The city of Lahore has seen many remarkable ages and dynasties, and in the narrow lanes of the old city you can still find traces of the city's glorious past. It is not difficult to envision the majesty of the long gone era by looking at the many imposing structures that are still standing tall while some have crumbled to dust.

Among such structures worth mentioning are the gates of Lahore. The old city of Lahore, for safety purposes, was enclosed by a nine-metre high brick wall and had a rampart running around it, for that reason was also known as the 'walled city' or 'androon-e-shehar' (inner city). The 13 gates, made of wood and iron, were the entry points of the city that remained opened throughout the day and were closed in the evening. These gates were constructed during Emperor Akbar's rein (1584 -1598).

However, in Ranjit Singh's (the first maharaja of the Sikh empire 1799 to 1849) time, these walls were rebuilt. All these gates were in existence until the 19th century. In an attempt to deteriorate the defence of the city, the British demolished almost all of the gates except Roshnai gate. Some were rebuilt in simple structures, except for Delhi Gate and Lahori Gate. Only six of these ancient gates are present up till now that include Roshnai, Delhi, Shairanwala, Bhati, Kashmiri and Lahori gate.

Mochi Gate

Located in the south of the city, Mochi gate is a significant mark of the Mughal Empire. The name of the gate is a marred form of 'moti' (pearl) or 'morchi' (trench soldier). It is said that Pandit Moti Ram, a guard during the reign of Akbar used to watch over this gate, perhaps the name is derived from his name.

On the immediate right of the gate, there exists 'Mochi Bagh' which is one of the major places for political get-togethers in Lahore. A dry fruit market, kite shops and fireworks shops are what you find in the vicinity of this historical gate. The gate is also a prominent roadway for some reputed 'havelis' of the Mughal era, which include Mubarak Haveli, Nisar Haveli and Laal Haveli, etc.

Lohari gate

The oldest gate of the walled city, Lohari gate. The gate was named after the city Lahore. During Hindu Raj, 'Ichra' (an area in Lahore) was supposed to be the actual Lahore. As this gate faced 'Ichra', so, it was named as 'Lahori darwaza'.

However, other historians say that 'Lohari' comes from Urdu word 'Loha' (iron). According to them, a number of 'lohars' (blacksmiths) had their shops just outside the gate, and for that reason the gate is known as Lohari gate.

Currently, inside the gate, there are innumerable typical Lahori mouth-watering spicy food shops. One of the biggest and dazzling bazaars of Lahore, the Anarkali, is also situated just across the Lahori darwaza. The bazaar is extremely popular among the middle-class for a variety of stitched and unstitched clothes, shoes and crockery, etc.

Shah Alam gate

Located in the south, Shah Alam gate is colloquially known as 'Shah Almi' and is the gateway towards one of the busiest markets of Lahore, the Rang Mahal, which is a wholesale market and a large electronic market is also located here. Shah-Alam gate was named after the son and successor of Aurangzaib, Muazzam Shah Alam Bahadur Shah (1707 to 1712), a generous emperor. This gate was formerly called the Bherwala gate. During the 1947 riots, it burnt to ashes, only the name remains now.

Kashmiri gate

Kashmiri gate is situated in the north and opens towards the valley Kashmir and is adjacent to Delhi gate. As one enters the gate one finds a shopping area called 'Kashmiri bazaar', a large bazaar with narrow markets and alleyways in every corner.

A roadway to Wazeer Khan Mosque is also accessed from the bazaar. The gate also leads to a roadway towards one of Asia's largest cloth markets, Azam Cloth market, containing more than 16,000 cloth shops. The current condition of this historic gate is pathetic. Advertisements of different shops and banners of political parties have covered the splendour of the Mughal architecture on it.

Delhi gate

One of the most famous gates of Lahore, Delhi darwaza was built by Akbar the great, the third Mughal emperor. This gate is situated on east and opens towards Delhi, the capital of the Mughal dynasty at the time. Inside, on the left, you would be amazed to see the magnificent Shahi Hamam (royal washroom), built by Hakim Ilmuddin.

Covering an area of 1110 Sq. m., the single storey public bath building has a typical Mughal architecture. The Wazeer Khan mosque also lies inside the gate and the tomb of Hazrat Meran Badshah is in the courtyard of this mosque.

In addition to many magnificent havelis, there also lies a shrine for Hindus called 'Shawala Baba Bhakar Guru', inside the gate.

