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design in the wild

Anarkali Bazaar: Uncovered

Nurture explores Anarkali Bazaar's culture, architecture, shopping, and food, creating a guidebook to share their experiences.

Bakhtawar Bilal
team lead at nurture
.
June 20, 2023
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Introduction

Have you ever been stuck behind a donkey cart on a main boulevard and questioned its continued use? Or did you ever receive an Eid Mubarak text and wonder why people stopped mailing Eid cards?

Every day we walk past remnants of a different time that we have since improved upon. But we never stop to question whether we are actually better off for all these changes or if we should have left things as they were.

This was the question that prompted Nurture to embark on a research trip to Lahore’s oldest bazaar, Anarkali. We’ve all heard the story of Anarkali. The fabled love of the emperor Jahangir, entombed by his father. Anarkali Bazaar has a similar, extremely colorful history. It plays host to everything from traditional jewelry and clothes to beautiful, authentic handicrafts and the famous food street of Lahore.

More than just experiencing the rich culture and history of the market, we wanted to discern what practices still existed in this festive nook of the city that had been otherwise lost to urbanization.

The Journey

Our journey began with the decision to forego private transportation and take the ‘scenic route’. This meant walking from our office to the nearest orange line train station, and taking the metro train all the way to Anarkali station. The reason was three-fold.

First, it helped us avoid getting stuck in traffic on the way. Second, it saved us from having to find a place to park your car as the Bazaar itself has no space for parking. And third, it passes through areas we may not normally get the opportunity to visit and see, exposing us to the different colors of Lahore.

Using public transportation for one part of the trip necessitates its repeated use. Upon arriving at the Anarkali station, we chose the most local form of transportation for our next destination, rickshaws. While there is no shortage of rides to hail in the area, in today’s age that was no longer our only option. To get an idea of the acceptable rate, we referenced a few ride-hailing apps and finally settled on one that was the most reasonable. This proved to be a good decision as the more we delved into Anarkali Bazaar, the narrower the streets got.  

Anarkali’s Architectural Heritage

If you’re someone who hasn’t visited any part of old Lahore before, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. At first glance, visual differences between modernized areas of the city and the Bazaar become starkly apparent. Having witnessed over 200 years of the city’s history, Anarkali Bazaar boasts many architectural and infrastructural gems that have modern-day architects baffled. Our first find was the Tomb of Qutb-ud-Din Aibak, one of the better-known heritage sites in Anarkali. Our interest was piqued by the stone slabs engraved with Arabic text that framed the different entrances to the tomb. Though the slabs themselves were separate pieces, the engraving flowed seamlessly through the entire piece, curving with the arch of the doorway and still maintaining its shape.

From the courtyard of the tomb, we spotted the roof of an old church now repurposed by local inhabitants and the spire of an old Hindu temple. With such irrefutable evidence of past coexistence staring down at us, we were inspired to discuss everything from the influence of religion on architecture to the displacement of families post-partition.

An interesting divide that became apparent as we explored the terraces of the Hindu temple was the willingness of its inhabitants to let strangers wander outside and sometimes inside their homes. A polite request and informal conversation was all it took to gain closer access to the inside of the structure. This provided the opportunity for a new topic of conversation - the plundering and defacing of buildings to substitute physical acts of aggression against a group of people.

Standing in the center of a place so rich in history and culture, it's difficult not to appreciate what was and question what is.

Shopping in Anarkali

The experience of shopping in the heart of Anarkali Bazaar is unlike anything you’ll experience at the city’s modern shopping centers. Our next stop was Bano Bazaar. It's easy to lose your way as you navigate through the labyrinth that is the shopping district of Anarkali. With clothing stalls on one side, jewelry on the other, shoes up ahead and an assortment of handicrafts all around, we ended up spending more time here than anywhere else on our trip.

We walked in with only one goal in mind, to fully immerse ourselves in the buying and selling culture. So we were clear on the why, but not the what and the how. After scrutinizing every bag and greeting every shop owner on our way, we finally found something that caught our eye. A shop, tucked cozily between others, twice its size, selling interesting jewelry items sourced both locally and globally. This is where we learned the key to shopping in old Lahore; haggling. You can haggle for almost everything, if you know how. The experience was as fun for the shopkeeper as it was for us when we left with 8-9 odd items having brought the price down by almost 40%!

Anarkali’s Food Scene

Lahore as a whole is known for its passion for food and dining but the true soul of Lahori food can be found from the street vendors of Anarkali to the restaurants framing its famous food street. No matter what the time, there’s always something interesting to eat right around the corner. We started our trip with breakfast at Waris Nihari which is arguably the best place for what they serve.

The eating continued as we explored the area, stopping at one vendor for fries, another for pakoray, and another for lemonade. The food tastes authentic, is reasonable and something you can eat on the go as you explore other areas. Later in the day, we stopped by Lovely Burger, famous for its unrivaled Anda Shami Burger.

Anarkali’s food street comes alive as the sun starts to set. With a wide variety of cuisines to choose from and waiters urging you to take a seat at their restaurant left and right, the walk down the street can be quite eventful.

What We Learnt

If there was one thing we took away from this trip, it was that everyone, tourist or resident, should visit Anarkali Bazaar and allow themselves to learn and grow from the experience. With this in mind, the team worked on creating an interactive handbook to guide any interested party through the Bazaar, making sure nobody misses out on the things that make it unique.

So make the journey, follow in our footsteps, leave your own, and tell us all about it when you’re back!

Anarkali’s Travel Guide

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