Chowk Wazir Khan restored to past glory

LAHORE: US Consul General to Lahore Yuriy R Fidkew on Wednesday visited the recently restored to its past glory Chowk Wazir Khan and the historic Wazir Khan Mosque.

Chowk Wazir Khan, a 17th-century Mughal architectural heritage, had lost its use as a community space and had been overtaken by the encroachers and turned into a parking lot while the hujras on the eastern facade of the Wazir Khan mosque were turned into shops.

The US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) decided to restore and preserve the heritage in October 2015 and restored the architectural masterpiece in 2017 with $1.2 million.

The restoration project included returning the Chowk to its original form by digging 2.5 metres to separate the existing street level and the original ground level of the forecourt of the Chowk through archaeological excavations. A retaining wall was built to avoid future encroachments and to ensure a protective bulwark for the hujras.

As part of the project the Dina Nath Well, a public well located in the northeast section of the square, was also conserved while six metres of excavation in and around the well revealed historical construction from the Mughal and Sikh eras.

Counsel General Fidkew said Chowk Wazir Khan had been returned to its original shape and would serve as a community space where people can meet before and after prayers, arrange religious sermons, or peruse handmade traditional merchandise sold in the hujras. He said restoration of the Chowk would attract tourists for a more intimate look into the historic city.

“Sites like the Wazir Khan Mosque are powerful symbols of culture and religion which provide an insight into the rich history of the subcontinent,” said Fedkiw who would soon be leaving Lahore for another assignment.

He said AFCP was a US government-sponsored initiative to protect at-risk cultural treasures across the world and it had completed 19 projects, adding that Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan had preserved the site in collaboration with the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA).

The US diplomat also visited different parts of the majestic Wazir Khan Mosque and expressed his deep liking for the architectural gem.