by Tania Qureshi
Since Lahore originated, it witnessed the seasons of
turbulence and tranquility. It remained a princely state and also got looted
during riots. Fortunately, despite several attacks and ransacks Lahore remained
in limelight during different rules and empires of the sub continent. This can
be claimed as a city which gave birth to the stories of many writers, scenes
for the painters and empires for the rulers. Lahore became a dream city in
1500s when the Mughal Empire settled in Lahore and made it one of the main
capitals. That was the time when additions were made to the zenith and majestic
buildings in galore and monuments gushed.
Akbar, the Mughal emperor built a thirty feet high fortified wall around
the city with twelve gates. A Mori was made during the British era which was
given the status of a gate later, and now Lahore is known as a city with
thirteen gates. Many of the gates have been demolished but almost five are
still intact, which were rebuilt during the British era.
Lahore is the cultural capital of Pakistan and one of the
largest living cultural centers of the world. This is the only Walled City of
the world with natural settlement. One would find generations old traditions
and values in this place and people living in the ancesteral homes called
havelis. The entire structure of the walled city is based on Mohallahs,
Koochas, Katras and streets. One would find the narrowest streets of the world
inside the walled city of Lahore. The Walled
City of Lahore represents centuries old civilization with contributions by Afghans,
Tughluqs, Lodhis, Hindus, Mughals, Sikhs and the British. Remnants of these
eras are still found in every street, nook and corner of the walled city.
That’s why it’s a city of wonders and magnificence.
Lahore's architectural
beauty and its cultural richness is to be found in every cranny of the Walled
city: the wooden balconies and jharokas, the monuments which include mosques, Hindu temples and Sikh gurudwaras, the havelis,
and the World Heritage site of Lahore Fort--all tokens of a rich and
splendorous past. The city's ages old cultural character is to be found in its
narrow winding streets, the color and hustle and bustle of its bazaars, the
food and the numerous festivals. Till now the largest markets of Asia and world
are found inside the walled city which include the spice market, shoe markets,
cloth markets and many more.
Lahore walled city possesses thousands of buildings of
architectural merit and historicity. After 1947 the beauty of the city could
not be kept intact and several alterations and additions jeopardized the
grandeur subconsciously. The greatest
threat to the city’s heritage was the scale of endless commercialization. The
eruption of wholesale markets of various goods that cater to Lahore at large,
and to regional and national markets was another threat to the heritage and
culture. But the economic power contained in these markets has little impact on
the state of well being of LWC, as a vast majority of the profits made here are
invested elsewhere. This factor has had a significant impact on the residential
quarters at several levels: change of traditional land use; conversion or
demolition of residential buildings; outflow of population historically (and culturally)
associated with the walled city; and an influx of (low income) rural migrants
seeking jobs in the metropolitan centre.
Against the backdrop of this prolonged neglect of the
country's prime urban heritage, in 2005, the Government of Punjab launched an
initiative for the conservation and rehabilitation of this historic city. At
last the last sighs of the city were heard. A comprehensive Strategic Plan was prepared
which recognized that the Walled City in itself was an object of conservation
and redevelopment, and aimed to resolve the several planning conflicts that
existed between the historic city and greater Lahore. Later the Aga Khan Trust
for culture came in as a partner and a small project was converted into an
autonomous Authority known today as Walled City of Lahore Authority.
The teams did not want to shelf the documents and studies
made on the walled city so they planned to demonstarte the techniques of
conservation in a small portion for which the area of Delhi Gate to Lahore Fort
was selected. This area was known as the Shahi Guzargah or the Royal Trail.
This trail had immense value in terms of the heritage and monuments. The Shahi
Guzargah links many of the landmark monuments of the Walled City, including the
Delhi Gate, Shahi Hammam, the Chowk Wazir Khan Wazir Khan Mosque, Sonheri
Masjid, Chuna Mandi Girls College, the Begum Shahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort.
The same route is enriched with havelis and heritage homes. The trail was named
as Shahi Guzargah because some of the historians report that it was used by the
emperors and Mughal entourages while coming from Delhi and going to Lahore Fort
by passing the city.
The implementation of the Pilot Urban Conservation and
Infrastructure Improvement Project—the Shahi Guzargah project—was launched in
2012 by the new Walled City of Lahore Authority. The first stage of this project, from Delhi
Gate to Chowk Purani Kotwali just beyond the Wazir Khan Mosque, was restored,
conserved and completed in 2015.
This project aimed at carrying out urban rehabilitation,
urban conservation and upgrading of trunk and distribution infrastructure as
facets of the conservation of cultural heritage in the Walled City.
In its interventions, the project has been an extremely
complex but rich and rewarding one. Beginning from Delhi Gate, walled city of
Lahore authority has restored a 383 meters long stretch of the heritage trail
leading up to Chowk Kotwali. The trail comprises 54 streets, 655 Houses and 157
shops. The Project encompassed the rehabilitation of the street facades of
nearly 850 buildings, and most of the repairs were carried out in traditional
building materials such as kankar lime mortars and brick work using small
historic bricks.
The new services include underground high voltage electricity
(and the disappearance of messy tangled up wire-scape so typical of cities in
South Asia), new orderly ways of distributing electricity connections to
consumers, new telecommunications infrastructure , new gas delivery lines, new
trunk water supply services and water supply networks in the tiny streets. To
provide better standards of public health the sewerage network was separated
from a new storm water drainage service. The project also included removal of
shops and other properties that had encroached into the public right of way,
and the provision of street pavement and urban furniture. The transformers
destructing the views and monuments were removed and all the hanging wires were
laid underground.
For the first time, the faces of two monuments Shahi Hammam
and Wazir Khan Mosque have been exposed by removing the encroachments upon its
façade. 57 shops from Shahi Hammam and 72 shops covering Wazir Khan Mosque have
been permanently removed. The purpose of the removal of these encroachments was
to bring the encroached monuments and streets back to their original glory.
With a cost of rupees 500 million, some of the lost glory
has been brought back and the entire locality looks changed. There are tourists
visiting the site and appreciating the efforts. I hope the same is replicated
very soon in other parts of the walled city of Lahore to save the heritage and
what is left.
(The writer is a media professional and can be reached at taniaq29@gmail.com)