Lahore Fort Gardens (MEGT)

Lahore, Pakistan

The site of Lahore Fort dates to the fourth century AD. Sultan Mahmood of Ghazna built a victory tower in 1025. During the Lodi period (1451–1526), a number of buildings were added to the fort. Mirza Kamran, son of Babur, resided here. The present layout of the fort dates to the reign of Akbar, who also resided there between 1584 and 1598. He replaced the mud wall with a brick fortification (Akbarnāma, 2:317). The fort is irregular in plan, measuring about 1400 feet east–west by 1115 feet north–south. The successors of Akbar, particularly Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb, added new buildings along the northern wall. Except for part of the original boundary wall, the eastern gateway and the structure behind Diwan-i Aam belong to the Akbar period. The Makatib Khana and Jahangir quadrangle, designed by Abdul Karim Mamur Khan, belong to Jahangir’s reign. The picture wall of Lahore Fort was begun during Jahangir's reign and completed during Shah Jahan’s. Shah Jahan surpassed his predecessors in the construction of new buildings in Lahore Fort. The buildings in the Shah Jahan quadrangle include Diwan-i Aam on the north and the sleeping chamber and royal bath on the south side. The courtyard is designed in the chahārbāgh style. Further west from the Shah Jahan quadrangle lies a paein bāgh, a rest and recreation place for the ladies of the harem. The Shish Mahal quadrangle is the most ornate part of the imperial palace. Aurangzeb’s contribution to the Lahore Fort is limited to the Alamgiri Gate, which was built simultaneously with the Badshahi Masjid. The Lahore Fort is a World Heritage Monument.

Source: Court Chronicle, 17th century

-Abdul Rehman, Munazzah Akhtar

Resources:

Lahore: Its History, Archaeological Remains and Antiquities (Open in Zotero)

The Akbarnāma of Abu-l-Faẓl (Open in Zotero)

Tarikh-e Lahore (Open in Zotero)

Originally published at: Rehman, Abdul, and Munazzah Akhtar. “Lahore Fort Gardens.” Middle East Garden Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, November 18, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue#b_start=0&c6=Mughal+Gardens. Archived at: https://perma.cc/9W6B-6FJT