Asaf Khan's Tomb

The Emperor Shah Jahan built this tomb for his father-in-law Asaf Khan. Asaf Khan was the father of Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan's wife, for whom he built the Taj Mahal). Asaf Khan's tomb was raided by the British, unlike Jahangir's, which was guarded more heavily because he had been emperor.







































There was a hole in the side of one of the walls, and the guide told us that there were secret passages inside. So... naturally, we went exploring:

Jahangir's Tomb

Jahangir's Tomb was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate his father, the Emperor Jahangir Khan.

Fort Lahore and Badshahi Mosque

The pictures below show Fort Lahore and the Badshahi Mosque. Both of these structures were built in the 1500's by the Mughal Empire (1528-1849); through the years, different Mughal King added immense amount of detail and beauty to these defining buildings that have greatly contributed to Pakistani culture.


This is the front entrance to Fort Lahore, one can notice that the gate is quite large, this was because elephants were housed inside

The picture is showing the enormous amount of detail the that went into the Fort.

This is the view of the Badshahi Mosque from Fort Lahore.


Great detail went into the creation of the entrance to the Badshahi Mosque.

This is the actual Mosque, which can hold over 100,000 people during Friday prayers.

These are Madrassas, which are classrooms where children received a free education that taught Islamic values and teachings.

The 28th

On the 28th, we were invited out to eat with Usman's family to help celebrate his brother's one year wedding anniversary with his wife. The restaurant was a cultural experience, with each corner of the serving area filled with a different Pakistani region or culture's specialty; the hot, fire bright room filled with steam and smelled of a mixture of Pakistan's finest cuisine. The Northwest Frontier Province had a corner all to its own where a spicy chicken was served, along with naan – flat bread that has become my favorite south Asian food. Usman's eldest brother and father insisted that we try everything we could, which by the night's end meant fried quail, goat hooves, and home-made Pakistani ice-cream and rice-pudding. The dining room contrasted with the bright, steamy serving area with a cool, tinted space with two levels and a live two-man band. The atmosphere was lively, open, and formal all at once, and it was packed to full capacity.

What we found most amazing about this atmosphere was that just a few hours earlier sectarian violence had struck two Ahmadi mosques with supposed Sunni extremists opening ‘indiscriminate firing’ during the religious minority’s Friday prayer, killing over 80 people. When we first heard the news while watching a cricket game in a park that afternoon, I thought that our trip would be drastically altered. In the US, a failed attempt with no injuries or deaths in Times Square had caused a media frenzy, so I could only imagine what this would do in Pakistan. Yet, the city didn’t skip a beat. On one hand it speaks to the resiliency of Pakistan, but as Usman responded, it also is disheartening that Pakistanis have become somewhat desensitized to this type of violence.

Though the attack seems not to be motivated by the western intervention, the method in which it was done and the high number of casualties links it with the Pakistani Taliban. This underscores a primary message that we have received through our time here: Pakistan has just as much of a stake, if not more, in ridding its country of terrorists.

Aitchison College

Usman showed us around his high school alma mater, Aitchison College. It is a British-style boarding school founded by the English in the late 1800s, and remains as a legacy of colonialism. Technically, Aitchinson is a public school because it is funded by the government, but only those who are admitted and able to pay tuition go there. Usman says there are three other schools like it in Pakistan. There are about 2000 students, all boys. There are several Aitchison alums at OWU.

The "Old Building," the original built by the British in the late 1800s and inspired by Moghul architecture.




























































Aitchison boys wear these turbans every friday.

Shaves at the Barbershop

Anthony, Sean-Paul, and Usman got face massages and shaves at a local barbershop with blades and wires. Sean-Paul and Usman said that the use of wires on their upper cheeks was very painful, as you can tell by their expressions below.

Tourists

We set off for two major sights today, some of the most beautiful structures in all of Pakistan. Even more interesting than the sights though was our tour guide and the Pakistanis at each sight. We were the only tourists there, and we have found out through our time here that the sight of three young Americans in Pakistan is a surprise to most natives, but not in the way you might think. Today, one Pakistani approached our group and politely asked for a picture with us. He then shook each of our hands and left. As we left, three children around 8 years of age followed us out and could not stop smiling every time we acknowledged them. Our tour guide explained to us that Pakistanis are among the most hospitable people in the world, and they lament the fact that few Americans come to view their "beautiful country". Before we left, he urged us to tell every one of our contacts when we got back to America to visit Pakistan, and to not believe entirely what they see in the papers or on television.

Later in the evening, Usman arranged for us to speak with a International Politics professor at a major university in Pakistan. We specifically discussed our research topic, in addition to a thesis he has developed on why India and Pakistan's paths to democratization have been so different. His thesis is very interesting, and if I believed I could do it justice in this small blog post I would certainly post a summation of it. Also, we discussed with him how the election of President Obama has translated in regards to a message to the Muslim world. The professor explained that while many elites are impressed with Obama, the overarching policies of the previous administration remain, and whatever 'olive branches' have been positively extended are far outweighed by US presence in the region. This sentiment, which I have heard numerous times here, is a disheartening one for me. As someone who worked for President Obama's campaign, in part because of the impact it would make internationally, it's difficult to hear the reality that it really hasn't made that much of a difference here. Nevertheless, most people that we have talked to are still in a 'wait-and-see' mode regarding the Obama Administration. They respect his rhetoric, but they are waiting for policies to match it.