Lahore is the capital city of the province of Punjab, the second-largest metropolitan area in Pakistan and with a population of 10,052,000 people, it is the 15th-most-populous city in the world. With a rich history dating back over a millennium, Lahore is a main cultural centre of the Punjab region and Pakistan, and is the largest Punjabi city in the world. Lahore, ancient Lava Puri named after La
va - son of Rama, served as the regional capital of the empires of the Hindu Shahi kingdom in the 11th century, the Ghaznavids in the 12th century, the Ghurid State in the 12th and 13th centuries and the Mughal Empire in the 16th century. In the mid-19th and early 20th century, Lahore was the capital of the Punjab region under the British Raj. The traditional capital of Punjab for a millennium, Lahore was the cultural centre of the northern Indian subcontinent which extends from the eastern banks of the Indus River to New Delhi. Mughal structures such as the Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens, the mausolea of Jehangir and Nur Jahan are some of the major tourist attractions in the city. Lahore is also home to many British colonial structures built in the Indo-Saracenic style, such as the General Post Office, Lahore Museum and many older universities and colleges. Lahore is referred to as the cultural heart of Pakistan, as it hosts most of the arts, cuisine, festivals, music, film-making, gardening and intelligentsia of the country. The city has always been a centre for publications where 80% of Pakistan's books are published, and it remains the foremost centre of literary, educational and cultural activity in Pakistan. It is also home to hundreds of temples, mosques, churches and shrines. The city is credited is home to some of Pakistan's leading universities including the Government College University, Forman Christian College and LUMS. Modern day Lahore consists of an old city, which is home to several world and national heritage sites, surrounded by larger suburban communities towards the southeast. The city has an important cultural influence over Pakistan including through the Sufi inspired Qawwali Music, status as home to Pakistan's film industry and a popular domestic and foreign tourist destination. More recently, the city is home to Pakistan's technology sector and is ranked as a Gamma+ world city. The total GDP of the city is estimated at $102 billion contributed by the presence of 9,000 industrial units
