Chauburji
This gateway, known as Chauburji because of its four lofty corner towers (chau=4 and burji=tower) dominates the surrounding landscape. Travelling south from the centre of the city, you will find it located at the centre of a roundabout formed at the junction of Multan Road and Bhawalpur Road (formerly Lake Road), and it is visible from some distance due to the large open ground in its vicinity.
The uppermost part of the building has a passage from the Holy Quran inscribed on it in Arabic letters of blue colour worked in porcelain and the kashi kari inscription at the top of the lofty aiwan gateway dates it to 1056 AH/1646 AD and attributes it to 'Sahib-e-Zebinda Begam-e-Dawran' (the one endowed with elegance, the lady of the age), who had bestowed the edifice upon Mian Bai.
Although Latif credits Zeb-un-Nisa Begam, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb, with the construction of this structure, equating Zabinda with Zeb-un-Nisa, archaeologist Waliullah points out that Zeb-un-Nisa would have been only eight years old at the time, and that the builder of the monument is more likely to have been Jahan Ara Begam, aunt of Zeb-un-Nisa and daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan. If any one could claim to be 'the lady of the age', it would be Jahan Ara, the Begam Sahib or first lady of the empire. Waliullah reinforces his contention by pointing out the existence of Jahan Ara's garden, referred to by Aurangzeb in his letters addressed to her.
According to the inscription, the garden, of which only the gateway Chauburji is now extant, was gifted to a Mian Bai. However, since the chronicles are silent about the identity of Mian Bai, Latif conjectures that she was a maid. On the other hand, Waliullah may be correct in his contention, that in the inscription 'Mian Bai' followed by 'Fakhrunnisa' or 'the pride of women' in the text, indicates 'a lady of status'.
With handsome proportions, the gateway was once "brilliantly enamelled and decorated with blue and green encaustic tiles and fresco of exquisite beauty." The extant kashi kari (tile mosaic) of Chauburji is among the finest examples of its kind. Although the monument has suffered loss of much of its decorative features and is but a shadow of the grand gateway it once was, it is an extremely impressive structure. Its octagonal corner towers, fully decorated with kashi kari rising above the roof, would have once carried pavilion-like belvederes affording uninterrupted view of the surrounding area.
During Aurangzeb's reign River Ravi floods were destructive to the garden, as to other parts of Lahore, forcing the emperor to order the construction of an eight kilometer dyke around the city. During the Sikh Period, the monument underwent destruction once again because of the rising Ravi waters. The top part of the northwest tower which had collapsed at the time was rebuilt in 1979.
The gateway's east and west facades are faced with grand and lofty Timurid iwan entrance, rising to two storeys and flanked by smaller peshtaq alcoves on the two floors, an architectural mode often employed in Shahjahani gateways. There would have been at least one other gateway—jawab or echo—punctuating the centre of the opposite side of the garden, which the inscription records, was laid out "in the pattern of the garden of paradise." The porcelain mosaic which decorates the walls, though most of it has been chipped away, is of high quality. The outer walls are brilliantly enameled and decorated with blue and green encaustic tiles and frescoes of exquisite beauty. The motifs most used are those of willowy cypresses, bowls of fruit, and winding trellises.
Kamran's Baradari
The earliest extant structure belonging to the Mughal Period in Lahore is believed to be the Baradari (pavilion) of Mirza Kamran, son of Babur the Chaghatai, the founder of the Mughal Kingdom in India. Mirza Kamran was a step brother of Emperor Humayun and the first Mughal Governor of Lahore. The baradari was part of the garden laid out by Kamran, where he received his father, the emperor Babur, on his visit to Lahore.
It was in Mirza Kamran's garden that the first-born of Emperor Jahangir, a rebellious Khusraw, was brought into the former's presence, "weeping and trembling..... .his hands tied and chains on his legs from the left side after the manner of Chingiz Khan," and Jahangir, in no mood to show leniency, declared, "Kingship regards neither son nor son-in-law. No one is a relation to a king."
