Ae-403 LANDSCAPE ENGINEERING

NAME : Muhammad Qasim

REG NO : 19PWAGR0810
Semester : 7TH
+++ Assignment No : 01
Submitted To : ENGR NAZIA ARFEEN

Agricultural Engineering Department

University of Engineering and Technology

Peshawar
Question: Write a detailed note on any Historical site of Pakistan.

Ans:

Minar-E-Pakistan: An Architecture Marvel and Symbol

of Freedom:
Minar E Pakistan (Tower of Pakistan) is a tower located in Lahore, Pakistan. The tower was

built between 1960 and 1968 on the site where the All-India Muslim League passed

the Lahore Resolution (which was later called the Pakistan Resolution) on 23 March 1940 -

the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the Muslims of British

India, as espoused by the two-nation theory. The resolution eventually helped lead to the

emergence of an independent Pakistani state in 1947.

The tower is located in the middle of an urban park, called the Greater Iqbal Park. The tower

reflects a blend of Mughal/Islamic and modern architecture. The tower was designed and

supervised by, Nasreddin Murat-Khan, a Russian-born Pakistani architect and civil engineer.

The minaret provides a panoramic view to visitors who can access the top by climbing up the

stairs or by means of an elevator. The tower base is shaped like a flower. The area

surrounding the monument is covered with parks and flowers. The location is often used for

political and religious events. It is also known as the "Liberty Tower of Pakistan".

Each country is characterized by a number of historical buildings, landmarks, and monuments

that reflect its cultural heritage. Careful efforts are made to trace their prehistoric past and
preserve them in their original glory. While Pakistan is home to a number of such historic

sites, Minar-e-Pakistan is considered the most significant among them.

Structure:
The base is about 8 metres above the ground. The tower rises about 62 metres on the base,
and the total height of the Minar is about 70 metres above the ground. The unfolding petals of
the flower-like base are 9 metres high. The diameter of the tower is about 9.75 meters. The
rostrum is built of patterned tiles, and faces Badshahi Mosque. The base consists of four
platforms. To symbolise the humble beginning of the struggle for freedom, the first platform
is built with uncut stones from Taxila, the second platform is made of hammer-dressed
stones, and the third platform is made of chiselled stones. Polished white marble used for the
fourth and final platform depicts the success of the Pakistan Movement. The structure uses
the imagery of crescents and stars, signs that symbolize the culture of Pakistan, similarly seen
in the National Flag.

Apart from the lift, the memorial has 324 stairs which leads to the top. The first balcony is at
30 feet and second at 50. A separate Chabootra can be seen along with the resting place of
Pakistan’s national anthem writer, Hafeez Jalandhari. In the early days, the minar was named
Yadgar-e-Pakistan, but later it was renamed as Minar-e-Pakistan.

Mr. Mukhtar Masood, a prolific writer and the then–deputy commissioner of Lahore, was one
of the members of the Building Committee for the tower. Services Engineer Mian Abdul
Ghani Mughal went on to build many other landmarks of Pakistan, including Gaddafi
Stadium Lahore,.City Hospital Gujranwala, Chand da Qila By-Pass Gujranwala, Lords Hotel,
and University of Punjab Campus Gujranwal
The construction of the minar commenced on March 23, 1960 when the foundation stone was
laid down on the site where the historic resolution was passed by All-India Muslim League.
However, it took eight years to construct the Minaret of Pakistan as it was completed on
October 31, 1968.

Interesting Facts:
 Cost incurred on the construction of Minar-e-Pakistan is estimated at Rs 7,058,000.

 The construction cost of the minaret was raised by imposing an extra tax on cinema
and horse racing tickets.

 Minar was built with reinforced concrete, while the walls and floors rendered in
marble and stone.

 First platform of the building was constructed with uncut Taxila stones and signifies
the start of freedom struggle.

 Second rostrum of the structure is made of hammer-dressed stones.

 Third platform is embellished with chiseled stones.

 The fourth rostrum is built with marbles and depicts the success of Freedom
Movement.
Design of the Tower:

The beautiful design of Minar-e-Pakistan is a mix of Islamic, Mughal and contemporary

architecture. The captivating design was the brainchild of Nasreddin Murat-Khan, a qualified
engineer and architect from Daghistan, whilst the construction was done by Mian Abdul
Khaliq and Company. Today, visitors enjoy panoramic views of the city from the top of the
minaret by accessing the highest platform through elevator or stairs.

Depiction of Various Phases of Struggle:

Concrete and steel is used from base to about 181 feet height whereas the top portion of the
tower is built with stainless steel to evade corrosion. For the lower portion, coarse marble is
used to indicate the initial rough days of the movement, while smooth marble is used on the
walls and upper portion of the minar to depict gradual development and prosperity.

Inscriptions in English, Urdu, Bengali and Arabic:

The base of the minar has ten marble slabs all around it. Each slab is seven feet tall and two
feet wide, with 99 names of Allah written on them. Other inscriptions include National
Anthem of Pakistan in Urdu and Bengali, excerpts from Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s speeches
and a few couplets of Dr. Allama Iqbal. Some Quranic verses from Surah Ra’ad, Surah
Myedah, Surah Baqarah and Surah Al e Imran are also carved on these slabs. The main
entrance of the tower bear inscriptions like Allah O Akbar and Minar-e-Pakistan.

Landscape and Minar-e-Pakistan:

Minar-e-Pakistan holds great historical importance since it symbolizes one of the most
significant freedom movements in history. The day of March 23, 1940, is remembered as
the day when Muslims demanded their own homeland. It echoed Allama Iqbal’s
presidential address from Allahabad in 1930, in which he expressed his desire for an
independent country for India’s Muslims. From all the search which I did for this
historical landscape and also the reader can see that Minar-e-Pakistan is an historic
landscape associated with an important event. And among criterion for a landscape it
lies under the Criterion A which is landscape association with important event or
activity. And among the four types of historic landscape it is historic site due to its
association with important event.