WALLED CITY OF LAHORE
Pakistan preserves the past while embracing future
Officials juggle conserving the diverse heritage with building modern infrastructure in Pakistan’s chaotic second city, writes Khurram Shahzad
Perched on scaffolding, restoration experts chip away at decades of grime and repair broken mosaic tiles in a bid to save the colossal murals depicting historic battles and regal ceremonies on the walls of Lahore fort. The painstaking work is part of efforts to preserve Lahore’s crumbling architectural history as officials juggle conserving its diverse heritage with building modern infrastructure in Pakistan’s chaotic second city. The metropolis once served as the capital of the Mughal Empire, which stretched across much of the subcontinent. It has been subsumed into myriad civilisations across the centuries. This rich past is most visible in the milieu of architecture salted across the Walled City of Lahore, from Hindu temples and Mughal forts to Sikh gurdwaras and an administrative office built during the Raj. "You get a history of a thousand years, 500-year-old houses and monuments and mosques, shrines and a very peaceful atmosphere," says Kamran Lashari, director-general of the ...
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