Crowded, noisy and disorganised, the ‘old city’ within Lahore’s twelve ancient gates, with its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
A walkthrough old Lahore is an assault both sublime and foul on each of the five senses. Here are some of the best kulchas, yeasty bread covered with sesame seed hot from a tandoor, close to open drains, piles of refuse, and old buildings of astonishing grace. Carved doors in fortress-thick walls and intricate balconies enclose cool high-ceilinged rooms and serene courtyards housing a teeming population that is no longer serene or gracious.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate, abutting the nocturnal Hira Mandi, is now the Naqsh School of Art, training students in painting, calligraphy and pottery making.
Also near Bhatti gate is the Fakir Khana museum, said to be the largest private museum in South East Asia. An old haveli, it is an oasis within the surrounding hustle and bustle, a repository of artefacts passed down over generations of the Fakir family. This family rose to prominence with the three Fakir brothers, who held crucial posts in Raja Ranjit Singh’s government.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings, jewellery, books and documents may sadly not see the light of many more years. Or maybe the problem is that they have seen too much light over the years. Without proper display cases, and as subject to the vagaries of temperature as the rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust.
In a country given to rewriting the past, neither history nor its preservation carry weight. Whilst a top-heavy and avaricious government and bureaucracy exist by leeching off millions of poverty stricken people, it is a lost hope that funds will be made available for the preservation of books and other objects on display at places such as the Fakir Khana.
Entire histories are contained within the artefacts in this museum (and others), recorded in tantalising words, faded inks and pictures, histories often strangely at odds with what is formally taught. This disconnect produces gems such as ‘Dr Israr Ahmed, may Allah have mercy on him, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr Jinnah was a Muslim and wanted Pakistan to rule by Islam and not on secular values. Please spread the word, especially among the Pakistani brothers & sisters. The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Although born to a Muslim family, Jinnah, a brilliant lawyer, had little or no religious education, while his Savile Row suits, ‘non-halal’ culinary tastes and beloved Parsi wife could hardly have met with Dr Israr’s approval. This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims of India with the creation of Pakistan, which in his own words by no means excludes persons of other faiths:
Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic state to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims: Hindus, Christians and Parsis, but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizen and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.–Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Feb 1948
Jinnah ‘Rehmatullah Alaih’ has been canonised by the Pakistani public, whose concept of Pakistan bears as little resemblance to Jinnah’s vision as the man to a saint.
Museums around the world shed light on issues such as the above and other aspects of history. They create an awareness of the past, which impacts upon the present and the future. Equipped with laboratories and studios for the conservation of collections, museums strive to communicate this information to visitors by interesting means.
The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites in the country crying out for support, and the Pakistan government, as a signatory to the United Nations and UNESCO, is bound by its membership to provide this support.
Paragraph 2 (c), Article I of the UNESCO Constitution assigns to its member nations the task of ensuring the preservation, extension, and spread of knowledge, to ensure ‘the conservation and protection of the world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science’.
If the government of Pakistan is unwilling or unable to preserve the nation’s past, its future is certain to suffer, as its present already does, disintegrating before our eyes, just like the books and documents that record our history.
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The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The books and documents that record our history.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
They will enjoy the same rights and privileges.
This information to visitors by interesting means.
The affairs of Pakistan.–Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Feb 1948.
This family rose to prominence with the three Fakir brothers.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
The affairs of Pakistan.Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Feb 1948.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
They create an awareness of the past, which impacts upon the present and the future.
The Naqsh School of Art, training students in painting, calligraphy and pottery making.
The rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust..
The affairs of Pakistan.–Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Feb 1948.
The rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust.
The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites in the country crying out for support,.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature painting.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims of India with the creation of Pakistan.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
The Naqsh School of Art, training students in painting, calligraphy and pottery making.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science.
The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The vagaries of temperature as the rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims of India with the creation.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available for the preservation of books .
The vagaries of temperature as the rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust..
The world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science.
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The Naqsh School of Art, training students in painting, calligraphy and pottery making.
The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The preservation of books and other objects on display at places such as the Fakir Khana.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available.
The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims of India with the creation of Pakistan.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims of India .
This disconnect produces gems such as ‘Dr Israr Ahmed.
Your place is valueble for me. Thanks.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any .
The government of Pakistan is unwilling or unable to preserve the nation’s past.
They create an awareness of the past, which impacts upon the present.
The rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust..
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims of India .
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science’.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
The vagaries of temperature as the rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust..
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims.
The books and documents that record our history.
The vagaries of temperature as the rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust.
They create an awareness of the past, which impacts upon.
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The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites in the country crying.
The United Nations and UNESCO, is bound by its membership to provide this support.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The affairs of Pakistan.–Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Feb 1948.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available for the preservation.
This family rose to prominence.
The vagaries of temperature as the rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust..
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any .
The affairs of Pakistan.–Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Feb 1948.
The government of Pakistan is unwilling or unable to preserve the nation’s past.
its intimate streets and sense of community.
The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The books and documents that record our history..
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
This did not prevent him from striving.
This disconnect produces gems such as ‘Dr Israr Ahmed.
The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware.
The government of Pakistan is unwilling or unable to preserve the nation’s past.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
This family rose to prominence.
The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites.
The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites.
They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizen .
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available.
its present already does, disintegrating before our eyes.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available for the preservation.
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
its intimate streets and sense of community, is responsible for Lahore’s reputation of historic charm.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims of India .
They create an awareness of the past, which impacts upon the present and the future.
They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any .
The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement which would have astonished the dapper Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
its present already does, disintegrating before our eyes.
This did not prevent him from striving for the rights of the Muslims .
Pakistan bears as little resemblance to Jinnah’s vision as the man to a saint.
They create an awareness of the past, which impacts upon .
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available for the preservation.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The Naqsh School of Art, training students in painting, calligraphy and pottery making.
The secular minded want to fool us…’, a statement .
This family rose to prominence .
This disconnect produces gems such as ‘Dr Israr Ahmed.
The Fakir Khana is one of the countless heritage sites
The vagaries of temperature as the rest of the city, this collection is falling to dust.
This disconnect produces gems such as ‘Dr Israr Ahmed.
its intimate streets and sense of community.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available .
Their carpets, weaponry, pottery and porcelain ware, miniature paintings.
The ancestral home of Begum Maratab Ali’s family near Bhatti gate.
The Naqsh School of Art, training students in painting, calligraphy and pottery making.
it is a lost hope that funds will be made available.
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