Lahore and its Mosques through the eyes Amjad Nawaz

Have you ever been to Lahore or seen it's mosques? Even I have not, but I have been lucky as I have been following the works of some of the photographers from the city who bring to fore the beauty of the city and it's historical monuments. No matter how Pakistan is portrayed in Indian media, it would remain my dream my visit the country, especially the city of Lahore. So today, I bring to you a budding photographer from the city, Amjad Nawaz, who has been capturing Lahore and especially its mosques in the most beautiful possible way.


Travel Mosques of Lahore Pakistan Amjad Nawaz
Mosques of Lahore, Pakistan

So, who is Amjad?
Amjad is someone who is not very expressive someone who'll always keep his secrets to himself. Someone who usually cares a lot about his friends and family but always fails to express it. He's lucky to have family that always understands him without him needing to explain what he is going through.

I am into import business, my company imports interior furnishing products that includes wall and floor coverings. Did my honors in Human Resource Management back in 2011 but have been working for over 10 years now.

Travel Mosques of Lahore Pakistan Amjad Nawaz
Inside Wazir Khan Mosque

I was born in Bangkok but moved to Pakistan when i was 8. After that it was a mix of good and bad times probably the best time was living with my grandparents in Rawalpindi for 8 years before my mother also moved to Lahore with my siblings. The worst patch probably was the one when me and my brother had to go to boarding in Abbottabad for 6-7 months, waking up at 6 in the morning and living by a school bell wearing 2 different uniforms the whole day, eating food that was cold and living in a hall with 8 different kids from 8 different regions of the country was difficult probably all our life we had the liberty of living our life our own way and moving to such boarding school we had to manage everything around that school bell.

Moving to Lahore and living with my siblings ever since has been an amazing experience.

Is there any person, any incident which left a lasting impression on you and shaped the way you are today?
I have lived with my grandfather for more years than I have actually lived with my father, we were really close and he always treated me like his friend. In 2010 he had his by-pass surgery in Lahore, I was with him all the time after the surgery he was moved to ICU where we had our last words. The next day he couldn't recover and died. It was tough specially when my dad wasnt in Pakistan and I had to arrange for everything from paying hospital bill receiving his body and arranging the ambulance. Doing that at your early 20's is a tough call but now when I look back and think about it, I feel stronger that if i can face something so heart-wrenching I can probably face anything. 

Travel Mosques of Lahore Pakistan Amjad Nawaz Wazia Khan
Fresco work at Wazir Khan

What does photography mean to you?
I started photography right after I got married because initially i didn't wanted to live that typical "Shadi Shuda Uncle Wali Life" but instead wanted to have a hobby that would take me out make me travel and explore more and photography was an easy pick. I had a DSLR but didnt actually knew how to use it so i started using my Samsung S2 and posting random stuff on Instagram. My first inspiration were all the amazing Instagrammers from subcontinent before coming across them I was only capturing architecture, but people like Sadri, Ahmed, Anuj Arora, Jasmeet, they were always good with portraits and showing the amazing culture of the Subcontinent, that is what I wanted to do but with a mix of what I was good at.

Initially I used to plan a shot or would simply go bonkers shooting everything I can and selecting the final image when am back home but recently I have been selective shooting what clicks to my mind and only posting stuff that I like from a pool of 50-60 shots. Overall photography and instagram has been a very good experience, I have met amazing people around the globe that share the same passion and made some amazing new friends which isnt normally possible when you are out of college or university because the only friends you will be making after that will be your colleagues or people from your business circle. 

Tell us more about your city Lahore and your romance with it's mosques...
Lahore is an amazing city, here you will find two extremes of everything the urban and rural setting the modern Lahore and the culturally rich Lahore. For those who are reading this from India let me tell you Delhi and Lahore looks really very similar, starting off from the Mughal Era to the newer construction there are many structures that are similar to the ones in Delhi.

I wish to visit Delhi one day and document the similarities between Delhi and Lahore. Another great thing about Lahore are its mosques, from Badshahi Mosque (which is identical to Jamia Masjid Delhi) and Wazir Khan Mosque for its amazing Fresco Work to Sunehri Masjid (that has great history attached to it) and some of the more recent constructions like Grand Mosque in Bahria Town. They all have amazing architecture and history attached to it. For someone who's visiting Lahore I would totally recommend them visiting these places.


Travel Mosques of Lahore Pakistan Amjad Nawaz Badhshahi masjid
Entrance of Badshahi Msajid
Travel Mosques of Lahore Pakistan Amjad Nawaz moti masjid lahore fort
Moti Masjid inside Lahore Fort
Travel Mosques of Lahore Pakistan Amjad Nawaz Badshahi masjid
Entrance of Badshahi Masjid

Let's talk about your personal life...
Well I am Alhamdulilah a father of two now, 3 years old Ayyan and a new born daughter who's just 12 days old Noor E Zahra. Married the love of my life 4 years back and it has been an amazing experience so far, you do feel the pressure at times but I guess that is where you feel the responsibility and the encouragement to do better so that you can provide a better life style to your family.  

And finally, 'What is your dream?' Amjad?
My dreams is to be just half as good as my father, he has achieved so much in life that I know it will be tough for me to do in one life time.

Travel Mosques of Lahore Pakistan Amjad Nawaz
Amjad Nawaz
To connect with Amjad:
Email
Facebook

Comments

  1. Gorgeous photos, I loved Lahore and its mosques. Pakistan is often overlooked but there is so much to see and do there!

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  2. Another beautiful post. Nice to see awesome photography of Amjad Nawaz. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Wow... Sid where you got to interveiw this person... I hope you get to visit Lahore someday!! I have read some books on Pakistan places and they seem amazing, I think every Indian should visit Pakistan and help rebuild it... India and Pakistan have a common bond, no wonder the mosques there are similar to the ones in Delhi!! ... so you are a interviewer too, great!!
    http://howtogetridofstuf.com/

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  4. Beautiful, beautiful mosques! Amjad Nawaz not only is a great photographer, but he's also such an interesting personality. It's really sad that due to the political problems between the two countries, ordinary Indians and Pakistanis can't have more contacts and cultural exchanges as much as they want and possibly could.

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  5. Based on these photos, it looks like an amazing place.
    Great post Sid. Also very interesting.

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  6. Spectacular clicks. I didn’t know that Lahore has so much to offer before reading this blog. I would love to explore these beautiful mosques and culturally rich places around. I am eager to capture these places on my lenses, thank you for the inspiration and sharing information about Lahore.

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