Lahore’s ‘Great picture wall’ restored for public view

LAHORE: Painting murals on walls is not new, the oldest known wall paintings were the hieroglyphs found in ancient Egyptian cave drawings and writings.

One of the oldest and biggest wall painted with thousands of paintings from the ‘Mughal Era’ is found in Lahore, Shahi Qila.

This amazing structure commonly known as ‘the picture wall’ had been in tatters due to lack of attention and no renovation efforts in the past.

The wall had been hidden away from prying eyes due to it’s detrimental state and fungus infestation for years but not anymore.

The Walled City Lahore authorities after exhaustive renovation efforts have opened up a portion of the historic landmark for public.

The current portion that has been revealed measures 350 ft in length and 50 ft in height.

Speaking exclusively to ARY News, officials involved in the restoration efforts said: “International experts from Germany were called in to take care of the wall’s fungus infestation, experts from Italy were called upon for surface presentation efforts along with experts coming in from Sri Lanka and architectural experts from France.”

The total surface area of this Mughal architectural mastery is a flabbergasting 8,000 square yards. Nearly 1,500 feet in length and some 50 feet in height, (450 x 15 metres) this mosaic excellence holds the distinction for being the largest mural in the world.

The humongous structure encompasses Great not only the formal geometric and floral designs associated with traditional Islamic Art, but also detailed naturalistic images of imperial attendants engaged in various activities. Frequently portrayed are combatants armed with the traditional sword and shield.

Also displayed on the wall’s decorative panels are animals engaged in various hunting activities or acting as steed and carrying royalty around various locations and bazaar’s.

The onlookers expressed their amazement and were seen enamored by the massive infrastructure full of art and colors.

Akbar had the outer walls of the old Lahore Fort massively fortified to enclose an area of some 30 acres. In this space are the pavilions, palaces, courtyards and gardens commenced by Akbar, continued by Jahangir and completed by Shah Jahan.

Just the western side of the wall has an approximate 635 artistic masterpieces on display.