Monuments

Commonly known as Shahi Hamam, the Wazir Khan Hamam was built by Sheikh Ilmuddin Ansari in 1634. The Hamam is the only surviving public bath from the Mughal era in Pakistan. The single-storey structure is spread over 1,110 square feet and was built using brick tiles and limestone cement. The building is a combination of Turkish and Persian style. It reminds one of the traditional Persian hamams which are still vogue in Iran. It is a single storey building with beautiful paintings and has three types of bathing facilities such as cold, hot and steam bath. All these facilities have been divided into separate sections. Massage and other similar facilities were also provided. In 2012 the Walled City of Lahore Authority, understanding the importance of Shahi Hammam, removed 52 encroachments from its façade and set out the conservation plan. This Conservation process was completed in 2016 and the same year Shahi Hammam won the Award of Merit by UNESCO for best conservation practices in Pakistan. During the conservation, the white wash over fresco work was removed through certain chemicals for revealing the original fresco underneath. Fresco experts from Sri Lanka who toiled with the students of National College of Arts carried out this task. Marble floors were laid in all the 21 rooms of the Hammam in 1991 restoration by the Archeology department. These floors were excavated during the 2014 conservation to reveal the hypocaust system.

Behind the Golden Mosque Bhikari Khan is a baoli or large well, with steps descending to the edge of the water. The well was dug by Arjan, the fifth sikh Guru, in the time of Jahangir and had a large alms house attached to it. In the time of his successor, Guru Har Gobind, owing to a quarrel between the Guru and the Qazi of Lahore, the Baoli, with all the buildings attached to it was confiscated to the state, and in the place of Langar khana a mosque was built in 1890. The Maharaja, having fallen dangerously ill, was advised by his astrologers to reopen the Baoli and Bathe with its water, which would cure him. He acted accordingly, and is said to have been cured by the bath. He lost no time in demolishing the mosque, and constructed buildings consisting of rooms, chambers and balconies. The place is highly respected by the Hindus, who hold all their important meetings there. The Granth or holy book, wrapped up in a valuable cloth, is placed on a raised platform, and the great kettle-drum is beaten every morning and evening to awaken the faithful to a sense of their duty to the creator. After the death of Ranjeet Singh and to the current period there are no traces in history that what happened to the Baoli and how it reached to this condition of barren garden having no Baoli. Presently the entrance of the Baoli is encroached by shopkeepers and nobody could apprehend what happened to the huge structure which once standing there.

The quadrangle now occupied by the garden called Hazuri Bagh with a marble Baradari (1818 AD) in its centre, was originally a serai built by Aurangzeb, where during the Mughal rule thronged the imperial cavalcades and armed retainers. The two storeyed building adjoining the southern gateway (Hazuri Bagh gate) was also originall built in the time of Aurangzeb as a boarding house for scholars. Later on it was used as Abdar- khana or place for keeping refreshing drinks. During the reign of Ranjit Singh it came to be called as Gulabkhana or ‘’Rose-water House’’ , literally rose –house. During the British period it was again used as a boarding house for students. The Hazuri Bagh garden was reconstructed in 1818 by Maharajah Ranjit Singh to commemorate the capture of the Koh-i-Noor diamond from Shah Shujah of Afghanistan. The major monument in the garden is the baradari at its center. It is primarily constructed of marble stripped from numerous Mughal monuments in Lahore, many of which remain standing despite the removal of their marble cladding. Ranjit Singh used the pavilion as a place to hold court, and the mirrored ceiling in the central chamber is a testament to this function.

It is situated closely to the Wazir Khan Mosque on the Eastern side. It appears that it was the entrance of the outer premises of the Wazir Khan Mosque. Since it is part of the Mosque planning, its date of construction is the same as that of the Mosque i.e. 1631 AD. The gate is about 16feet wide and 30 feet high in shape of an arch. It is not in a good state of preservation while additionally heavily encroached upon by vendors. The monument is also in the possession and under the control of the Walled City of Lahore Authority of the Govt. of Punjab.

This is probably the most charming and grand forts in entire Pakistan. Covering an area of 20 hectares, the size and structure that the fort has, was constructed by Emperor Akbar between 1556 and 1605. The succeeding emperors have all contributed to the styling of the fort; thus you can see different architectural ideas incorporated in Lahore Fort. Also known as 'Shahi Quila' among locales, the main attraction inside the fort are Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate, Naulakha pavillion and Moti Masjid. The fort was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1981. The fort has some really wonderful and well maintained gardens all around the fort which further add to the beauty of the fort.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780 – 1839) became the first ruler of the Sikh Empire, which came to power in the Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. The empire, based in the Punjab region, existed from 1799 to 1849.Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s mausoleum is located in Lahore near the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque. The mausoleum was begun by his son Kharak Singh on the spot where he was cremated. It was completed by Duleep Singh in 1848A.D. The tomb exemplifies Sikh architecture, it has gilded fluted domes and cupolas and an ornate balustrade round the top. Ranjit Singh’s ashes are contained in a marble urn in the shape of a lotus, sheltered under a marble pavilion inlaid with pietra-dura, in the center of the tomb. Ranjit Singh though illiterate, showed great intellectual curiosity so was uncontested master of the region through four decades of the 19th century.

Raja Dina Nath was the person, who rose to remarkable power in the later days of Ranjit singh. In 1834 raja Dina Nath was made finance Minister. After annexation of Lahore by the British in 1849, Raja Dina Nath was appointed to the council of Regency. During his time the Raja constructed buildings and gardens for public welfare. Among these was the well he built opposite the white dome in the front of Masjid Wazir khan. The well was set under a dome and open arches provided for drinking of water by the people. It was done by the Raja in 1851 AD at the suggestion of the Deputy Commissioner of Lahore. The Well though still existent and antiquity, is no more in functioning order. An inscription on a marble stone affixed to the southern wall of the structure.. “This well was built by Raja Dina Nath, Raja of Kalanour, at his own expense, at the suggestion of the Major George Macgregor, Dupty Commissioner of Lahore, in 1908 Samvat, corresponding to 1851 A.D

The museum itself is in a small house in the inner city. The Fakirs were an important family during the Sikh rule of Punjab in the 1700s. Fakir was an ascetic and his sons took over in his role as an important member and minister in the court of the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh. This small museum showcases the history of Lahore and contains important pieces such as relics from the Prophet Muhammad’s (P.B.U.H) time as well as swords, jewels and coins dating back to the Sikh era and the Mughal rule of the city. Collections within the Museum have been passed through generations within the Fakir Family and number approx 30,000 items from British, Sikh and Mughal eras. The Museum has survived several wars and the India-Pakistan partition. Held within the Fakir Family were several prominent mansions (Havelis) in and around Lahore e.g. Mubarak Haveli and others. The art from those mansions and personal pieces collected by several prominent members of the Fakir Family have also been incorporated into the Fakir Khana collection. Historically the Family was known to possess a large collection of jewels and jewelled artifacts-many of which were personal gifts to the Fakir Brothers by Maharajah Ranjit Singh.