The Shahi Hammam (or Royal Bath also known as the Wazir Khan 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.
The Shahi Hammam is located just Walled City of Lahore, steps away from the Delhi Gate. The Shahi Hammam is the last remaining Mughal-era hammam in Lahore.
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), 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 were used to decorate the building's walls. Works were completed in 2015, and are the improvements are said to have changed the surroundings "dramatically."
in September 2016 Lahore's Mughal-era Shahi Hammam wins UNESCO award, 17th century Mughal-era Shahi Hammam in Lahore received the Award of Merit in this year’s UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in Bangkok.
“Undertaken with a high degree of technical proficiency, the restoration of Shahi Hammam has safeguarded a unique example of the monumental 17th-century Mughal public bathhouse,”
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