Asia

[Visited: September 2019]

We approach Lahore Fort from the northwestern side, and stop outside a large gate. We have a closer look at the Picture Wall, an enormous decorative addition to the outer walls of this part of Lahore Fort. It contains 116 panels with mosaics, faience, and murals, depicting floral designs, various animals like elephants, camels, and horses, covering over 6000 sq m of wall. It was badly neglected, but restoration efforts have recovered some of its former splendour. While the wall looks impressive from a distance, you really start to appreciate its artistic beauty when you move closer and look at the different panels, none of which are identical. We walk through the Elephant Gate, with its massive wooden doors, and turn left: this is the Elephant Path, a wide and gently sloping stairway which allowed the royals to ascend the fort seated on their elephants.
We walk through another large gate, and come to the Shah Burj Quadrangle, the King Pavilion. A rectangular courtyard with a pool which now is without water, with Naulakha Pavilion on the west side of the courtyard. On the north, we see a white marble structure: the Sheesh Mahal, or Mirror Palace. It turns out to be an exquisitely decorated building. Pillars with inlaid pietra dura decorative floral elements at their base, and behind it, a hall with small mirrors on walls and ceilings, all together creating a dazzling effect when you stand under them. When you look closer, it is easy to see missing mirrors, missing precious stones, faded wall paintings. Ah, to see Sheesh Mahal in its full beauty, just after it was finished under Emperor Shah Jahan in the 1630s! It must have been mind-boggling. This is considered the crown on Lahore Fort, the part where only royals and their aides were allowed, where the emperor would show his Koh-i-Noor, the famous diamond.
From the Sheesh Mahal, we continue our exploration of Lahore Fort, passing through Shah Jahan, Jahangir, and Paien Bagh Quadrangles. We find elegantly shaped pavilions, symmetrically shaped gardens, viewpoints over the city, summer palace, and many more buildings of various styles reminding us that Lahore Fort has a rich history of additions to its original buildings. In fact, there probably was a fort at this location in the 11th century, while the current structure was started in 1566, and expanded over the next centuries by various rulers who added their own styles. I walk up stairs to arrive at Moti Masjid, a white marble mosque, built in the 1630s under Shah Jahan. After the fall of the Mughal Empire, it served as a Sikh temple, but has been restored to being a mosque. We exit the fort, walk past impressive Alamgiri Gate to arrive at Hazuri Bagh on the southwest of Lahore Fort. These gardens connect Lahore Fort to another major structure in Lahore: Badshahi Mosque.

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Lahore Fort > Pakistan > Asia

[Visited: September 2019]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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