Until the 18th century, the garden remained a recreational place for the Mughal imperial family, when the emperor and his entourage would arrive here by boat to enjoy the verdant scenery.
If you would like to visit the historic setting, it is best to combine it with a visit to Shahdara, since it is reached from the south end of a comparatively new bridge linking Lahore with Shahdara.
It was originally built on the right bank of the river Ravi but now stands in the middle, unaffected by the ebb and flow of the river. At the beginning of the bridge a flight of steps leads down to the river bed, from where one can hire a boat for a trip to the baradari, visible on the left in the centre of the river Ravi. The riverbed is often dry, and you should be prepared to walk some of the distance to the monument.
The baradari structure itself is a testimony to the engineering skill of Mughal builders. At the end of 19th century, Latif recorded "for more than half a century has the impetuous current of the ancient Ravi struggled to annihilate its walls, whose feet it washed, but with the exception of a portion washed away at a time beyond the memory of the living generation, the edifice stands quite unaffected by the ebb and flow of the majestic river." The river that once flowed close to the city walls changed course during the first half of the 18th century, and destroyed the edifices and gardens laid by Mughal nobility. Mirza Kamran's garden shared the same fate, although a few traces of old garden paths can still be seen.
The structure built of massive brick masonry, consists of an octagonal central chamber 24' wide, and four corner octagonal rooms 11' wide, the core encircled by an 11' wide arcaded veranda. The 80' sides of the square structure are punctured by 5 cusped arches—a central 17'6" wide arch flanked by two 9' arches on each side. Almost half of the northern portion has been washed away and has been totally reconstructed, and so have the decorative feature; due to which the original character of the monument has been compromised—an example of over-zealous 'restoration' in a attempt to preserve.
Minar-e-Pakistan
Minar-e-Pakistan (Pakistan Day Memorial) is a minaret which was made to commemorate the day when the Pakistan resolution was passed on March 23, 1940. The main tower of this memorial was completed on March 22, 1968. The location was originally known as Minto Park. It was here that the historic session of the All-India Muslim League was held on March 23, 1940.
In 1960 the Muslim League leaders impressed upon the local authorities the need for building a memorial. The governor of West Pakistan, Akhtar Hussain, issued an appeal to the public for contributions for constructing the memorial. He also constituted a memorial committee and a memorial fund for collecting donations from philanthropists. Murat Khan, a Turkish architect, designed the memorial. The governor laid the foundation stone of the memorial on March 23, 1960. The tower took about eight years to complete, at an estimated cost of Rs. 500,000.
The tower rises above a platform shaped like a five-pointed star. The terrace is three feet from ground level, the platform's height is about six feet, and the star platform is about 12 feet high. It is surrounded by two crescent-shaped pools, four feet deep and lined with green and red marble. The tower has a spring shaped hall spanned by arches. The rostrum facing Badshahi Mosque is a quadrant constructed with Mughal patterned tiles. The circular diameter of the tower is 320 feet. The petals, 30 feet high, look like a blooming flower. The total height of the structure is 203 feet from ground level. On the marble slabs of the central shaft are inscribed a brief history of the Pakistan Resolution in English, Urdu and Bengali, the 99 names of God and poetic verses from Allama Iqbal. The tower has 10 vertical covering slabs interlaced with flower petals and glazed cement domes, with a sightseeing platform and a central spiral staircase.
The design of the base and the first four platforms depict the history of the Pakistan Movement through architectural symbols. Rough stones and cement have been haphazardly laid representing the chaotic conditions and the lack of direction in the early stages of the freedom movement of the Indian Muslims. The stones used for the first platform are rough Taxila stones. Hammer-dressed stones are used on the second platform. On the third platform are laid chiselled stones, while the fourth and final platform is of highly polished marble, symbolizing the ultimate success of the freedom movement.
