Aerial view of the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan
About the employer
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) promotes debate about the built environment, cultural heritage, and importance of historic memory. We propose exemplars and solutions for contemporary design problems; engage in the physical and social revitalization of communities; advance music and musical education; and connect cultures through material and intangible arts.
For three decades, AKTC has tested, revised and refined its approach on over 350 restoration and conservation projects in 10 countries, including 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It has also created 10 major parks and gardens that have been visited by tens of millions of people.
AKTC in Pakistan
AKTC works on projects across Pakistan, from the Walled City of Lahore to parts of the Silk Road in the north of the country. It has restored major forts, traditional settlements, mosques and public spaces in the high valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan Province, most notably the Baltit Fort and Altit Fort in the Hunza valley and Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace in Baltistan. AKTC has worked on restoration projects in the Walled City of Lahore, including the 16th century World Heritage Site of Lahore Fort and the 17th-century Wazir Khan Mosque.
AKTC has won 15 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in Pakistan.
Source: AKTC
City of Lahore
Lahore, the capital of the province of Punjab, and the second most populous city in Pakistan, is also known as the "Gardens of the Mughals" or "City of Gardens" due to its Mughal heritage when it served as a vital part of the Mughal Empire (1524 to 1752). This once fortified city has a concentration of monuments and buildings that reflect cultural diversity in architecture. Lahore is home to the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Aerial view of the Lahore Fort
Lahore Fort
AKTC's engagement with the site started in September 2015 with the documentation of the Picture Wall. The Picture Wall is a 442 metre-long mural spanning the northern and western facades of the Lahore Fort, with an average height of 15 metres. It is adorned with glazed tile and faience mosaics from the Mughal era as well as embellished brickwork, filigree and frescoes.
Lahore Fort complex plan. Source: AKTC
The Picture Wall's documentation was was followed by the documentation of Lahore Fort in its entirety, comprising 21 individual monuments. The project has since moved on to include planning for the rehabilitation of the Fort and improving conditions within a buffer zone along its southern and eastern edge. The Lahore Fort Initiative aims to catalyse socio-economic development in the historic Walled City by revamping the tourism management system of the Fort and reactivating currently unused spaces to generate revenue.
Western facade of the Picture Wall - a mural that adorns the Fort and the principal reason for the site’s inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981
During my time as an architect at the AKTC which started in 2018, I was able to work on a number of monuments within the Lahore Fort including the Picture Wall, Sheesh Mahal and Shah Burj Gate. While working on the prestigious monuments, I was also able to become familiar, among other architectural skills, with the range of skills needed for the meaningful documentation of cultural sites and heritage assets, and the ability to present them effectively for use by the varied user groups and audiences.
Architectural Drawings
Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) is a pavilion within the Shah Burj of Shahi Qila Lahore Fort complex. Emperor Shah Jahan built the Sheesh Mahal for his empress. A highly ornate chamber, the central portion of the façade is composed of five cusped marble arches supported by coupled columns in marble on bases inlaid with precious stones. The interior is decorated in Ayina kari-style glass mosaic.
Photogrammetry
The Picture wall is exquisitely decorated with imagery of hunting, battle scenes, angels and demons, human figures, animals, birds, as well as geometric and floral patterns. Built approximately 400 years ago during the Mughal era, it is one of the largest murals in the world.
3d Laser scanning
The 16th century brick barrel vaulted structure known as the Royal Kitchens, was among the first monuments within Lahore Fort to be captured using a 3D laser scanner. Before conservation, it was severely damaged and turned into an endangered structure that was partially in ruin as a result of abuse, abandonment, and neglect.
The Alamgiri Gate of Lahore Fort is another monument that was 3d laser scanned. Due to its distinctive form with heavily fluted bastions rising out of carved lotus buds, its has become an iconic monument in the country, often becoming representational symbol of the city of Lahore.
EDM Surveying/Photo Rectification
EDM (Electronic Distance Measuring), uses a laser pointer emitted from a total station machine. This creates a scaled wire-frame three-dimensional model which is then edited in AutoCAD to extract sections and plans.
During the process of photo-rectification, a high resolution, scaled and geo-located image of the wall is also created. In the process, targets are applied to the wall which are read by a high-resolution camera to give them GPS coordinates. This information is then fed into AutoCad that rectifies the image and scales it onto the wire-frame model.
EDM Survey
Photo rectified image of pre and post conservation Picture Wall
Storytelling
Out of my interest in filming, I was able to direct and produce a short documentaries for a number of Lahore Fort monuments to highlight the meticulous process of conservation.
Shah Burj Gate, which forms part of the famous Picture Wall in the Lahore Fort, is the principal entrance to the Fort complex