Shahi Hammam

Shahi Hammam

The central dome in the Shahi Hammam
General information
Location Delhi Gate, Lahore
Address Delhi Gate
Coordinates 31°34′56″N 74°19′34″E / 31.582096°N 74.325974°E / 31.582096; 74.325974
Opened 1634 (1634)
Renovated 2015
Management Walled City of Lahore Authority
Other information
Facilities Steam bath, hot room, cold room
Frescoes under the main dome have been preserved and restored.

The Shahi Hammam (Urdu: شاہی حمام ‎), also known as the Wazir Khan Hammam, is a Turkish-style bath which was built in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1635 C.E. by the chief physician to the Mughal Court, Ilam-ud-din Ansari, who was widely known as Wazir Khan.[1][2][3] The baths were built to serve as a waqf, or endowment, for the maintenance of the Wazir Khan Mosque.[4] No longer used as a hammam, the baths were restored between 2013 and 2015 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Government of Punjab, with much of the funding provided by the government of Norway.

Location

The Shahi Hammam is located just Walled City of Lahore, steps away from the Delhi Gate. The Shahi Hammam is the last remaining Mughal-era hammam in Lahore.[5]

Background

During the Mughal era, Persian-style hammams were introduced although they never achieved the same levels of popularity in the Mughal Empire as they did in Persia.[6]

History

The Shahi Hammam was built in 1635 by Ilam-ud-din Ansari, Governor of Lahore, as part of an endowment which included the Wazir Khan Mosque. The baths fell into disuse by the 18th century during the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire. From the early British period onwards the building was used for different purposes - as a primary school, dispensary, and recreational centre as well as an office for the local municipality. Additionally, shops were built into the building’s northern, western and southern façades.[7]

Excavations as part of restoration works completed in 2015 revealed that substantial parts of the building had previously been demolished, likely to make way for the construction of Delhi Gate building in the 1860s.[8]

Layout

Some walls were adorned with Mughal-era frescoes which still remain intact.

The hammam consisted of three parts: the jama khana (dressing area), nim garm (warm baths), and garm (hot baths).[9] The baths were gender segregated, and contained a reception chamber as well as a small prayer room.[10]

Architecture

In keeping with Persian tradition, the baths were illuminated by sunlight which filtered through several openings in the bath's ceiling which also aided ventilation. Most of the hammam's interior was preserved intact, and several Mughal era frescoes have been preserved. As the façade had few windows, merchant shops were permitted to operate along the hammam's outer walls.[11]

Restoration

The hammam was recently renovated.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), with funding from the government of Norway, began restoration works at the baths to conserve the space, restore the original layout of the building, and to uncover and preserve Mughal-era frescoes which decorated the building's walls.[12] Works were completed in 2015, and are the improvements are said to have changed the surroundings "dramatically."[13]

Excavations have unearthed a water heating structure, drainage systems, and under-floor remains of its hypocausts.[14]

Further reading

Notes

  1. ↑ Asher, p.225
  2. ↑ Shelomo Dov Goitein. Studies in Islamic History and Institutions BRILL, 2010 ISBN 9004179313 p 170
  3. ↑ "Masjid Vazir K̲h̲ān". Archnet. Retrieved 25 August 2016. The mosque was founded by Hakim Ilmud Din Ansari, a distinguished physician from Chiniot who received the Ministerial title of 'Wazir Khan' under the reign of Shah Jahan, and was later promoted to the position of Viceroy of Punjab.
  4. ↑ "History and Background in Conservation of the Wazir Khan Mosque Lahore: Preliminary Report on Condition and Risk Assessment.". Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme. Aga Khan Cultural Services - Pakistan. 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2016. The spectacular monumental ensemble of the Wazir Khan Mosque in the Walled City of Lahore was built in 1634 during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Its endowment then comprised the congregational mosque, an elaborate forecourt, a serai, a hammam, a bazaar, and a special bazaar for calligraphers and bookbinders.
  5. ↑ "Shahi Hammam Bathhouse". Asian Historical Architecture. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Shahi Hammam Bathhouse". Asian Historical Architecture. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Ilmuddin Wazir-built Shahi Hammam restored in Lahore". Business Recorder. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Wazir Khan Hammam Conservation". Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Chaudhry, Nazir Ahmad (1 January 1999). Lahore Fort: A Witness to History. Sang-e-Meel Publications.
  10. ↑ "Shahi Hammam Bathhouse". Asian Historical Architecture. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Shahi Hammam Bathhouse". Asian Historical Architecture. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  12. ↑ Muzaffar, Zareen (8 February 2016). "The Walled City of Lahore: Protecting Heritage and History". The Diplomat. Retrieved 25 August 2016. The Walled City of Lahore program was put into effect in partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. AKTC supports the Walled City Authority in all technical matters in terms of restoration and conservation work being carried out. Other donors include the World Bank, Royal Norwegian Government, USAID, and the German Embassy.
  13. ↑ Peter, Ellis (13 November 2015). Leveraging Urbanization in South Asia: Managing Spatial Transformation for Prosperity and Livability. World Bank Publications. ISBN 9781464806636.
  14. ↑ "Wazir Khan Hammam Conservation". Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
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