Lahore Fort Historic Paint Wall Restoration
Walled City Lahore Authority (WCLA) with the collaboration of UNESCO has restored many streets, houses and historic buildings in Walled City Lahore. WCLA recently restore the famous Mughal Royal Bath ‘SHahi Haman’. Now Walled City Lahore Authority is going to restore the historic Lahore Fort’s paint wall with the collaboration of Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Agha Khan Trust for Culture has restored numerous buildings in many cities worldwide like famous Tomb of Humayun in Delhi. In Pakistan Agha Khan Trust for Culture has already restored the famous Wazir Khan Mosque, Altit Fort, several villages and settlements. The Paint Wall Restoration project is now at the stage of architectural survey, which is funded by Royal Norwegian Embassy, Islamabad. Experts are using the 3D-Scanners and other software, as to document such a large wall area with accuracy is a complete science.
Lahore Fort Historic Paint Wall Restoration
Background and Importance of Lahore Fort’s Painting Wall
Lahore Fort’s Paint Wall was commissioned by the fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Emperor Jahangir loved hunting, nature and paintings. Many hunting events and tours of Emperor Jahangir have been recorded by historians. Emperor Jahangir preserved his love for hunting and nature in form of paintings on paper and also on the north-west wall of Lahore Fort. There are approximately 7000 square meters of mosaics depicting hunts and royal recreational events. Paintings include the scenes of polo games, animal hunts, and views of trees and pants. Lahore Fort’s Paint Wall was commissioned in 1624 but was completed by Emperor Jahangir’s son, Emperor Shah Jahan in 1632. Historic Lahore Fort’s Picture Wall is of great importance as it was the main reason of including the Lahore Fort into the world heritage monuments list in 1981.
Restoration of Lahore Fort’s Paint Wall will help the people to understand the importance of heritage
Cities change their face due to different requirements and technological changes. But great societies are those that preserve their past so that future generations can view the lifestyle and heritage of their forefathers. Demolishing old buildings is like erasing certain era of cities. In Pakistan very few people understand the importance of preserving historic buildings. Many historic buildings have been destroyed because of public ignorance in Pakistan. Restoration of Lahore Fort’s Paint Wall will help the people to know the importance of our heritage. This way we can save our past for the future generations.