Shalimar Gardens (Punjabi, (Urdu: Shalimar Bagh)) is a complex of Mughal gardens located in Lahore, Pakistan. Its construction began in 1641 AD (1051 AH) and was completed in the following year. The project was implemented under the supervision of Khalilullah Khan, a nobleman from the court of Shah Jahan, in cooperation with Ali Mardan Khan and Mullah Alaa Al-Malik Al-Tuni. And “Shalimar” means “mystery,” and the word may be of Arabic or Persian origins. [3] The gardens are located near Bagbanpura along the Grand Road and about 5 km to the northeast of Lahore. The garden design was inspired by Central Asia, Kashmir, Punjab, Iran and the Delhi Sultanate.

World Heritage Site

In 1981, the gardens were listed as a World Heritage Site with the Lahore Fort.

Three levels of gardens

The gardens are built in 3 levels from south to north, on top of each other. The height of each level ranges from 4-5 meters. These levels are called the following names:

• The upper level terrace is called “Farah Bakhsh”, which means “the bestowal of happiness.”
• The middle-level terrace is called “Fayez Bakhsh” and means “the bestowal of goodness”.
• The terrace of the lower level is called “Hayat Bakhsh” and means “the bestowal of life”.

fountains

There are 410 fountains that draw their water from the aqueduct and basin and pour into vast pools of marble. It is one of the inventions of the Mughal engineers. Scientists are still confused to this day about the water system used in it, as it includes a cooling system for the surrounding area, which reduces the summer heat for tourists. The fountains are distributed as follows:

• The upper terrace includes 105 fountains
• The middle terrace includes 152 fountains
• The lower terrace includes 153 fountains

The total number of fountains is 410.

Garden trees

Of the trees planted in these gardens: