LAHORE: Once the seat of power for the magnificent Mughal empire and subsequently for British colonial rulers, is a city brimming with opulent history, stunning architecture, and an exhilarating energy. We begin our whirlwind journey at sunset, at the eastern Delhi gate to Lahore’s walled city, to the sound of a thousand adhans, or calls to prayer. Delhi Gate to Wazir Khan Mosque (25 minutes) As you wander through the Delhi Gate, you leave the semi-modern traffic chaos of Lahore’s wide streets lined with colonial grandeur, and enter a world of dark and narrow streets, where cars rarely dare to venture. The maze of crowded alleyways is lined with shops selling beautiful, brightly colored shelwar kameez, the most common dress for Pakistani women, each stall filled with women wearing the brilliant reds, greens, oranges and purples along with a loose-fitting scarf known as a dupatta. The rainbow of women contrasts sharply with the drab white, gray and brown kameez worn by the men, the older of whom frequently sport beards tinted a bizarre burnt orange. Every so often, you will come across an enormous, centuries-old, hand-carved wooden door, that, if opened, will lead you into a haveli – a once grand courtyard house, these days often left in a neglected state of disrepair. After a short but chaotic walk through the maze-like streets, they open up into a small courtyard and you are faced with an iwan as colorful as the clothes of the women outside. You have reached the Wazir Khan mosque. The mosque, built during the reign of Shah Jehan (born in Lahore, of Taj Mehal fame) is adorned with thousands of intricately painted tiles that are a hallmark of Mughal art and architecture. Marvel at the spectacular ceiling of the main prayer room, observe young boys practicing Qur'anic recitation as they rock back and forth, and enjoy the calm and tranquility of the mosque for one last, brief moment. The Brass Bazaar to Heera Mandi (20 minutes) Leaving the mosque behind, we plunge straight back into the heart of the walled city, through the brass bazaar, filled with beautiful antique lamps, pipes and plates that have seen better days, along the side of the Azam cloth market – claimed by Lahoris to be the largest in Asia – and past the Golden Mosque. If you are brave enough to raise your eyes from the floor, where you are watching to make sure you don’t step in or on something or someone, you may occasionally, between the buildings, glimpse the Lahore Fort which dominates the skyline as you approach Heera Mandi. This is Lahore’s world famous red-light district, formerly a diamond bazaar (a literal translation of Heera Mandi) and now lined with brothels where prostitutes perform a kind of Pakistani belly-dance known as the mujra as a cover for their illicit trade. We’re not here to see them, however, and time presses on. We push through the Heera Mandi to the very edge of the district, the Lahore Fort now in full view. Cooco’s Den (the rest) The real reason I brought you here is to take you to Cooco’s. Housed in a former brothel, and owned by artist Iqbal Hussein, Cooco’s is somewhere every visitor to Lahore should visit. As you pass through the building, climbing higher and higher, you are treated to Hussein’s portraits that offer a wonderful, and often tragic, insight into the humanity of Lahore’s prostitutes. When you finally reach the dimly lit roof terrace, with a dozen or so tables, you are introduced to Lahore’s most beautiful gem, that until now has remained hidden. From the high roof-top of Cooco’s diners have breathtaking views of the Badshahi Mosque, its deep red stone shown in all its glory by bright lights surrounding the mosque. Fresh Punjabi cuisine that offers delicate flavors alongside raw heat, Hussein’s touching portraits, and views of Badshahi’s vast and majestic courtyard make Cooco’s the ideal spot to while away our remaining 68 minutes. Welcome to Lahore. BM
