THE THREATS FROM THE CLOTH MARKET

In proximity to the Wazir Khan Mosque, two market complexes exist. These were established during the 1950s and the 1960s in residential areas and bazaars, which were once occupied by Hindus and Sikhs. Before independence, these neighborhoods were subject to partition riots and put to flames.

The first of these market complexes, Azam Cloth Market, comprises numerous cloth shops and is a growing, cancerous agglomeration of small retail-outlets. This market also houses newer building typologies called ‘plazas’, which are high-rise horrors. These buildings are a sum of accumulated small shops, on varying floor levels, and underground storage. The second is the Pakistan Cloth Market, which also consists of small shops, encompassed by a singular and massive architectural statement of curvilinear form. It is covered with a shabby grey plaster render and represents an unfortunate aberration to the character of the Walled City. The Azam Cloth Market, which began as a shed, transformed itself from retail into a wholesale market. This alteration stemmed from the consequent necessity for large amounts of warehousing space (AKCSP 2018).

An example of the dangers presented by the rapid commercialization is the haunting hours of the night, within the primary bazaars. The Azam Cloth Market today is a gated district locked up at night. Together with the Pakistan Cloth Market, the gated area spans over four hectares of eerie abandonment during the dark. This huge dead space often creates unpleasant circumstances and a dangerous environment for the residents of the Walled City.

The bazaar culture, peacefully overlapping with the residential activity, was once a source of security and the foundation of co-existing diversity. Unfortunately, as commercialization took over and reduced residential affairs to secondary, the lives, culture, safety, and the essence of peaceful co-inhabitance prided by the locals of the Walled City, faded into thin air.