The dome is of stainless steel inlaid with fine glass pieces. Up to the dome there are four stages spread over 162 stairs. The best and encompassing panoramic view of Lahore and the citadel is obtained by using the elevator which takes you all the way up to the top of the tower. The park is a popular recreational spot for Lahorites who congregate there in large numbers. It is often used for holding large public meetings. The locality of the memorial has been highlighted with well planned parks. Eight marble fountains on the main access add to the beauty of the memorial, emitting watery rainbows with the help of multicolored lights.
Wazir Khan's Baradari
Wazir Khan's Baradari is one of the finest and largest of the genre, and is in well preserved state. It is perched between the Punjab Public Library (PPL), National College of Arts (NCA) and the Lahore Museum and is approached from the Punjab Public Library Road. It has been put to good use as a reading room for the adjoining library and is therefore considered a part of the library.
The building is named after its founder Hakim Ilmuddin titled Wazir Khan, the same grandee of Shah Jahan's court who gifted the city of Lahore with such sumptuous monuments as Wazir Khan's Mosque and Wazir Khan's Hammam, also known as Shahi Hammam, in the Walled City.
The chronicles record how Wazir Khan, after having completed his spectacular mosque, turned his attention to laying out a fine garden—a garden which became known as Wazir Khan's Nakhlia Garden because of the large number of date-palm trees. In the middle of the Nakhlia Garden he built an elegant baradari, which has carried his name to this day.
The baradari (lit. twelve openings) was so titled because of a sehdara centre and flanking deeply-inset arched openings or peshtaq on each side of the square, resulting in 12 dars or doorways openings. The two storey pavilion-like structure is dominated by four corner belvedere towers, terminated by sloping chajjas (eaves) and capped by cupolas. It is surrounded by pools on all four sides containing fountains which would have provided misty breeze to its occupants in the hot Lahori summers.
As in the case of Anarkali's tomb, this monument also has undergone extensive alterations having served varied functions: as part of Sikh and British cantonments, as the Settlement and Telegraph office, and also as a museum. Its use as Punjab Public Library, was lauded by Latif: "A nobler aim it could not have served. The founder of the building was himself a patron of learning and a profound scholar, and the association of his name with an institution pregnant with such significant results for the rising generation of the Panjab may be regarded as a happy coincidence."
Gulabi Bagh Gateway
One of the most significant Mughal structures, carrying some of the most spectacular tile mosaic examples, is the Gulabi Bagh Gateway. It is located on the northern side of G.T. Road, east of Buddhu's Tomb, and past Begampura Road on the left. Although of considerable height (it is a two storey structure), it can be missed easily since it does not carry a dome, or other terminating elements, As is evident from its name, this remarkable gateway was originally the entrance to a garden known as Gulabi Bagh or (the rose garden), no longer extant. The name however, is also a chronogram, from which the date of construction of the gateway AH 1066 (1655) is obtained.
Although the gateway has endured much damage to its decorative features, it is in a tolerably well-preserved state. It was constructed by or in memory of Mirza Sultan Beg, a Persian nobleman and cousin of Shah Jahan's son-in-law Mirza Ghiyasuddin (married to princess Sultan Begam).
Due to his cousin's relationship with the royal family, Mirza Sultan Beg rose to the exalted position of Mir-ul-Bahar (Admiral of the Fleet). He was obviously on extremely good terms with the emperor, who, aware of his love of hunting, presented him with a much-admired English rifle. Just two months later, the firearm proved fatal for him due to the bursting of a shell during a hunting expedition at Hiran Minar at Sheikhupura. He died in 1063/1657.
A lofty Timurid iwan—a popular architectural rendering for gateways—rises to two-storey height, and incorporates a 40' long covered walkway defined by a single storey cusped arch gateway. The aiwan is flanked on both sides with 5' deep arched alcoves expressive of the two storeys of the structure. The covered walkway is lined on either sides with a 12'x12' chamber, which no doubt provided accommodation to the guards, from where an internal staircase leads to the first floor.
