Lahore Fort fascinates foreigners

LAHORE

Lahore Fort is an amazing place to visit and has true potential to attract international tourists if conserved properly. 

These were the views of most of the international delegates visiting Lahore in connection with the three-day first International Heritage Conference hosted by Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA).

The delegates were taken to Lahore Fort on a guided tour during which they visited Princess Bamba’s Collection, the Sikh Museum inside the Lahore Fort, Summer Palace, Sheesh Mahal, Elephant Stairs, Deewan-e-Aam, Shah Jehan’s Quadrangle and Huzoori Bagh. 

WCLA officials said the delegates were also shown the picture wall of Lahore Fort while the ongoing conservation and documentation work regarding the picture wall was also shared with the delegates.

The delegates were briefed on the plans for the Summer Palace which is the basement of the Sheesh Mahal of Lahore Fort. They were informed how the palace would be converted into an interactive museum for tourists. The delegates were informed about the plan for conserving the artifacts of the Princess Bamba’s Collection in the Sikh Museum of Lahore Fort. 

In the guided tour of the fort, the delegates were told interesting stories of the Mughal, British and Sikh eras by the tourist guides of the WCLA.

Anjum Butt, a tourist guide of WCLA, said the delegates enjoyed the visit to Lahore Fort and took interest in the basements of the fort. They said that there was very little material available on the Internet related to the basements of the fort and these should be highlighted. 

Aisha Khan, deputy director tourism, WCLA, said the delegates were amazed at the buildings of Lahore Fort and appreciated the knowledge of the trained tourist guides. 

Joanne Orr from the Museums and Galleries Scotland said Summer Palace would be an amazing experience if really converted into an interactive museum and gallery. “I think there is a lot of potential for the development of museums in different parts of the fort,” he said, adding that the number of visitors would increase and it would be a learning experience for the children as well. 

Jasdeep Singh from National Army Museum, Chelsea, said the tour of the Sikh Gallery was amazing. “I saw amazing artifacts and paintings there. I hope these are preserved well in future and some interactive sessions are also introduced there,” he maintained. 

Duncan Wilson from OBE, Historic England, said it was an informative tour and he liked the way the fort was being preserved and conserved. “I wish I could take more information and visuals with me of Lahore,” he said. 

WCLA Director General Kamran Lashari while talking with The News said, "It is important to showcase our projects relating to the heritage and museums to the foreign delegates." He said the recent conference would also help improve the image of Pakistan among the foreigners. “They felt at ease with the security and calmness of Lahore, and shared that it is completely different from what they had perceived of Pakistan through media,” he concluded.