The history of Lahore’s Garhi Shahu

Being a history buff, this article on Pakistaniat was a good and informative read, but for me, it goes farther than that. My mother grew up in an area adjacent to Garhi Shahu. My grandmother and the rest of the family still live there and I visit it virtually every time I’m in Lahore. I’ve often spent my childhood summer vacations there and have fond memories of the hustle and bustle of the area.

The old city of Lahore is ancient with its roots in a forgotten part of history. Even this area, just outside the old city, is at least a few hundred years old and retains some of the flavor of its past. I had often thought about the name, but not many people could help me with its origins. Who would have known that it is named after a baddy of yore who claimed the place for himself after the death of Abul Khair, the saint who setup a school of learning here and actually gave value to it.

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