The 50' wide facade, subdivided into slightly sunken panels presents one of the finest examples of kashi kari (tile mosaic). The panels are defined by brick borders, which, as was usual, would have been treated with taza kari or lines of red fresco. Profusely embellished with multi-hued, scintillating tile mosaic, based largely on floral themes including floral arabesque, it is considered one of the most important tile-mosaic examples of the Mughal period. The rendering of floral and geometric themes executed in finely cut tile mosaic, with an interesting combination of hues of blue, yellow, maroon and green, became a favorite medium of decoration during Shah Jahan's time.
This architectural masterpiece is one of many structures of the period where humble brick was given an exciting veneer of beautifully crafted tile mosaic, cut to the exact form of a petal or a leaf and then closely joined together, to present this unique artwork. Today, it is divorced from its chahar bagh setting, but would have been a spectacular monument—located as it would have been amidst verdant surroundings. It is said to have been a large garden with beautiful pavilions, arches, paved floors, and gateways at all four corners. A little way inside the surviving gateway is the tomb of Dai Anga.
Lahore Zoo
Established in 1872, the Lahore Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world. It started as a small aviary that was donated by Lal Mahundra Ram. Gradually it developed and its animal collection also increased, today the Zoo houses about 1381 animals of 136 species including 996 birds of 82 species, 49 reptiles of 8 and 336 mammals of 45 species. It remained under the management of Lahore Municipal Corporation from 1872 to 1923. Thereafter, its control was given to Deputy Commissioner, Lahore until 1962. Then its management was placed under the Livestock and Dairy Development Department. Finally the management of Lahore Zoo was entrusted to the Wildlife & Parks Department in 1982. During the period 1872 to 1982, it remained a small entity with very little development taking place. A plaque near the entrance to the zoo reads, “The aviary was presented to the Municipal Committee of Lahore by Lala Mela Ram in March 1872.”
Shalimar Gardens
The most spectacular of Mughal gardens, the Shalimar Gardens, are located 3 miles east of the Walled City on G.T. Road. As you drive on east on G.T. Road keep a watch for an octagonal turret kiosk (chattri) which will become visible on your left (north) above the surrounding structures. Since the garden is totally enclosed by a plain blank wall in which a small doorway is located, it is best to be vigilant.
As is usual in the world of Islam, the gardens are usually introverted—inward looking—where their breathtaking splendor is experienced once you enter the enclosure externally bordered by walls. In the case of the Shalimar, the blank wall hardly prepares you for the awesome scale of the garden as you step inside the small doorway. It is an introduction to Lahore, City of Gardens, as no other garden of the city can give.
Gardens have been an integral part of Mughal royal life ever since Babur, the founder, laid out the first gardens on the bank of the Jamuna River. It was an attempt to recreate a Chaghatai world of his beloved Kabul—"in spring a heaven"—in a newly conquered India, which Babur, in his remarkable Baburnama, referred to as "a country of few charms" with no running waters in the gardens, nor any charm in the residences nor hawa (air), regularity or symmetry.
Shalimar Gardens constructed by his great grandson, the aristocratic Shah Jahan, is the epitome of Mughal garden design, incorporating the paradisical chahar bagh, nahr (water channels), waterfalls and tanks, along with terracing and beautiful pavilions, creating a world of its own within its lofty enclosing walls. Covering 80 acres, they were laid out on the plan of a garden in Srinagar (Kashmir), primarily to provide accommodation when the emperor was on tour in Lahore, and as a place of recreation for the royal family.
The generous water supply and dramatic water falls became possible due to the engineering skills of Ali Mardan Khan, buried not far from his favorite garden, adept at constructing canals for supply of water. Ali Mardan Khan proposed to the Emperor that the waters of the Ravi be brought from Rajpot (Present day Madhpur in India) to Lahore. Shah Jahan approved, and within two years, a canal named Shah Nahar (Royal Canal) over 100 miles long was completed. The complex water storage, system of aqueducts and hydraulic devised by Mughal architects and engineers, to provide water supply on a large scale in the flat terrain of the Punjab simulating the undulating and dramatic sites of the Kashmir is a tribute to their ingenuity and skill.
