–Process to be completed within two to three weeks
–Illuminated monuments to become part of Fort’s night tours from March 23
LAHORE: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) is starting the process of illuminating Makatib Khana, Haveli of Maharani Jinda and periphery of Deewan-e-Aam inside the Lahore Fort at a cost of Rs 1.8million and once the process is complete, these monuments will be made part of the attractions in ‘History by Night’ tour of WCLA, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The estimated time for the illumination process to be completed is two to three weeks and the monuments will be opened for public in ‘History by Night’ tours of Lahore Fort from March 23, 2019.
It is worth mentioning here that WCLA had, for the first time, illuminated the Huzoori Bagh, Badshahi Mosque, Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Picture Wall, Alamgiri Gate, Summer Palace, Sheesh Mahal and Royal Ramp of the Lahore Fort and these sites were opened for the tourists at night whereas special guided tours were conducted on every Saturday.
Saleem Khan, a tourist at Lahore Fort during the ‘History by Night’ tour, said, “It is amazing to see the illuminated monuments inside the Fort and it is a good image-building of the city and I think it is an excellent step towards the revival of tourism in Lahore. The illumination of other sites inside Lahore Fort will be another experience for the tourists and I am eagerly waiting for that.”
Kanwal Khalid, another tourist at Lahore Fort said, “It will be good if the ‘dark sites’ of Lahore Fort are also illuminated as soon as possible because as we drive up from the Royal Trail of the Fort, the view of the dark laws is not aesthetically pleasing. Similarly, popular sites like Deewan-e-Aam and Jahangir Quadrangle should also be illuminated so we can see them at night as well.”
Speaking to Pakistan Today, WCLA Director Tourism Asif Zaheer said, “As soon as the monuments inside the Lahore Fort were illuminated, we launched the ‘History by Night’ tours which instantly became a hit among the public. There are places which are yet to be illuminated and we are currently in process of illuminating them. We will open them to the public on March 23 this year. We plan to revamp the tour route and add other attractions from March 23 as it is a big day for us and we would like to do something different for the tourists.”
WCLA Najam Saquib told Pakistan Today that several other smaller monuments were illuminated in the past year, including Barood Khana, Musaman Gate, Sheesh Mahal and Picture Wall. “We aim to illuminate the entire Fort so that the public can get an overwhelming experience. Currently, we are doing this in parts. We will be lighting up the lawns for the night tours and for this purpose we are utilising the funds collected through various sources, including ticket revenue and rents from shops.”
