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    Tour Guides of Lahore Fort: The Men behind the Myths

    Written by: Momina Mindeel
    Posted on: February 11, 2016 |

    The Lahore Fort (photo by S.M. Rafiq)

    (This idea was originally conceived by Ahmad Almakky, a junior at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The surnames of all the tour guides have been omitted to ensure anonymity.)

    "The Lahore Fort is not a quintessential cement-and-brick structure; in fact it has no gravel, sand or cement involved at all. It was constructed solely by mixing gram lentils, chickpeas, clay, unrefined solid brown sugar, egg white, egg yolk and dry grass together," told Aftab, one of the renowned Walled City tour guides. The news came to me as a revelation. I could not comprehend as to how such a colossal structure could have been built without any of the essential building components. However, a little research on the topic eventually removed all my misconceptions. What Mr. Aftab had told me was just another exaggerated myth regarding the mighty Lahore Fort.

    The Lahore Fort or Shahi Qila is a historical citadel, located in the northwestern corner of the city of Lahore. The Fort was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1981. However, even today, local as well as foreign tourists get to hear a myriad of myths about the Fort through its very own tour guides, with immense zeal. According to Senior Tourism Officer Mr. Javed, "History can be a dry topic. In order to attract tourists, you need to add a little color to the seemingly colorless happenings of the past."

    Tour Guides of Lahore Fort

    Hathi Paer (Elephant Path) (photo by Rizwan)

    The story does not end here. If you turn right after climbing up the ‘Hathi Paer/Elephant Path’ – a flight of huge stone steps made particularly for the procession of the elephants at the outset of the Fort – you come out onto an open space. From here, you can see the Gurdwara Dehra Sahib, Minar-e-Pakistan and the four minarets of the Badshahi Mosque all at once, nestled together in the same frame. The open space is connected to an area housing the ruins of an old fort structure. This is where one of the tour guides (the name has been omitted to maintain anonymity) narrated one of his most “illustrious” stories: A prince, who remained unnamed, was cheating on his wife when he used to live inside the Fort, back in the 1600s. The princess found out about her cheating husband one day, and decided instantaneously as to what she needed to do. She climbed up one of the minarets of the Badshahi Mosque, pointed a canon towards her husband who was then basking in the sun (in the open space we were now standing at), and fired with full force. The prince died instantly. The End. After he finished narrating the story, there was complete silence for what seemed like one whole minute, after which some of us burst out laughing. The tour guide smiled too. He asked us to keep walking and told us that there was no time to discuss the technicalities of what had transpired inside the Fort for all these years.

    Tour Guides of Lahore Fort

    The historic place where the cheating prince was killed by his wife (apparently)

    Tour Guides of Lahore Fort

    Tour guide Qaiser Hussain

    Just before the Elephant Path – a ramp that leads up to Sheesh Mahal – there exists a deep recess, which is basically a deserted well that has been covered by iron bars in recent years for security purposes. Qaiser Hussain, one of the most enthusiastic tour guides of the Walled City, asked us to peep through the iron bars and identify a small door installed inside it. "Behind this door is the grave of Hazarat Ali Hajveri RA. Hazrat Maulana Lahori (RA) performed a maraqba (meditation) here many, many years ago. He was consequently reported to have seen the descent of Allah’s blessings, and hence he concluded that the place harbors a grave of one of the most pious men of God," told Mr. Hussain. By now, almost all of us are aware of the fact that Ali Hajveri is buried inside what we all identify as the Data Darbar. There have always been speculations about the exact location of his grave, but none of the evidence supports the authenticity of this particular piece of information.

    On a side note, on the way back to the Elephant Path, there is a locked door that leads up to the catacombs of the Lahore Fort. The place was closed down for the public many years ago, as it was reported to house a number of deadly animals, including snakes. However, one can still get inside if one has special permission, which, unfortunately, I didn’t. The tour guides, nonetheless, can provide you with a vivid account of what is hidden behind that door. The fact that they can help you picture the entire place merely through their words makes you exceedingly overwhelmed, even more so than the various myths surrounding the Fort.

    After gathering a number of myths from the tour guides of Old Lahore, I decided to visit the Walled City Authority (WCA) Office, located at the famous Lawrence Road. It must be noted that almost all the tour guides of the Walled City have undergone a rigorous training course, designed specifically for them by the WCA. Samina Fazil, Assistant Director Historical Research, pointed out that under normal circumstances, they do not consider oral history and the associated myths to be authentic. However, their importance cannot be denied, as they reveal a lot about the areas that they take place in. It was fascinating to see how the officials did not deny the significance of the myths, and in fact acknowledged that the importance of myths is discussed at the training programs. As Kamran Lashari – Director General WCA – said, and I quote, "It (oral history) has the energy, the vibrancy, the flavor, the expression and the involvement, which may not come through the cold and lifeless pages of the history books."

    Tour Guides of Lahore Fort

    (Photo Credit - Azlan Hashim)


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

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    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
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    January 2021