Once the canal was completed, a royal edict was issued in 1641 to commence the garden on a spot "so delightfully adapted to the purpose that it was universally commended." The garden, a rectangle 1560' x 690' in three distinct terraces, rising 15 feet at each level from north to south. It consists primarily of two perfect squares of paradisiacal garden—chahar bagh—in north and south, interrupted in the middle by a rectangular third terrace of an enormous body of water. The first and third terraces, 867 feet square, are similar in proportion and design. The gardens reflect the emperor's deep love for the Farghana Valley (in present-day Uzbekistan), where the water flows in winding streams through the terraced valley. Marble used in the gardens was brought from Rajasthan, India.
Originally, the entrance to the garden was from the north, at the lowest terrace, as is customary in Mughal gardens, so that the cascades faced the visitor in his upward progress, revealing new delights as each terrace was surmounted and the full impact of the cascading waterfall, chahar bagh parterres and water channels, along with flowers and trees produced an image of heaven on earth. The gardens are unified by water running down a 20-foot central channel and its offshoots, totaling 2,796 feet, which divide the terraces into quarters decorated with a total of 410 fountains in red sandstone and marble. Where the channels intersect, there are larger pools with more fountains.
The garden was named Bagh-e-Faiz Bakhsh and Bagh-e-Farah Bakhsh after a garden in Kashmir that Shah Jahan had constructed when still a shahzadah (prince). At Lahore, the upper terrace—Bagh-e-Farah Bakhsh, the Garden of the Bestower of Pleasure—was reserved for royalty and planted with fruit bearing trees and plants. The present main entrance, on the uppermost terrace, was originally the aramgah (resting chambers) of Shah Jahan. The building on the east on the same terrace was originally the Hall of Public and Private Audience, while that on the west was the residence of the Empress. Its central baradari overlooks the spectacular waterfall discharging into the enormous water reservoir on the middle terrace. The middle terrace, named Bagh-e-Faiz Bakhsh (the Garden of the Bestower of Plenty), is an oblong 258 meters (867 feet) wide and only seventy eight meters (225 feet) long. It is divided length wise into three: the middle section raised and containing the great tank, over sixty meters (195 feet) across with 152 fountains, four pavilions and one of the garden's most splendid features, the great cascade. This large white marble wedge carries water down from the upper terrace level to the central tank over a sculpted surface which artfully gives the impression of brilliantly cascading diamonds. At the root of the cascade is the emperor's marble throne. You can enjoy sitting on the overhanging throne at the foot of the waterfall or on the central platform (mahtabi) in the middle terrace accessed by causeways leading from east and west. From here you can view the marble inlaid chaddar (cascade) located in southern chahar bagh, as well as the north chahar bagh known as Bagh-e-Faiz Bakhsh (the Garden of the Bestower of Plenty), originally intended to be a more public part of the garden. On the east, in the middle terrace, there is a hammam (bath) with hot and cold baths and a dressing room originally decorated with pietra dura work. This terrace also has four pavilions and six corner towers surmounted by domes. The lower terrace is named Hayat Baksh (Bestower of life).
In 1642, the gardens were completed due to the exertions of Khalilullah Khan, having taken "one year, five months and four days." The court historian Inayat Khan recorded, "His Majesty made a pleasure excursion to those paradise-like terraces. And the gardens and the agreeable pavilions which had been erected about the grounds, which all vied with the heavens in grandeur, were now found suitable to the royal taste. In fact, never before had a garden of such a magnificent description been seen or heard of; for the building alone of this earthly Paradise had been erected at an outlay of six lakhs of rupees."
The gardens are surrounded by a high brick wall topped with merlons and strengthened at each corner of the lowest terrace with octagonal towers surmounted with sandstone pavilions. This wall is plastered from the outside, but traces indicate that its inner face was covered with glazed plaster decorated with geometrical and plant designs on fresco.