Akbari Gate

Akbari gate was located in east of the city. It was named after Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar (1542-1605). With the passage of time the condition of the gate dilapidated. The market close to this gate is understandably known as 'Akbari mandi'. It is the biggest wholesale and retail market of Lahore in which food grains of all kinds are traded.

Bhati gate

This gate was named after an ancient Rajput tribe that resided here — Bhat (Bhati). Located in the west, the gate is famous for the typical Lahori food. In fact, food is one of the trademarks of Bhati and Lahori gate. A large number of people visit and relish the appetising and tasty Lahori food available there 24/7. Onchi masjid, a historical mosque is situated near the Lahori and Bhati gate. There is also Bazaar-i-hakiman, and in the olden days, the well-recognised hakims of the city used to live here so the bazaar was named after them.

Moreover, our national poet, Dr Muhammad Allama Iqbal, also had a small place here where he used to study and had daily meetings with his comrades; the place still exists in Bazaar-i-hakiman.

Masti gate

Masti gate is located behind the Lahore Fort, on the east of the city. Research shows that the name of the gate is a deteriorated form the word 'masjidi' (pertaining to mosque). The mosque of Mariam Makhani, the mother of Emperor Akbar, is located in its immediate locality. Nevertheless, some other historians acclaim that the gate was named after Masti Baloch, who was appointed as the guard on the gate.The area primarily filled by shoe vendors. Just like Lohari and Bhati, this gate is also renowned for the food shops located nearby.

Zakki gate (Yaki gate)

One of the four gates located in the east of the Lahore, Zakki gate has a history that is a bit astonishing. It was named after a martyr saint, 'Zakki', and historians say that while fighting the Tartars, he was beheaded brutally by them. It is said that even after the saint's head was cut, his body continued fighting for sometime and then fell on the ground. His head and the body were buried at the places where they fell 'separately'. A number of temples are also located in and around Yakki gate.

Mori gate

Between Lahori and Bhati gates, there is a small gateway called Mori gate. Though it isn't a large gate as the other 12 ones are, it's included here as it is part of the great Mughal architectural heritage of the old city. In the evening, when all of the 12 gates were closed for security purposes this particular opening gave access to the walled-city.

Moreover, it was also used as the outlet to discard the refuse of the city.

This significant gateway located in the south is renowned for the fish and surgical goods markets located near it. Just across the gate is the Urdu bazaar, a major book market.

Taxali gate

Built in the west, the 'Taxali gate' is named after the Taxal (royal mint) that existed quite near the gate. Sadly, both the mint and the gate are not there anymore.

Currently, the area is frequented by food lovers as the bazaar around it serves delicious food. Pani wala Talab and Gurdwara Lal Khooh, both sacred places of Sikhs, are also located near the gate.

Roshnai gate

Located in the south, Roshnai gate (gate of lights) lies between Lahore Fort and Badshahi mosque. This gate is still in a fine condition and reflects traces of its original glory. It was the main entrance from the fort to the city and was specifically used for courtiers, royal servants. In the evenings, the gate was lit up, hence it was named 'Roshnai darwaza'.

Adjacent to the gate, Hazuri Bagh is another spot that is worth mentioning. This garden was built by Maharajah Ranjit Singh in 1813 to celebrate the capture of the famous Koh-i-noor diamond from Shah Shujah of Afghanistan.

Khiziri gate (Shairanwala gate)

Hazrat Khwaja Khizr Elias, a great saint of the times, was known as 'Amer-ul-gahar' (commander of the water) as he had special association with flowing water. The gate was named 'Khiziri' after his name. It is one of the three gates located in the north of the city. At the time it was built it opened on the river front.

When Maharaja Ranjit Singh (also known as Sher-e-Punjab) got hold of the city, he kept two domesticated lions in a cage at the gate for protection. In that context, the gate was named as 'Sheranwala gate' (lion's gate). The Italian traveller Niccola Mannuchi, who visited Lahore in 1667, named it Qadri gate; however, historians have not come across the reason behind it yet.

Life inside the gates truly describes traditional old Lahori way of living. Narrow bazaar brimming with all kinds of goods remain open till late at night. However, the current condition of the gates and their structure is extremely pathetic. The lime plaster and the paint have depreciated completely. A number of cracks, billboards and advertisements on the walls have ruined these once magnificient structures.

These historic gates of Lahore are the precious reminders of our magnificient history and it is so sad to see them in the state of ruin that they are in today.