The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the "Old City", or "Anderoon Shehr", is the section of Lahore that was fortified by a city wall during the Mughal era. Much of the wall remains intact today and is a popular tourist spot in Lahore.

Our search for the origins of the original Lahore has immense twists and turns. It's time period can be anything starting 2,000 BC onwards... at least carbon dating evidence of archaeological findings in the Lahore Fort do suggest this time period.

We learn from various sources that Lahore had many names, all of which changed over time. But the one name that does warrant research is 'kacha kot'.

One of the two most probably sites of the 'original' Lahore is Mohallah Maulian. Let us explore this area in this brief piece. If we focus on Sootar Mandi - the yarn market - inside Lohari Gate, we can get a feel of what we are looking for. Sootar Mandi was once called Mohallah Chaileywala Hammam, and is located in what was once called Machli Hatta Gulzar, which is just off Chowk Chalka, Lahore's original red-light area.

As late as 1864, according to one source quoting Mufti Tajuddin, son of the well-known Mufti Imamuddin, the Lohari Mandi area was known among the old folk of the Walled City as 'kacha kot' - the mud fort. Why was this area called a 'mud fort' when we know that the original walls of the Lahore Fort, before Akbar the Great's days, were also made of mud? This is the question that must be explored.

To determine this it is important that one visits the old Walled City, observe the gradient of the land, the water (nullah's act as excellent guides of gradient and direction) flow and observe how 'mohallahs' and 'kuchas' and 'kattrahs' are structured. Standing at Chowk Sootar Mandi, if you observe the curve of Gali Pir Bola as it merges with Waachowali Bazaar, and then also the Lohari Bazaar where it merges with Chowk Lohari Mandi, and, lastly, where Chowk Mati where it merges with Papar Mandi, you can well imagine. If you close your eyes and transport yourself 3,500 years back, a small mud fort with a small dwelling. The setting is perfect. Once you open your eyes, it is time to observe, or look for, some evidence of a mud fort.

If you walk along Lohari Bazaar, just a short distance from Chowk Chakla (Imagine, this beautiful name has been changed to a pious Chowk Bokhari!) to the right you will see the street open a little, for on the right is a half-buried archway of 'pucca' bricks and mud. Could this be from the era when Lahore was a mud fort? The evidence certainly does suggest that this could be an archway, or gateway, of the small original 'kacha kot' way back in time, a place that was to grow one day to become Lahore.

It is also possible, for we must not exclude any possibility, that this was the famous mud fort that was built by Malik Ayaz, the very first Muslim governor of Lahore. This is very probably because it is recorded history that Lohari Gate was the main entrance to Ayaz's mud fort. So no matter how you analyze recorded evidence, one thing is for sure, and that is that Chowk Sootar Mandi was one important centre of Kacha Kot. The lay of the streets also suggest the boundaries.

In an earlier piece we had followed a similar theory, and come up with the proposition that during the times of Mughal Emperor Akbar, the original wall of the Walled City of Lahore was, on the western side, to the right of Bazaar Hakeeman in Bhati Gate, and on the eastern side to the left of Shahalam Gate, which then curved eastwards and formed a 'kidney shaped' city that depended on the flow of the curving River Ravi. Thus the Lahore of the 'kacha kot' era has continued to expand in three major leaps of expansion, each with an almost 400-year gap. The eras of Raja Jaipal of Akbar and of Maharajah Ranjit Singh mark the high points of this expansion.

But the expanding bubble definitely has its origins in three factors, they being (a) the way the Ravi has flown and how and when it has been changing its course, (b) the existence of the Lahore Fort and how power has flowed from the rulers, and (c) the manner in which the population and economy of the old original Walled City has changed over time, grown, or even shrunk, depending of invasions, droughts and famines in the countryside. The story of 'kacha kot' has been determined by these factors.

When walking through these streets, it is not hard to make out that the oldest buildings in the entire Walled City exist in this area. As one passes the old exquisite mosque known even now as Masjid Kohana Hammam Chaileywala, one is reminded that the area was named similarly once. There must have been a huge 'hammam' here once. The tomb of Pir Bola exists after which is named the 'gali'.

It is sad that we tend to change the names of streets and areas, and even cities, at the drop of a hat as if to stamp some sort of moral authority on time. All rulers love to block out history. It would be best to let history rest and emerge as times dictate. It would not be a bad idea to declare the entire Walled City as a protected area. Let us keep for the future the little that is left of 'kacha kot' - the mud fort that ultimately became the Walled City of Lahore.