Just opposite the garden, south of G.T. Road, is the brick vestige of the original water supply system devised to provide water for the garden as well as for the multitude of fountains that even today create a Thousand and One Nights' scene. The only extant element of the famed system now is a large square brick structure, constructed with massive brick masonry, some part: having been unfortunately lost in the widening of the road. The garden suffered considerable damage during the Sikh Period. The pavilions were deprived of their marble and agate work to decorate Ram Bagh and the Golden Temple at Amritsar.
Hazuri Bagh and Baradari
Hazuri Bagh, lined with cloisters for mendicants and holy men, was built as a forecourt for the grand mosque. The Hazuri Bagh pavilion that dominates the centre of the quad was built by Ranjit Singh. Opposite (south) is the Hazuri Bagh Gate, which was built as part of a boarding house for scholars and students attached to the mosque. An impressive gateway in the east, the Alamgiri Gateway, was built specially and oriented in the direction of the mosque to provide suitable emphasis when entered from the citadel.
Once known as Serai of Aurangzeb, the Mosque forecourt would be thronged by the cavalcade of the emperor when he came to offer his Friday prayers at the grand mosque. Hazuri Bagh provided the stage on which the pomp of the Mughal emperor was showcased, his train a throng of mace-bearers, omerah, grandees and nobles. The traveler Francois Bernier recorded that the way from the citadel, would be lined by hundreds of soldiers in their dazzling uniforms making a glittering passage for the emperor.
The entrance to the mosque with its lofty plinth, makes it imperative to climb its 22 steps to reach the platform, and provides a foretaste of the grandeur within the mosque enclosure.
The Mughalised attractive marble baradari adorning the Hazuri Bagh was put together on the orders of Ranjit Singh in 1818 to celebrate the capture of the famous Koh-i-Noor Diamond from Shah Shuja of Afghanistan. Its Mughal character is beholden to the material removed from Mughal monuments and reused here.
The pavilion was constructed in 1818 and originally consisted of a basement and two storey above ground. Elegant carved marble pillars support the baradari’s delicate cusped arches. The central area, where Ranjit Singh held court, has a mirrored ceiling. Both the garden and the baradari, originally a 45-foot, three-storey square with a basement approached by fifteen steps, suffered extensive damage during the fratricidal Sikh wars and was only reclaimed and laid out according to the original plan during the British period. On 19 July 1932, the uppermost story collapsed due to heavy rainstorm and lightning. Because of a paucity of funds the top storey was never restored; however, the first floor marble fretwork balustrade, which had also been severely damaged, was rehabilitated three years later.
From contemporary illustrations the design of the top storey is evident: a chamber punctured by cusped arch openings, set in the middle of a large terrace and well set back from the edge of the ground floor roof.
The Baradari was the focus of regal displays during the Sikh rule. Although the takht (or throne) was the citadel, Ranjit Singh used the venue of the baradari for conducting functions of state. After his death, the pavilion continued to be utilized by his successors.
Lawrence Gardens
To reach Lawrence Gardens (Bagh-e-Jinnah), if you decide to walk east from Charing Cross, you will enjoy one of the most pleasant walks in Lahore, for if anywhere, here is the road segment that provides you with the garden city feel for which Lahore is famous. Along the same side of the road as the Masonic Lodge, and opposite the Avari Hotel, which replaced the once-famous Nedous Hotel, is situated the Zoo or Chiriya Ghar, as it is popularly known. One of the finest zoos of the country and spread over a large area, it is worth a visit. On one side of the road is the expanse of Bagh-e-Jinnah (earlier Lawrence Gardens) and a little further, on the other the sprawling estate of the Governor's House.
The Lawrence Gardens were established in 1862 and were originally named after Sir John Lawrence, late 19th century British Viceroy to India. The gardens were organized in an area covering 112 acres. The vow of the East India Company was that it would bring 80,000 saplings of 600 different species from every corner of the world, where in those days, the sun never set. After collecting money from the sale of Badami Bagh, the Soldier's Bazaar at Anarkali and from a grant by the "Company Bahadur”, the land was purchased in the year 1860.
