Harking back: How Lahore grew to the south of the walled city.

As the ancient walled city, as well as the old city, of Lahore expanded, it was influenced by developments outside. The city started growing outwards almost 400 years ago, and it makes sense to understand this phenomenon.

In this piece let us concentrate on what was happening to the south. Later, in other pieces, we will explore the east, west and north. This will help us understand the present Lahore better.

The ancient city originally had two gates to the south, or better still just one ancient gateway and a 'mori'- hole. Later when Akbar expanded the city he added Bhati Gate, Shahalami Gate and Mochi Gate to the expanded southern side of Lahore.

Lohari Gate had a huge green garden opposite it, and it was used by Qutub-uddin Aibak and others to play polo. In his days he was known as Qutb Ghauri, and when he fell from his horse and was killed, he was buried at the edge of this garden. The road opposite the gateway headed straight to the east, curving slightly to the west and heading on towards Multan, an equally ancient, if not more so, city.

With time as the city shopkeepers opened shops this created the very first 'mohallah' outside Lahore, and was popularly called 'Lakkhi Mohallah', the precinct of the rich or millionaires. It soon became an important bazaar with huge shops. The name Anarkali Bazaar is a British-era renaming of the place based on the myth of a courtesan named Anarkali, whom Emperor Akbar allegedly threw out of his court for having an affair with his son Prince Saleem, who later became Emperor Jahangir. We know that episode because of an Imtiaz Ali Taj drama.

This pre-Mughal 'mohallah' was to grow with time and when the British came they set up their first military cantonment along this road. Much later they built 'The Mall Road' starting from the French-built Civil Secretariat at Lower Mall to the shrine of Mian Mir, and then expanded the cantonment to the west, as it stands today.

The second 'gateway' of ancient Lahore is Mori Darwaza. As the River Ravi flowed around the old city, this narrow gateway was used by Hindus to cremate their dead. Almost a thousand years ago the great Lahore Hindushahi ruler Raja Jayapala was cremated outside the gateway. Jayapala cremated himself out of a Rajput sense of honour - Johar - for losing to the Afghan-Turkic invader Mahmud of Ghazni.

Come Emperor Akbar and with an expanded old walled city, we have three additional gateways facing the south, they being Bhati Gate to the western...