The Lahore Fort, locally referred to as the Shahi Qila (Urdu/Punjabi: شاہی قلعہ, Royal Fort), is a citadel in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.[1] It is located in the northwestern corner of the Walled City of Lahore in Iqbal Park, which is one of the largest urban parks in Pakistan. The trapezoidal composition is spread over 20 hectares.[2]
Origins of the fort extend far into antiquity but the existing base structure was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar between 1556–1605. It was regularly upgraded by subsequent Mughal rulers and after the fall of the Mughal Empire it fell to Sikh and British rulers. It has two gates. One of the gates built by Aurangzeb is called Alamgiri gate that opens towards Badshahi mosque and another older gate built by Akbar is called Maseeti[note 1] or Masjidi gate that opens towards Maseeti area of Walled city. Currently Alamgiri Gate is used as the principal entrance while Maseeti Gate is permanently closed. The fort manifests the rich traditions of Mughal architecture.[3] Some of the famous sites inside the fort include Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate, Naulakha Pavilion, and Moti Masjid.
In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Shalimar Gardens. The Pakistan Pavilion at Expo 2010 is designed as a replica of the fort.[4]
