Greater Iqbal Park
گریٹر اقبال پارک
TypeUrban park
LocationLahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Coordinates31°35′33″N 74°18′34″E / 31.5925°N 74.3095°E / 31.5925; 74.3095
Area328.901 acres (133.102 ha)[1]
Created1968 (1968)
Owned byParks and Horticulture Authority Lahore
Open06:00 AM - 08:00 PM
Public transit accessAzadi Chowk Metrobus Station
Websitehttps://www.pha.gop.pk/project-details-new?id=3

Greater Iqbal Park (Punjabi, Urdu: گریٹر اقبال پارک), formerly Iqbal Park (after poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal) and Minto Park, is an urban park located on the outskirts of the Walled City in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.[2]

Noted as the home of Minar-e-Pakistan, the 329-acre park includes an artificial lake which spreads over four acres which includes an 800-feet-long musical fountain.[3] Other attractions includes a two-kilometre-long soft rail, a library, an open-air gym and a food court.[4][5] The tombs of Allama Iqbal and Hafeez Jalandhari are also located in the park.[6]

History

The grounds known as Greater Iqbal Park today were used for ceremonial military parades during the Mughal era. After the ascension of the Sikhs into power in 1799, the grounds came to be known as 'Parade Ground', as the area continued to be used for the same purpose as it was by the Mughals.

When the British captured Lahore in 1849, they renamed the grounds as Minto Park, after Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto, and Governor-General of India between July 1807 and 1813.[7]

After the creation of Pakistan, the park was renamed as Iqbal Park, after the poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, in commemoration of the Lahore Resolution of 1940. After extensive renovations were completed in December 2016, the park was given its current name.

Renovation and expansion

Work began on the upgradation of the park on 10 October 2015. Habib Construction Services Limited was contracted to complete the project. Along with renovation of the Minar-i-Pakistan, the project featured expansion of the Iqbal Park by including it in the stretch of Circular Road between the park and Lahore Fort. The 125-acre green oasis is surrounded almost entirely by the old city of Lahore. The project was completed on 9 November 2016 incurring a total cost of PKR 981 million as quoted by the contractor of the project. [8]

The new-look park was formally inaugurated on 17 December 2016.[4][9]

Furthermore, the National History Museum was opened in the park in 2018. It is the first digital museum in Pakistan that offers an immersive experience to visitors with the help of cutting-edge technologies. Using holograms and virtual reality equipment, this digital museum commemorates all the historic events leading to the emergence of Pakistan in 1947. Along with hosting a vast collection of national relics and antiquities, the museum also highlights the key sports and cultural events throughout the history of the country.[10]

Features

The park features the following sites:[11]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iqbal Park (Lahore).

References

  1. ↑ "TDCP Resorts & Stopovers". Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab website. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "Greater Iqbal Park to open for public on August 14". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 12 July 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Greater Iqbal Park profile". Parks & Horticulture Authority Lahore (PHA) website. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Nawaz inaugurates Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore, says park not for sit-ins". Dawn (newspaper). 17 December 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Lahore". Lahore Division, Government of The Punjab website. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  6. ↑ Shah, Sabir (30 April 2018). "A history of Greater Iqbal Park". The News International. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Minto Park: Witnessing Military To Political Journeys". UrduPoint. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "DEVELOPMENT OF GREATER IQBAL LAHORE". Habib Construction Services. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "PM inaugurates Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore, says it's no place for sit-ins". Geo TV News website. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "New museum in Lahore brings Pakistan's history to life". The Express Tribune. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  11. ↑ "New Greater Iqbal Park (Minar e Pakistan)-Pictures, Map, Facilities". 22 January 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
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