THE HARMONIOUS TURBULENCE

Live electrical wires boldly intertwining with colorful fairy lights, tattered kites, and hoardings creeping across the horizon – casting shadows on the world that breathes beneath. Donkey-carts, motorcycles, trucks, cars, and pedestrians alike battle for their right to passage over the narrow alleyways of the Walled City, cursing and beeping, while commercial activity flurries. Shop owners and street vendors alike holler, advertising their goods, striving to attract customers. The aroma of freshly prepared food wafts into the air, as people sitting under the embrace of a tree devour it.

Amidst this unique merger of harmonious turbulence stand marvels of architectural heritage, alluring tourists to sink into the grandeur of the past – one such site is the Lahore Fort. Before 1556, the Fort had been constructed, damaged, demolished, rebuilt, and restored various times. Today, it seemingly stands as a historic spectacle. However, its gardens, palaces, halls, and dungeons conceal colorfully the, often, obscure tales of love, war, serenity, and dishevels. Lahore Fort has witnessed the many states that once prevailed and the greed for the throne, which embellished the fortress.

The fort has an oddly eerie yet appealing ‘abandoned’ character today. However, historically, the ostentatious entrance to the royal quarters of the emperors allowed several elephants carrying members of the royalty to enter. The small Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque), adorned in white marble, was initially built for the private use of the ladies of the royal household and was later converted into a Sikh temple and a state treasury during the period of the Sikh rule, under Ranjit Singh.

The other architectural treasures include the Mughal-style gardens (Char Bagh) and the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors). The Sheesh Mahal, decorated with intricately carved glass, was built for the empress and her court – it was also installed with screens to conceal them from prying eyes. The Naulakha Pavilion, another addition, is decorated with pietra-dura inlay, studded with semi-precious jewels laden in floral motifs.