Minar-e-Pakistan

Minar-e-Pakistan, which means "Tower of Pakistan", is a public monument in Greater Iqbal Park in Lahore, Pakistan. It was built from 1960 to 1968 on the spot where, on 23 March 1940, the All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution. That was the first official call for a separate homeland for the Muslims of British India, and it helped lead to the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

The tower was designed and supervised by Nasreddin Murat-Khan, a Russian-born Pakistani architect and engineer. It blends Mughal, Islamic, and modern styles. Its foundation stone was laid on 23 March 1960, and the work finished on 22 March 1968 at an estimated cost of seven million Pakistani rupees. Money for it was raised by adding a small tax on cinema and horse-racing tickets.

What does it look like?

The tower stands on a five-pointed star-shaped platform surrounded by two crescent-shaped pools that face each other. One pool is lined with red marble and the other with green marble. The monument measures about 70 metres in all, with a fluted concrete shaft of about 62 metres rising from a flower of curved petals. The tower reflects a blend of Mughal, Islamic, and modern architecture, which is why it feels both old and new.

Who helped build it?

The governor of West Pakistan, Akhter Husain, laid the foundation stone in 1960. Mian Abdul Khaliq was the main contractor. Mukhtar Masood, a well-known writer who was then the deputy commissioner of Lahore, took an important part in finishing the project. Today it stands in the park as a landmark of Lahore and a reminder of the 1940 resolution.

On the globe

The model shows a fluted 62 m concrete minaret rising from a flower of curved petals on a stepped, star-shaped base, 70 m in all.