View source for Minar-e-Pakistan

{{Short description|Monument in Lahore, Pakistan}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox historic building
| name             = Minar-e-Pakistan
| native_name      = {{nq|مینارِ پاکستان}}
| status           = National Tower of Pakistan
| alternate_names = Pakistan Day Memorial <br /> Tower of Pakistan <br/> Yadgar-e-Pakistan
| image            = Minar e Pakistan 2021.jpg
| location         = [[Lahore]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]]
| address          = [[Greater Iqbal Park]], Circular Road
| coordinates      = {{coord|31.5925|74.3095|region:PK_source:dewiki|display=inline,title}}
| architectural_style = [[Minaret]], [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]], [[Modern architecture|Modern]]
| start_date       =  {{Start date and age|1960|03|23|df=yes}}
| completion_date  =  {{Start date and age|1968|03|22|df=yes}}
| architect        = [[Nasreddin Murat-Khan]]
| map_type         = Pakistan Lahore#Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan
| map_caption      = Location within [[Lahore]]##Location within Punjab##Location within Pakistan
| building_type    = Public monument
| antenna_spire    = 
| roof             = {{convert|70|m|ft}}<!--see Pakistan Today and BBC Urdu news articles-->
| structural_engineer = 
| services_engineer = 
| main_contractor  = Mian Abdul Khaliq
}}
'''Minar-e-Pakistan''' ({{langx|ur|{{nq|مینارِ پاکستان}}|Mīnār-e-Pākistān}}; {{lit|Tower of Pakistan}}) is a [[Monument|public monument]] [[tower]] located in [[Lahore]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]]. The tower stands in the [[Greater Iqbal Park]], an urban park in Lahore.<ref name="Khan">{{Cite journal|last=Khan|first=Ahmed Z.|date=2013-03-01|title=On Design and Politics of Co-producing Public Space: The Long Marches and the Reincarnation of the 'Forecourt' of the Pakistani Nation|url=http://openurl.ingenta.com/content/xref?genre=article&issn=2045-5895&volume=2&issue=1&spage=125|journal=International Journal of Islamic Architecture|language=en|volume=2|issue=1|pages=136–138 |doi=10.1386/ijia.2.1.125_1|s2cid=152739234 |hdl=2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/154812|hdl-access=free}}</ref> The tower was built during 1960–1968 on the site where on 23 March 1940, the [[All-India Muslim League]] passed the [[Lahore Resolution]] which was later called the Pakistan Resolution – the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the [[Muslim]]s of [[British India]], as espoused by the [[two-nation theory]]. The resolution eventually helped lead to the creation of Pakistan in [[Independence of Pakistan|1947]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Talbot |first1=Ian |title=Pakistan, A Modern History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZBs0HdpKuaQC |date=1998 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |location=New York |isbn=978-03-12-21606-1 |page=66 |quote=Just north of the massive Alamgiri gate of Akbar's [[Lahore Fort]], the 1960s modernist concrete structure of the Minar-e-Pakistan rises from its flower vase like base in Iqbal Park. It marks the place where the Pakistan resolution was passed on 23 March 1940 at the Annual Session of the All-India Muslim League (AIML).}}</ref><ref name="Dawn" />

==Construction==
[[File:FoundationStone-Minar-e-Pakistan.png|thumb|left|150px|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<ref name="Dawn" /><ref name="Rifat" /> at an estimated cost of seven million [[Pakistani rupee|Pakistani rupees]].<ref name="BBC" /> The money was collected by imposing an additional tax on cinema and horse racing tickets at the demand of the governor.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=مینارِ پاکستان: قراردادِ لاہور کی یادگار جس کی تعمیر کی رقم سینما گھروں اور گھڑ دوڑ کی ٹکٹوں سے جمع کی گئی  |trans-title=Minar-e-Pakistan: A monument to the Lahore Resolution, built with money raised from cinema and horse racing tickets |url=https://www.bbc.com/urdu/pakistan-57966829 |access-date=24 March 2025 |work=[[BBC Urdu]] |date=26 July 2021 |language=ur}}</ref>

Mian Abdul Khaliq was assigned as the main contractor for the project.<ref name="Rifat">{{cite news |last1=Rifat |first1=M. Zahid |title=Revisiting Minar-i-Pakistan |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/03/17/revisiting-minar-i-pakistan/ |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=[[Pakistan Today]] |date=17 March 2022}}</ref> [[Mukhtar Masood]], a well-known writer and the then–deputy commissioner of Lahore, was one of the members who undertook important role for the completion of the project.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Parekh |first1=Rauf |author-link=Rauf Parekh|title=Literary Notes: Mukhtar Masood: a stylish and patriotic prose writer of Urdu |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1327610 |work=Dawn |date=18 April 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