The "Akbari Gate" is named after the great Mughal emperor Akbar who rebuilt the town and citadel. Close to this gate the Emperor also founded a market, which is named after him "Akbari Mandi" (Akbari Market). It is the biggest retail market of Lahore, in which food grains of all kinds are available.

It is named after the Bhattis, an ancient Rajput tribe, which invaded the quarters in old times. The "Bhati Gate" entrance is located on the western wall of the old city. It is one of the two oldest entry points into the Walled City which controlled the only major north-south thoroughfare during Ghaznavid period. When the Emperor Akbar expanded the city eastward and divided it into nine districts or Guzars, Bhati Gate and its bazar marked the boundary between Guzar Mubarak Khan (east) and Guzar Talwarra (west). The area inside the gate is well known throughout the city for its food. Just outside of "Bhati Gate" is the Data Durbar, the mausoleum of the Sufi saint Ali Hajweri (also known as Data Sahib Ganjbaksh). Every Thursday evening musicians gather here to perform Qawwali music.

The most popular market here is the Hakiman wali bazar as the name suggests there are a number of Hakim shops here. A museum is also located near Bhatti gate, where there are a number of ancient remains of different old times.

Old house of famous poet and philosopher (Allama Mohammad Iqbal ) is also located in Bhatti gate. He used to live here when he was doing his graduation. An old school named Victorian school is also located here; it is given the name Victoria after the name of Queen Victoria. People of Bhatti gate are lively and they love to eat heavy and good food mainly Sri pai, halva puri and lasi. The favorite sport among the people here is wrestling. Famous wrestler Kala Maro also belongs to Bhatti gate.

Delhi Gate was built during the Mughal period and is one of thirteen gates of the Inner City. The Delhi gate is named as Delhi gate because of its opening on the high road from Delhi to Lahore. The gate suffered many incidents during the riots during independence. However, the gate has been renovated and today is in its former glory.

The area near the gate is a historical place, in which a number of old buildings, havelis and markets are located. The Wazir Khan Mosque can be accessed from this gate. A big cloth market is located around Delhi gate. It is a big retail market of clothes. A variety of other shops are also located near the Delhi gate, known as "Chota bazar".

The "Kashmiri Gate" faces the direction of Kashmir. Inside there is a shopping area called "Kashmiri Bazaar". A big retail market of children shoes is located in this gate. There is a big beautiful girl's college is also located here. This college is built in an old haveli of a shah which is a beautiful example of Mughal architecture.

The "Lohari Gate" is very close to "Bhati Gate" and it was built, like many other gates, to keep the enemies out. When Malik Ayaz rebuilt the city during the time of Mahmud, the quarter of the city first populated was about this gate, which together with Lahori mandi was named after the city.

Lahori and the bazaar behind it comprise the oldest arterial route in the Walled City built by Akbar the great. Qutbuddin Aibak, the first muslim ruler of the Subcontinent is buried just outside this gate. Caravans & travelers coming from Multan used to enter the city from this gate. Behind Lohari Gate also, once stood a brick fort called Kacha Kot probably the first fortified city of Lahore founded by Malik Ayyaz. Among the few city gates, which British Government cared to reconstruct, only Lohari Gate retained its original form. During Mughal period, the two famous divisions of the Walled City, namely Guzar Bahar Khan and Guzar Machhi Hatta, were served by this Gate. During the anarchic rule of the 18th century, all the city gates, except Lohari Gate & two others were walled up.

Now, it is surrounded by shops and has significance of great architecture. In Urdu "loha" means "iron" and the gate is named Lohari because many lohars (blacksmiths) had their workshops just outside this gate. A beautiful mosque named as Muslim Masjid is also located near this gate. Biggest optical market of Lahore is also located here. Many flower shops are situated here, in which flowers of every kind and specie are available. The people here are co-operative and lively. They love to eat heavy food

Masti Gate is located within Walled City of Lahore in Lahore. The "Masti" name comes from the word "masjidi", relating to a mosque. The mosque of Mariam Makhani, the mother of Akbar, is in its immediate vicinity. It is located on the east side of the fort. The area of the city named after it is known for its many wholesale shoe sellers. Wholesale shoe sellers, or both traditional and Western style shoes dominate this area. Further down the street is located one of the city's oldest mosques, the Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum, named after the mother of Jahangir, Mariyam Zamani.

The people here love to eat heavy food and there are many shops of foodstuffs located here. Milk shops of this area are very famous and the milk available here is full of taste as they add many things to it, which make its taste a lot better then the original milk.

