the main road. There is also a dirt track that leads to the site. Several thousand pilgrims visit the shrine each year.

Detailed inventories of wildlife were undertaken in 2006 and will be completed in the first half of 2007. Hingol is known to support at least 35 species of mammals, 65 species of amphibians and reptiles and 185 species of birds. Some 250 plant species were recorded in the initial surveys including 7 yet undescribed species. Many more species are yet to be collected.

The park forms an excellent habitat to wild Sindh Ibex, Afghan Urial and Chinkara Gazelle. Ibex is found in all steep mountain ranges and numerous in the Hinglaj and Rodani Kacho Mountain areas. Total population is estimated over 3000. The Urial populations are small and occur in isolated populations. The Machi and Upper Pachhri Mountains harbour the largest populations. Total population is less than 1000. The Chinkara occurs in good numbers along the great rivers (Nal-Hingol, Arra, Babro-Mar) in the Northern Plains and in the Harian and Maniji-Gurangatti valley areas. Elsewhere populations have been extirpated are very low. The total populations are preliminary estimated between 800-1200.

The Hingol River banks, estuary and mudflats forms an important habitat for migratory birds. About 40% of the bird species is related to water habitats. Migratory birds listed to visit Hingol include Dalmatian and Spot-billed Pelican, Sociable Plover, Spoonbills, Black Ibis, Black and White Stork. The Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) visits the plains and valleys.

The River Hingol has been nurturing crocodiles for centuries. The Marsh Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) occurs over large areas along the Hingol-Nal and some tributaries up to more than 100 km inland. The total population is about 50. There are several beaches along the more than 100 km coastline, however few tirtles visit the beaches nowadays. Historical records includes Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) and Green Marine Turtles (Chelonia mydas). The vulnerable Spiny Tail Lizard (Uromastyx hardwickii) a mainly vegetarian lizard finds its most western distribution in Hingol.

Mammals in the park include Leopard, Jungle Cat, Caracal and Indian Desert Cat, Indian Fox, Bengal Fox and Sand Fox, Golden Jackal, Sindh Ibex, Afghan Urial, Chinkara Gazelle, Honey Badger, Indian Pangolin, Hedgehog (probably more than one species), Indian Crested Porcupine, Indian Grey Mongoose, Five striped Palm Squirrel, Wild Boar, Cape Hare and Desert Hare, Cairo Spiny mouse, Grey Spiny Mouse, Persian Jird, Indian Desert Jird and Libyian Jird, House Mouse, Roof Rat, and Mouse like Hamster. Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) and Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are on the brink of extinction. The Leopard and Caracal populations are low.

The park has very few caves/ grottos, including one in the Dhrun Mountains with a bat population.

Birds in the park include Houbara Bustard, Dalmatian and Spot-billed Pelican, Bonnelli's eagle, Imperial eagle, Tawny eagle, Golden eagle, Eurasian griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, Cinereous vulture, Lagger falcon, Red-headed merlin, Kestrel, Close-Barred sandgrouse, Grey partridge, See See partridge, Stone Curlew, Indian sand grouse, Coronetted sand grouse, Painted sand grouse, Eagle owl, Sind pied woodpecker, Hume's chat, Brown rock pipit, Striped buning, Finche larks, Hoopoe, Shrikes and Wheatears.

The Marsh Crocodile, Olive Ridley and Green Marine Turtles, Desert Monitor lizard, Yellow Monitor lizard, and different species of lizard and chameleon have been found in the park.

The government is all set to slice land off the Hingol National Park, the country’s largest, as the Pakistan Air Force and another defence-related organisation eye the prized real estate near the estuary whose value is likely to increase phenomenally once the Gwadar port starts functioning.

Sources in the Balochistan revenue department told Dawn that while the PAF has asked for around 80,000 acres (320 km²), including 23,000 acres (93 km²) in the national park, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission’s demand is for eight mauzas. [2]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hingol_National_Park

Hingol National Park in Las Bela, Balochistan, Pakistan - January 2011 by Saffy H

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