==Design==
[[File:Minar-e-Pakistan by ZILL NIAZI 3.jpg|thumb|The monument sits atop a plinth.]]
The tower reflects a blend of [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]], [[Islamic architecture|Islamic]] and modern architecture.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Devji |first1=Faisal |author-link=Faisal Devji |title=An Elephant in the Room |journal=[[Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East]] |date=2019 |volume=39 |issue=1 |page=229 |doi=10.1215/1089201X-7493931 |publisher=Duke University Press |quote=...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.}}</ref><ref name="Pakistan Today">{{Cite news |title=Minar-e-Pakistan: Re-living history |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/03/24/minar-e-pakistan-re-living-history/ |work=[[Pakistan Today]] |date=24 March 2019 |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408033516/https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/03/24/minar-e-pakistan-re-living-history/ |archive-date=8 April 2019}}</ref> The tower was designed and supervised by, [[Nasreddin Murat-Khan]], a Russian-born Pakistani [[architect]] and [[civil engineer]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Khan|first=Ahmed Z.|date=2013-03-01|title=On Design and Politics of Co-producing Public Space: The Long Marches and the Reincarnation of the 'Forecourt' of the Pakistani Nation|url=http://openurl.ingenta.com/content/xref?genre=article&issn=2045-5895&volume=2&issue=1&spage=125|journal=International Journal of Islamic Architecture|language=en|volume=2|issue=1|pages=125–156|doi=10.1386/ijia.2.1.125_1|s2cid=152739234 |hdl=2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/154812|hdl-access=free |quote=Quote: The Minar-e-Pakistan, completed in 1968, was meant to commemorate the historic space where the ‘Lahore Resolution’ – that spelled out the idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent – was tabled and accepted in 1940. Murat Khan, a Lahore-based architect of central Asian and Turkish origins, was appointed as the designer...}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Remembrance: The man behind the masterpiece|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/859634/remembrance-the-man-behind-the-masterpiece |date=22 March 2009 |access-date=5 December 2012|newspaper=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|author=Meral Murat Khan}}</ref> 

The tower stands on a five-pointed star-shaped platform that is enclosed by two crescent-shaped pools facing each other. One crescent pool is lined with red marble, the other is lined with green marble. The lower portion of the tower itself is shaped into a flower.<ref name="Khan" /><ref name="Dawn" /> The area surrounding the monument is covered with flowers.

=== Structure ===
[[File:Top Aerial View of Minar e Pakistan.jpg|thumb|The structure as seen from the above]]
Construction material of the tower is chiefly of reinforced concrete alongwith work of marble and stones on the floors, walls and upstairs.<ref name="Khan" /> The small dome on the top is made of steel with a pinnacle. The base of the tower rises {{convert|8|m}} from the ground while the tower stands at a height of {{convert|62|m}} on the base. This makes the total height of the tower around {{convert|70|m}} above the ground.<ref name="Pakistan Today" /> The ten unfolding petals of the flower-like base are {{convert|9|m}} high. The circular diameter of the tower is about {{convert|97.5|m}}.<ref name="Dawn" /> The rostrum is built of patterned tiles, and faces the Mughal-era [[Badshahi Mosque]]. The base consists of four platforms that are made of different types of marble and stones. 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. The polished white marble used in the fourth and final platform of the base depicts the success of the [[Pakistan Movement]].<ref name="Dawn">{{Cite news |last=Jamal |first=Amna Nasir |date=March 23, 2002 |title=The Pakistan Day memorial |pages=Dawn Young World |work=Dawn |url=http://www.dawn.com/weekly//yworld/archive/020323/yworld4.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=12 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328210349/http://www.dawn.com/weekly//yworld/archive/020323/yworld4.htm |archive-date=March 28, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Adnan |first1=Imran |title=Minar-e-Pakistan gets major facelift |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1215587/years-construction-minar-e-pakistan-gets-major-facelift |date=30 October 2016 |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref> The structure uses the imagery of crescents, stars and signs that symbolise the culture of Pakistan, similarly seen in the [[Flag of Pakistan|national flag of the country]].<ref name="Khan" />
=== Inscriptions ===
{{multiple image
| align = right
| width1 = 110
| image1 = Inside View of Minar-e-Pakistan - 3.jpg
| caption1  =A view of base of the structure
| width2 = 111
| image2 = Inside View of Minar-e-Pakistan.jpg
| caption2 = Texts over marble plaques
}}
At the base, there are floral inscriptions on ten converging [[white marble]] [[commemorative plaque]]s. The inscriptions include the text of the Lahore Resolution in [[Urdu]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and English, as well as the [[Delhi Resolution]]'s text,<ref name="Dawn" /> which was passed on 9 April 1946. On different plaques, [[Qur'an|Quranic verses]] and [[Names of God in the Qur'an|99 names of Allah]] are inscribed in the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] [[calligraphy]]. Other important inscriptions included on the monument are the [[Qaumi Tarana|national anthem of the country]] in Urdu and Bengali, excerpts from the speeches of [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] in Urdu, Bengali and English; and a few [[couplets]] written by [[Muhammad Iqbal]].<ref name="Dawn" />