The "Mochi Gate" is a historical gate build during the Mughal period. It is located at the entrance of Mochi Bagh. There is also a bazaar around the Mochi gate.

According to a legend it is named so after the name of Pandit Moti Ram, an officer of Akbar, a guard of the gate during the Mughal era, who guarded and looked after the gate all his life and who resided here at that time. Later on, the name was distorted and became Mochi.

Now the bazaar around the Mochi gate is renowned for its dry fruits, kites and fireworks. Mochi gate is also the entrance to the Mochi Bagh (Mochi garden). All renowned leaders of Pakistan and pre-independent era have delivered speeches here.

The most popular place of Mochi gate is the Lal Haveli. Mochi gate is known to be the "Heart of the Lahore city". It is the biggest political place of Lahore and many political processions have taken place here.
The people of this area love to fly kites. Among the foods available here "Kabab's“ of this area are a real specialty.

The "Mori Gate" is the smallest of the gates of the walled city. It was an outlet for the refused, waste and disposal material and sweepings of the city. It is known for its big fish market and surgical goods, that is the biggest surgical market of Lahore. Another specialty of this gate is furniture polish commonly known as "Lakh". It is the best polish for wooden furniture and the one produced here is known for its quality. People of this gate love to fly kites, and a big kite market is also located here. During the Basant season there is a tough competition among the shopkeepers about the quality and sale of kites.

The Roshnai Gate is located in North within Walled City of Lahore in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The "Roshnai Gate", also known as the "Gate of Lights", is located between the Lahore Fort and the Badshahi Mosque. As the gate was one of the main entrances into the city, Umarahs, courtiers, royal servants and retinues constantly visited it. In the evenings, the gate was lit up, hence its name. The gate was also referred to as the "Gate of Splendour". It is the only gate which is in good condition and retains its original looks. The gate has extraordinary height and width because it was designed for the passage of the Emperor's caravan of elephants.

There is a very famous gali / street commonly known as the shahi mahala. The name shahi has been given after the Shahi Qila. People living here are simple. There are various food shops located around the gate. Now-a-days people are making good use of gate as they have established a public call office under the gate.

The "Shahalmi Gate" is named after the one of the sons of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Shah Alam I. However, before his death, the gate was called the "Bherwala Gate". During independence, the gate was burnt and only the names exist today. Today one of the biggest commercial markets, named "Shah Alam Market", exists near the gate.

This is the biggest electronic market in Lahore. This is the known to be the biggest retail market of electronic goods. Rang Mehal is situated in this gate and in Rang Mehal "Sua bazar" is located which is well known for its jewelry shops.

The Sonheri Masjid is also located in this area, the name soneri has been given to the Mosque as the tombs of this beautiful mosque are Golden (sonehri) in color. Lal Masjid is also located in this area. The ‘Kulfis’ of this area are really delicious in taste and are very famous among the Lahoris. 'Pokoras' of this area are well known for their taste and quality.

The Khizri Gate or Sheranwala Gate, located within Walled City of Lahore, is one of the four gates which once opened on the riverfront north of the Walled City. The river in former times followed by the city walls and the ferry was near this part. It was named after Khawaja Khizr, the patron saint of running waters and rivers. The Gate & its neighbourhood were so named because there was a ferry on the River Ravi in front of it. This gate was made by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It is also known as Sheranwala Darwaza or "gate of the lions" because Ranjit Singh is said to have kept two lions in cages in front of this gate as a symbolic gesture to warn any invader. The Italian traveler Niccola Mannuchi, who visited Lahore in 1667, has named it as Qadri Gate but gives no reason for this.

The "Taxali Gate", also known as the Taxal, or Royal mint, was built in its neighborhood during the period of the Mughals.

There is a very famous shoe market located here known as Sheikupurian Bazar. There are a variety of foodstuffs available in and around this gate. In which most famous are Sri Pai of Fazal Din commonly known as " Phaja". Among sweet stores Taj Mehal and Shahbudin Halwi are famous.

The "Yakki Gate" was named after the martyr saint called "Zakki". The original name "Zaki," was a martyr that fell fighting against the Mughal invaders "Tataraies“ from the north, while defending his city.

Zaki Pir fought them with great courage and bravery. During the fight his head was cut off from his body at the gate but his body kept on fighting for some time, and at last fell in the quarter of the city closed by. One tomb of this great saint is build where his head fell and the other tomb is where his body fell.

There is school for blinds situated near Yakki Gate. There are a number of havelis located in and around the gate. A number of temples are also located in and around Yakki Gate.

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