Lahore, Mughal Capital

Timeline

1. 1580Lahore Fort · LahoreAkbar extensively remodeled Lahore Fort in the 1580s, adding palaces, arsenals, and administrative offices, establishing Lahore as a permanent station at the empire's northwestern gateway, replacing its earlier function as a mere seasonal sojourn.
2. 1591Lahore · LahoreIn the 1590s Lahore gathered large garrisons and supplies, becoming a rear base for campaigns toward Afghanistan and Kashmir; markets inside and outside the city linked Central Asian horse caravans with Indus Plain trade, and court workshops and miniature painting ateliers continued production there.
3. c. 1598–1600Lahore · LahoreBy 1600 Lahore had taken on the Mughal urban pattern of fort–mosque–commercial district–suburban gardens, laying the groundwork for Jahangir's further construction of summer palaces and gardens in the 17th century, and becoming Punjab's long-term political and cultural center.