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Shalimar GardensThe Shalamar Garden, sometimes written Shalimar Garden, was built by the great Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Lahore, Pakistan. The site of Shalimar Garden originally belonged to one of the noble Zaildar families in the region. This family also given the Royal title of 'Mian' by the Mughal Empire, for its services to the Empire, and is known as the 'Mian Family'. Mian Muhammad Yusuf, then the head of Mian family, gave the site of his ancesstors to Emperor Shah Jahan free of cost, in conformity with the wishes of the royal engineers. In lieu of the private site, the Emperor granted Shalamar Garden to the Mian family. The Shalamar Garden remained under this family for more than 350 years. In 1962, Shalamar Garden was nationalised by General Ayub Khan, as the top Mian family members opposed his Marshal-law government in Pakistan. The site is under neglect since then and is now on the Unesco's list of world heritage sites in danger.
Shalamar Garden is a magnificent example of Mughal architectural grandeur. In form an oblong parallelogram, surrounded by a high wall of brick work, 1,200 paces in length and 800 in breadth, with three successive terraces, raised one above the level of the other by a height of 12 or 15 feet (4 or 5 m), the whole area of the garden covers 80 acres (320,000 m²) more or less. A canal, brought from a great distance, intersects this beautiful garden and discharges itself in the middle terrace into a large marble basin. From this basin and from the canal, rise 450 fountains which throw up water that is subsequently received into marble tanks, the profuse discharge of water in this way serving to render the atmosphere deliciously cool and pleasant, especially during blistering Lahore summers.
In all these pictures below, not a single fountain can be seen running because the water supply lines to the garden were deliberately broken in 1999, merely to widen a road close to the garden.
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