Visit to Lahore Fort

The Lahore Fort (Punjabi and Urdu: شاہی قلعہ‬‎: Shahi Qila, or "Royal Fort"), is a citadel in the city of Lahore,Punjab, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of walled city Lahore, and spreads over an area greater than 20 hectares. It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which date to the era of Emperor Akbar. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendour and opulence.

Though the site of the Lahore Fort has been inhabited for millennia, the first record of a fortified structure at the site was in regard to an 11th-century mud-brick fort. The foundations of the modern Lahore Fort date to 1566 during the reign of Emperor Akbar, who bestowed the fort with a syncretic architectural style that featured both Islamic and Hindu motifs.[Additions from the Shah Jahan period are characterized by luxurious marble with inlaid Persian floral designs, while the fort's grand and iconic Alamgiri Gate was constructed by the last of the great Mughal Emperors, Aurangzeb, and faces the renowned Badshahi Mosque.

And after the fall of the Mughal Empire, the Lahore Fort was used as the residence of Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire. The fort then passed to British colonialists after they annexed Punjab following their victory over the Sikhs at the Battle of Gujrat in February 1849. In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its "outstanding repertoire" of Mughal monuments dating from the era when the empire was at its artistic and aesthetic zenith.
Learn More About Lahore Fort.

I took this Night Tour of the Lahore Fort yesterday, though I have been to this site many times during the day but somehow the place transforms completely by night.The Fort, the Badshahi Mosque, Huzuri Bagh and the Summer Palace looked more majestic and grand. The tour wasn't too expensive but very organized and timely. A group of twenty tourists was handled by one guide who was well informed and interesting. Courtiers dressed in traditional robes greeted the guests, the programme included a dance recital at the Shish Mahal. Long distances were covered by Rangeela Rickshaws and one did not walk a lot. Visit to souvenir shops was at the end. Food street selling exotic Pakistani food was round the corner. The place can be accessed by Careem as well if one does not have one's own transport. We thoroughly enjoyed the fabulous dramatized trip and recommend it to all age groups.

See the video For Virtual Tour