Shah Burj Gate restoration complete

LAHORE:Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has completed the restoration work of Shah Burj Gate of the Lahore Fort. Officials said the restoration work started in June 2019 with an aim to complete the missing tile work and the iconic Muqarnas inside the dome that is often called "stalactite vaulting” based on the evidence. Restoration work was completed in March 2020 by Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan with funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Walled City of Lahore Authority, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Tanya Qureshi, a senior official of WCLA, said the gate was constructed by Shah Jahan in 1631-32 under the supervision of Abdul Karim Mamur Khan.

The two-lined inscription was painted over the gateway and according to its content it would be superior in height, elegance and purity. The outer archway, the extrados is entirely covered in fine Kashikari (tile mosaic work) from the top cornice till the sandstone base. The surface of the gate is divided into recessed panels, of which the spandrel panel has lost most of its tile work from the top right and is now covered with plaster.