Lahore Fort

Start with the ground under your feet. The brick here is small, flat and the colour of baked earth. It is warm in the afternoon and cool at dawn. Above you, the walls rise in long red planes that seem to go on forever. Pigeons move between the battlements. Somewhere beyond the gate, a call to prayer begins. It drifts over the open lawn from the great mosque next door. This is the Shahi Qila, the Royal Fort of Lahore.

People have built on this mound for a very long time. Fortifications stood here centuries before the Mughals arrived. Most of what you see now, though, comes from the Mughal emperors. The Mughals were a dynasty of Central Asian origin who ruled much of South Asia for about three hundred years. In the late sixteenth century, the emperor Akbar rebuilt the fort in solid brick. Lahore was one of his capitals. For a time, this was one of the most important royal seats on the subcontinent.

Here is the first thing most visitors miss. The fort was not built by one ruler. It grew in layers, like the rings of a tree. Akbar laid down the strong frame. His son Jahangir added private quarters and decoration. Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan, brought white marble and fine inlay. Then Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughal emperors, added the massive western gate. As you walk, you are moving from one reign into the next.

That western gate is the Alamgiri Gate. Alamgir was the royal title of Aurangzeb. Look at its two great semicircular towers. Notice how wide and tall the archway is. It was made for elephants carrying royals and their attendants. The gate faces the Badshahi Mosque across a garden square. Aurangzeb also built that mosque. So the emperor placed his fortress and his house of worship face to face, one representing power and the other faith.

Inside, one of the first great spaces is the Diwan-e-Aam, the Hall of Public Audience. Shah Jahan built this long, open pavilion of red sandstone columns. Picture the emperor seated on a raised marble balcony at the back. Below him stood nobles, petitioners and soldiers, ranked by status. Ordinary people could see their ruler here, at a distance. The rows of arches create a steady rhythm. Stand at one end and look down the line of columns.

Now move deeper toward the private quarters. The noise of the city fades a little here. The spaces become smaller, more enclosed, more carefully decorated. This was the world of the royal family. Courtyards open onto pavilions. Water once ran through channels and fountains to cool the air. Many of those channels are dry today. But you can still trace their paths in the stone. Imagine the sound of water moving through these courts on a hot summer afternoon.

The jewel of this inner world is the Sheesh Mahal, the Palace of Mirrors. Shah Jahan commissioned it as part of the royal quarters. Its walls and ceilings are covered with thousands of small pieces of convex glass, set into plaster. When a single flame was lit inside, the glass caught it and multiplied it. The room would fill with points of light, like a night sky. Even in daylight, the surfaces glitter as you move your head.

Near the Sheesh Mahal stands a small pavilion with an unusual curved roof. This is the Naulakha. Its name is usually linked to a sum of nine lakh rupees, a huge amount at the time. Legend says this was its cost, though historians treat that story with some caution. The white marble is inlaid with small pieces of coloured stone. This technique, called pietra dura, sets semi-precious stones into marble to form flowers and patterns. Look closely and you will see tiny blossoms.

Here is the second surprise. Walk to the outside of the northern and western walls. Here you will find the Picture Wall. It is one of the largest decorated walls of its kind in the world. Glazed tiles and tile mosaic cover it, along with painted panels. The work began under Jahangir and continued under Shah Jahan. It shows elephant fights, polo players, camels, angels and court scenes. It was a picture book for anyone passing below.

On this side of the fort you will also find a wide staircase with very low, deep steps. It is often called the Elephant Stairs. The shallow steps allowed elephants to climb up to the royal quarters. Royals could ride all the way to the private apartments without stepping down. Today you climb it on foot. Count the steps if you like. Feel how slow and easy each one is. It was designed for an animal much heavier than you.

After the Mughal era, the fort passed through new hands. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled the Punjab from Lahore. He was the founder of the Sikh Empire, a state that ruled this region for several decades. He used the fort as a royal residence and added his own buildings. His tomb, a white structure with gilded domes, stands just outside the fort walls. Later, the British took control. They used parts of the fort as a military garrison.

Each of these rulers left marks. In some places, the changes are easy to read. A Mughal arch might sit next to later brickwork or a plainer repair. In 1981, UNESCO listed the fort as a World Heritage Site, together with the Shalimar Gardens elsewhere in Lahore. Conservation work continues today. Teams have been carefully cleaning and restoring tiles and frescoes. Look for areas where colours appear brighter. Those are often places where restorers have recently worked.

Before you leave, find a quiet spot on the walls or near the gate. Look out toward the Badshahi Mosque and the roofs of the old walled city beyond. The river Ravi once flowed close to this side of the fort. It has since moved away. The city has grown around the fort in its place. Listen to the traffic, the birds and the voices of families walking past. Notice the red brick under your hand. Emperors, maharajas, soldiers and servants all touched these same walls.