A centuries-old secret beneath the Lahore Fort has been rediscovered. The long-forgotten Khilwat Khana chambers, hidden below the fort’s Khilwat Khana and Shah Burj Quadrangle, have been meticulously restored under a major conservation initiative led by the Aga Khan Cultural Service–Pakistan.

The restoration, undertaken as part of the Heritage and Urban Regeneration: Tourism Development in Lahore Fort and its Buffer Zone project, was executed in collaboration with the Walled City of Lahore Authority, with financial support from the Agence Française de Développement and the Government of Punjab.

Once used for royal privacy and palace operations, the underground chambers comprise an intricate network of rooms, stairways, and corridors. Over the centuries, these subterranean spaces fell int

See Full Page