==Significance==
Minar-e-Pakistan is considered the [[National symbols of Pakistan|national emblem of Pakistan]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems|first=James|last=Minahan|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|page=141}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=National Symbols of Pakistan |url=http://www.nationalheritage.gov.pk/nationalsymbols.html |publisher=Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage – Government of Pakistan |archive-date=27 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827084404/http://nationalheritage.gov.pk/nationalsymbols.html}}</ref> and an expression of [[post-colonial]] national identity.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}
=== Notable visits and events===
On 21 February 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).<ref>{{cite book|title=Relations of NDA and UPA with Neighbours|last1=Singh |first1=Rajkumar |pages=80–81|year=2010 |publisher=Gyan Publishing House |isbn=978-81-21-21060-7}}</ref> Vajpayee's visit was compared to [[Nixon's visit to China]] in terms of significance.<ref>{{cite book|title=Trusting Enemies: Interpersonal Relationships in International Conflict|pages=128, 211|first=Nicholas J.|last=Wheeler |author-link=Nicholas J. Wheeler|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2018|isbn=978-01-99-69647-5}}</ref>

On 9 September 2012, the erstwhile Indian Minister for External Affairs [[S. M. Krishna]] with Indian High Commissioner [[Sharat Sabharwal]], also made a visit to the monument. Krishna wrote his remarks in visitors album of the monument.<ref>{{cite news |title=SM Krishna visits 'Minar-e-Pakistan' |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-sm-krishna-visits-minar-e-pakistan-1738757 |access-date=23 April 2025 |work=[[DNA India]] |date=9 September 2012 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Krishna visits Lahore monument |url=https://www.dawn.com/2012/09/10/krishna-visits-lahore-monument/ |access-date=23 April 2025 |work=Dawn |date=10 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911011548/https://www.dawn.com/2012/09/10/krishna-visits-lahore-monument/ |archive-date=11 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The location is often used for political and religious events. It is also known as the "Liberty Tower of Pakistan". The monument has served as the location for a number of rallies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-93467-PTI-to-stage-rally-at-Minar-e-Pakistan-today- |title=PTI to stage rally at Minar-e-Pakistan today |work=The News International |date=23 March 2013}}</ref> The rallies have often caused damage to the surrounding flora, according to the [[Parks and Horticulture Authority]]. In 2014, the Government of Punjab considered banning any large political or non-political gatherings.<ref>{{cite news|title=City diary : Govt mulls banning public rallies at Minar-i-Pakistan |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1146706 |date=25 November 2014 |publisher=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]}}</ref> In the past, the tower was used to provide a panoramic view to visitors who could access the top by climbing up the spiral stairs or using an elevator. However, this facility was later withdrawn due to a few suicide incidents.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hanif |first1=Intikhab |title=A park in search of a resolution |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/238767/a-park-in-search-of-a-resolution |access-date=24 March 2025 |work=Dawn |date=23 March 2007 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Man jumps from Minar-i-Pakistan |url=https://beta.dawn.com/news/99485/man-jumps-from-minar-i-pakistan |access-date=24 March 2025 |work=Dawn |date=29 April 2003 |language=en}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Minar-e-Pakistan Damn cruze DSC 0127a.jpg|View from the Greater Iqbal Park
File:The Minar-e-Pakistan.jpg|A lit view of the monument in 2014
File:Minar e pakistan in blue sky with shadow.jpg|A view under cloudy sky with shadow on the marble floor
File:Minar-e-Pakistan by ZILL NIAZI 2.jpg|An aerial view
File:Shahi Mosque 10.jpg|The richly framed by an aisle arch
File:Minar-E-Pakistan Lights.jpg|The tower lit during special events
File:Minar e Pakistan night image.jpg|At night
File:Minar-e-Pakistan01.jpg|Another night view
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Pakistan Monument]]
* [[List of parks and gardens in Lahore]]
* [[List of parks and gardens in Pakistan]]

== Bibliography ==
* State of Human Rights in Pakistan. Pakistan, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 2004.
*{{cite book |last1=Chaudhry |first1=Nazir A. |title=Lahore: Glimpses of a Glorious Heritage |year=1998 |publisher=[[Sang-e-Meel Publications]] |location=Lahore |isbn=978-96-93-50944-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIPjAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{cite book |last1=Nadiem |first1=Ihsan H. |author-link=Ihsan H. Nadiem |title=Lahore: a Glorious Heritage |year=1996 |publisher=[[Sang-e-Meel Publications]] |location=Lahore |isbn=978-96-93-50718-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3e3iAAAAMAAJ}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Minar-e-Pakistan}}
*{{cite web |title=Minar-e Pakistan |url=https://www.archnet.org/sites/260 |publisher=[[ArchNet]]}}
*{{cite web|url=http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=364 |title=Minar-e-Pakistan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311052425/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=364 |archive-date=11 March 2007 |website=archnet.org}}
*{{cite web |title=Minar-e-Pakistan |url=http://www.lahore.com/content/section/4/45/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109183759/http://www.lahore.com/content/section/4/45/ |archive-date=9 January 2007}}

{{Walled City of Lahore}}
{{National symbols of Pakistan}}
{{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan |state=autocollapse}}

[[Category:1968 establishments in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Towers completed in 1968]]
[[Category:Islamic architecture in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Pakistan]]
[[Category:National symbols of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Architecture in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Towers in Lahore]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Lahore]]
[[Category:Walled City of Lahore]]
[[Category:Nasreddin Murat-Khan buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Minarets in Pakistan]]