The Shahi Hammam is located just within the Walled City of Lahore, steps away from the Delhi Gate. The Shahi Hammam is the last remaining Mughal-era hammam in Lahore.
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.
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. 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 reconstruction of Delhi Gate building in the 1860s.
Layout
The hammam consisted of three parts: the jama khana, nim garm, and garm. The baths were gender segregated, and contained a reception chamber as well as a small prayer room.
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.
Conservation
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 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. Works were completed in 2015, and are the improvements are said to have changed the surroundings "dramatically." In 2016, UNESCO awarded the Shahi Hamam restoration project an Award of Merit for its "high degree of technical proficiency" and "for returning the ornate Shahi Hammam to its former prominence." Excavations have unearthed a water heating structure, drainage systems, and under-floor remains of its hypocausts.
