The Khilwat Khana Chambers are located directly below the Shah Burj forecourt and the Khilwat Khana Quadrangle of the World Heritage Site of Lahore Fort. The historic chambers cover an area of about 625m2 (6,727 ft2), with thirty-three or more interlinked rooms, passages and stairs defining the area.
In 2007, the Government of Punjab (Gopb) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) began a decade-long urban conservation initiative in the Walled City of Lahore. Since then, with the help of various donor agencies, Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP), in partnership with Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) have spearheaded many projects including the restoration of the Picture Wall, Summer Palace, and Royal Kitchens located in the World Heritage Site of Lahore Fort.
In July 2022, an agreement between the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and the Government of Punjab was signed. As per the agreement, the general objective of the “Heritage and Urban Regeneration: Tourism Development in Lahore Fort and its Buffer Zone” project is to contribute to tourism development through heritage conservation, new facilities, and urban regeneration in the Lahore Fort. Amongst the first few components of the extensive project is the complete rehabilitation of the Sard Khana Basements.
As per the masterplan for the Lahore Fort, which is simultaneously being developed, it is proposed that visitors be allowed to walk through a section of the Khilwat Khana basements, where some spaces will be equipped with audio-visual elements and other spaces will display information related to the history and evolution of the interlinked rooms and passages. The structures will be structurally consolidated and carefully conserved while also addressing significant water percolation and drainage concerns.
