The very first awards of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture were presented in Lahore, Pakistan on October 23, 1980. Lahore is an ancient city at the crossroads of trade routes linking India, Afghanistan, Arabia and the Persian Gulf. The first Mughal emperor arrived in Lahore from Central Asia in 1524 A.D. and made it his base. Lahore eventually became the capital of the Mughal empire when emperor Akbar the Great moved his court from Ahmedabad in 1584 A.D. The Mughals refined the Persian language, literature, miniature paintings and music. They systemized the educational and cultural traditions, and built magnificent monuments in Lahore. One of the well-known monuments of the Mughal era is the Taj Mahal built in the 17th century. The Mughals contributed to the construction of madrasahs (colleges), resulting in a vast expansion of educational institutions, making Lahore one of the major centres of Islamic scholarship. The Indo-Islamic style of architecture continues to be reflected in Lahore today.
– Sajida S. Alivi, “Islam in South Asia,” The Muslim Almanac ed Azim A. Nanji (Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1995)
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