All over the world monuments are built in places of historic importance to commemorate events of great value. Some of these monuments take the shapes of tower. Due to this historic connection immense dedication is given to the structure or the design of these towers. Minar-e-Pakistan (Tower of Pakistan) is such a tower that stands in the historic city of Lahore. This Minar (tower) stands on the site where Pakistan Resolution was passed, this resolution had a significant effect on the history of sub-continental, India as the political movement that emanated from this resolution resulted in the creation of a new nation state called Pakistan.
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The designers of the tower were hence very considerate of this historic importance and national association of the site while building this tower. It was constructed between 1960 and 1968 at a time when the nation was still young and going through a hard time. The estimated cost at that time was Rs. 7.5 million ($872010 of today). The design of this tower is unique, its a mixture of Mughal and modern architecture. It has a kind of similar structure like Qutab Minar which is in India and Minaret of Jam which is in Afghanistan, where as the surface and the color of marble is similar to the tower of Pisa. It is totally different from other famous towers such as Big Ben in United Kingdom, Three Pagodas in China, CN tower Canada etc.
Image Source: Google Image
The tower is 72 meters high. The base of the tower is made like a flower. It has been made in a 5 pointed star that has pools surrounding it in the shape of a crescent; this is symbolic of the Flag of Pakistan. The floors and walls are made out of stone and marble. From base to some 181 feet height, concrete and steel has been used, while the top 16.5 feet portion is made of stainless steel to avoid it from getting rusty. The base is made of coarse marble which represents the beginning days after independence which were very hard, upper portion have smooth marble showing gradual development and prosperity. On the base, all around the Minar are ten marble slabs; these are inscribed with 99 names of Allah. Other inscriptions include excerpts from the speeches of Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan related to ideology of Pakistan, in Urdu, Bengali and English, besides the National Anthem in Urdu and Bengali and a verse from Dr Allama Iqbal. Some Quranic verses (Surah Baqarah, Surah Al e Imran, Surah Myedah and Surah Ra'ad) have also been inscribed. There are 324 stairs to go to the top, besides a lift. The first balcony is 30 feet high, second at 50 feet.
Image Source: Google Image
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