A top gardener from Kew Gardens in London was brought to Lahore and he began to train the local gardeners and set about laying "the most beautiful gardens in the Punjab and Upper India". The Government College, Lahore, took over a major portion of the place to set up a botanical garden. The very first tree was planted by the beautiful young daughter of the commissioner of Lahore, Mr. Forsyth, on a crisp January morning in 1862. She was later to become Mrs. George Parker, who built the first house on the Racecourse Road. She died in Lahore and is buried at the cemetery on Jail Road. The garden was fed water from the Lahore canal. The three main gates were called Victoria Gate (on The Mall), Rivaz Gate (on Lawrence Road), and Montgomery Gate (on Racecourse Road). Today they remain nameless.
In the middle of the Lawrence Gardens were built the Lawrence and Montgomery Halls, designed by the chief engineer, Mr. G. Stone, and built in 1861-1866. It was here that the Lahore Gymkhana Club was housed. But the pride of place in the entire garden must surely go to the cricket ground. The expert from Kew Gardens did a splendid job, for he laid out a turf the equal of which has not been found in the country. So true is the flatness, almost as if one could play a game of billiard on it. The pitch is another story. One legend has it that the entire mud was brought over from Worcester, and for one whole year it was cured and rolled and "not a lice was allowed to crawl on it". The result has been an exceptionally true wicket, with a "true bounce".
To suit the beautiful trees that surround the ground and the lush green turf, is the exquisite pavilion, made from British oak. The first major match played here was in 1911 between the British Army and a World XI. The World XI comprised players from Gloucestershire and Lancashire, while the army team was drawn from the 87th Punjabis, 17th Lancasters, 15th Sikhs and the King's Regiment. The World XI team won by 61 runs. The match had its desired effect and a strong team led by D. R. Jardine played here in the 1930s. Apart from the cricket ground, the gardens also house a ladies club, two libraries, tennis clubs, and botanical gardens.
Wazir Khan Hammam
Commonly known as Shahi Hamam, the Wazir Khan Hammam was built by the Governer of Lahore, Sheikh Ilmuddin Ansari, in 1634. It is located just inside the Delhi Gate. Hammams (or public baths) were introduced into the subcontinent by the Mughals, and this is among the rare examples of this building type that are now extant.
As you enter the enclosure, on the right is a row of small rooms, which lead to the hammam. Since only a section of this large hammam (size 140.5' x 80.5') is open to visitors, it is not possible to gauge the full extent of this remarkable structure, now used as a tourist information centre. Unfortunately the original tanks of the hammam have been filled up. However, from its ground plan consisting of two large octagonal halls and scores of small cubicles, it is evident that the hammam was equipped with essential constituents of a Mughal hammam. There would have been separate sections for men and women, and for each section a reservoir with fountains, a cold room, hot room and dressing rooms in addition to latrines and stores with arrangement for heating water and piping etc. would have been provided.
Since the halls and some other rooms are totally enclosed from all sides, an ingenious system of roof lights, which also acted as an exhaust for warm air, was devised which provides natural light to all the important halls and rooms. A narrow staircase leading up to the roof allows you to view this exciting scenery of conical rooflights of varying sizes providing sun-light to the interior of this impressive structure.
An admirable piece of Shahjahani architecture, Wazir Khan's Hammam demonstrates a sophisticated system of arcuate construction relying on an effective utilization of muqarnas (stalactite squinches). The building is a combination of Turkish and Persian style. It reminds one of the traditional Persian hamams which are still vogue in Iran.
The original fresco paintings on the walls have lost their form and color at many places due to the negligence of the custodians of the building. In the entrance of the hammam a lighted display panel carrying images of historic monuments seen through the eyes of nineteenth century travellers provides you with interesting glimpses of historic Lahore.
