Since 2007, the Historic Cities Programme of the
Aga Khan Trust for Culture has engaged itself with the rehabilitation of the
Walled City of Lahore, and the conservation of its Mughal period monuments in
active partnership with the Government of Punjab.
Hakim ‘Ilmuddin Wazir Khan,
the Subedar of Lahore in the reign of
the Emperor Shah Jahan, built this mosque and its associated structures in
1044-45 AH (1634-35 CE). Located about 260 meters inside Delhi Gate, this was
the largest mosque in Lahore at the time, with the construction of the Badshahi
Masjid still fifty years away.
The complex included the
mosque itself, the introductory space of Chowk Wazir Khan, and a double row of
shops integrated in the entrance system meant specifically for calligraphers
and bookbinders. The trust included additional shops on the eastern and
northern facades built into the body of the monument, a serai, a public bathhouse (the Shahi Hammam), open land and two
wells, all bequeathed to the mosque by Wazir Khan for its upkeep and
maintenance. During the Mughal era, the hujras
which lined the forecourt (which could also have been the serai mentioned in the deed), also served as alcove spaces for
traditional craftsmen to sell their goods.
The profuse architectural
decorations that embellish the exterior and interior surfaces of the mosque are
the singular outstanding attribute that places the mosque in the frontline of
the major monuments of the world. This extensive ornamentation includes glazed
tile mosaics (kashikari), frescos (naqqashi), traditional engraved lime
plaster and cut-and-dressed brickwork. Delicate calligraphy in Arabic and
Persian depicts verses from the Quran and the Hadith, contains references to
the date of the construction of the mosque, and acknowledges its builder and
the Emperor.
In 2009-2010, a comprehensive documentation and
condition assessment of the Wazir Khan Mosque was carried out by AKTC/AKCS(P),
in partnership with the Government of Punjab, the Sustainable Development of
the Walled City of Lahore Project (precusor to the Walled City of Lahore
Authority), and co-funded by J.M.Kaplan Fund and AKTC. This was published in
2012, detailing the range of problems and issues faced by the mosque leading to
developing a cost-estimate of US$6.4
million for its conservation.
Work was initiated in phases, in an attempt to
comprehensively revive and reclaim this historic complex. The complex comprises
the mosque, its forecourt, and its open land in the south which is now heavily
encroached upon by residential buildings.
The first
phase from 2014-2016 was the conservation of the mosque’s 85-meter long northern façade which
runs along side
a portion of the Shahi Guzargah known as the Kotwali Bazaar. This façade
originally contained shops at street level which were rented out to provide for
the upkeep and maintenance of the mosque. Over the centuries the street level
had risen by a good 2 metres and the shops had grown out of the original façade
as encrustations on the façade that also occupied a considerable part of the
public right of way. Through
this conservation project, the encroaching shops were removed, the historic
shops with the original street level were restored and the full façade of the
mosque exposed. This necessitated the separation of the present street level from the 17th
century street by the use of retaining walls. AKTC/AKCS(P)
carried out the project in collaboration with the Walled City of Lahore
Authority and with financial assistance of US$230,000 from the Royal Norwegian
Embassy, Islamabad.
In the second phase, conservation of the Chowk
Wazir Khan, the 800 square meter historical forecourt to the mosque, by reclaiming and rehabilitating this urban
space by lowering the square to its original historic level, restoring the
eastern façade and hujras (chambers)
of the Wazir Khan Mosque, conserving the Calligraphers’ Bazaar and the Dina Nath Well was
initiated in the last quarter of 2015 with co-funding of US$1.19 million from
the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Heritage Preservation. The project once complete in May 2017 will result in the conservation and display of the
mosque’s magnificent main, eastern façade, and certain other elements in the
forecourt such as the 19thcentury Dina Nath Well and significantly will yield a tranquil
below grade court space which will be used for congregational and festive
occasions. Restoring
the Chowk Wazir Khan will provide the residents and visitors of the Walled City
with a designated, well-maintained and well-furnished public space where
cultural, social and controlled commercial activities can take place in a
historical setting.
Source:
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
