The Shalimar Gardens ( شالیمار باغ) sometimes written Shalamar Gardens was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Lahore. The Shalimar Gardens are located near Baghbanpura along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometers northeast of the main Lahore city. The Shalimar Gardens are laid out in the form of an oblong parallelogram, surrounded by a high brick wall, which is famous for its intricate fret
work. The gardens measure 658 meters north to south and 258 meters east to west. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Lahore Fort, under the UNESCO Convention concerning the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage sites in 1972. The three level terraces of the Gardens
The Gardens have been laid out from south to north in three descending terraces, which are elevated by 4–5 meters (13-15 feet) above one another. The three terraces have names in Urdu as follows:
• The upper terrace named Farah Baksh meaning Bestower of Pleasure.
• The middle terrace named Faiz Baksh meaning Bestower of Goodness.
• The lower terrace named Hayat Baksh meaning Bestower of life. Shah Nahar: Irrigation of the Gardens
To irrigate the Gardens, a canal named Shah Nahar meaning Royal canal, later also known as Hansti nahar, meaning Laughing canal was brought from Rajpur (present day Madhpur in India), a distance of over 160 kilometers. The canal intersected the Gardens and discharged into a large marble basin in the middle terrace. The buildings of the Gardens include:
• Sawan Bhadum pavilions
• Naqar Khana and its buildings
• Khwabgah or Sleeping chambers
• Hammam or Royal bath
• The Aiwan or Grand hall • Aramgah or Resting place
• Khawabgah of Begum Sahib or Dream place of the emperor's wife
• Baradaries or summer pavilions to enjoy the coolness created by the Gardens' fountains
• Diwan-e-Khas-o-Aam or Hall of special & ordinary audience with the emperor
• Two gateways and minarets in the corners of the Gardens
Trees of the Gardens
Some of the varieties of trees that were planted included:
• Almond
• Apple
• Apricot
• Cherry
• Gokcha
• Mango
• Mulberry • Peach
• Plum
• Poplar
• Quince Seedless
• Sapling of Cypress
• Shrubs
• Sour & sweet oranges
• Numerous other varieties of odoriferous (fragrant) and non odoriferous and fruit giving plants
