Sufi Mayhem and Moghul Forts

The Fort in Lahore
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Back in Lahore again, this time to do some sightseeing.

But if it's Thursday in Pakistan, it must be Lahore. Before the Sufi madness began though, there were a few things to be seen. The city has a fort that at was once the capital of India, occupied by the Mogul ruler of the time. A nice green oasis in the middle of a city that is totally choked with pollution, but the fort itself is nothing too special. I didn't say it too loudly, but the forts of the Maharajahs and Moguls in India were much more impressive! Across the road the very impressive city mosque soared above everything in sight. Through the entrance, the area opened into a large courtyard. A wetted mat was laid out along the center of the yard leading to the prayer hall. Stone slabs burn even the feet of locals when it's 45 degC out. Imagine what they would do to a pair of snowy white Irish feet? (of course you can't wear shoes in a mosque).

Can it be healthy to violently shake your head for hours. They seem to love it?

The Fort in Lahore
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The rest of the day was reserved for some Sufi culture ........ and madness!!  Sufi-ism is a branch if Islam, Islamic mysticism. They like to add a little colour to lift themselves to a higher level while worshipping, using legal and illegal means!! The afternoon started with quawwali chanting at the shrine of Data Ganj Baksh Hajveri, an 11th century Sufi mystic renowned for his concern for the poor. The best quawwali singers in the neighborhood come here every Thursday. During the chant there is a worship for the holy men that sit around in a ring at the front of the audience seated on the ground in the hall. The devotion really looks very un-Islamic. Money is showered on the holy men to show it's worthlessness against them. This ritual, combined with the colourful 20 year old Christmas decorations hanging around the place made it seem more like a Hindu celebration. Many of the holy men had actually come from India, so there could be a connection.

Sufi Kawali Singing
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After nightfall the madness starts. At about 10 PM the rhythms explode into a thundering crescendo at the “Sufi nights” staged at the ramshackle shrine of Baba Shah Jamal. The open area is packed with locals sitting on the ground getting totally stoned out off their heads. It is all about Islamic mysticism afterall!! Two drummers beat the night away in rhythm. After a while, some of the more 'enlightened' members of the audience, after they think they have inhaled enough 'spiritual smoke’ stand and continuously and violently start to shake their heads and spin on the spot. When I left at about midnight they had been shaking their heads continuously for over an hour.

Sufi Kawali Worship
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I would love to have spent more than my single full day in Lahore, but I had to get moving for the start of my trek. Thursday in Lahore is better than nothing!!