The naming of city gates in Delhi and Lahore reflects centuries-old Mughal road networks, strategy and trade linksacross the northern Indian subcontinent. In Shah Jahan’s Red Fort in Delhi, the Lahori Gate was so named because it faced westward toward the city of Lahore, once one of the empire’s major political and cultural centres. The gate marked the start of the royal and commercial route connecting Delhi with Lahore, which was essential for movement of armies, traders and emissaries across the vast Mughal domains. The road from the Red Fort extended through Old Delhi toward the Grand Trunk Road, the famed artery connecting major cities, including Lahore, further west.

Similarly, in Lahore’s historic walled city, one of the primary gateways was called the Delhi Gate because it opened eastward toward Delhi — again orienting the city’s principal entrance along the same historic route in reverse. This Delhi Gate once formed part of Lahore’s fortified wall and served as the main entry for travellers and goods arriving from the direction of Delhi during the Mughal period. The gate — now a protected heritage structure — reflects how urban design and naming conventions were shaped by practical geography and imperial connectivity rather than symbolic gestures alone.

Together, the Lahori Gate in Delhi and the Delhi Gate in Lahore embody the interconnectedness of Mughal capitals and trade networks, where city planning literally pointed toward key destinations on major imperial highways. This reciprocal naming tradition highlights how Mughal rulers organised cities not just as centres of power but as nodes in a connected imperial landscape linking regions culturally, economically and administratively.