Altit Fort was recognised with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction in 2011.

AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer

Shahi Hammam, Lahore, Pakistan - Restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture with funding from the Royal Norweg...

AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer

Deewan-e-Khass, Lahore Fort, Lahore, Pakistan.

AKDN / Adrien Buchet

Young women from poor and marginalised families received training at a carpentry workshop in Gilgit, organised...

AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer

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Pakistan | Cultural Development

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AKTC has won 15 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in Pakistan

Maryam Zamani Mosque, Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, Lahore, Pakistan.

AKDN / Adrien Buchet

Walled City of Lahore

Since 2007, AKTC has become increasingly involved in the revitalisation of the Walled City of Lahore, in Punjab. Known as the City of Gardens for its rich imperial Mughal heritage, the city of Lahore is endowed with many fine buildings and gardens. These include Lahore Fort, the Shalimar Gardens (built by Shah Jahan) and the Badshahi Mosque. Lahore reached its pinnacle when Emperor Akbar made it the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1584 to 1598.


AKTC, in partnership with the Government of Punjab and the World Bank, initiated a programme in 2007 to contribute to the preservation of Lahore’s Mughal monuments and to support socio-economic development in surrounding low-income areas. Our work – in cooperation with the Walled City of Lahore Authority – includes assisting the establishment of effective heritage management policies. These efforts have led to the passing of legislation on the Walled City of Lahore by the Government of Punjab in 2012.


AKTC has also provided assistance to the Punjab government in the preparation of a Master Conservation and Re-Development Plan for the Walled City of Lahore. This plan emphasises the protection and conservation of Lahore’s prized historic core and the maintenance of a substantial residential population within the old city by improving the quality of life. It includes inventorying heritage properties and identifying zones of special value, and provides guidelines for regulating land use.


Our interventions in the World Heritage Site of Lahore Fort since 2016 have been instrumental in increasing visitor numbers from 1.6 million in 2016 to about five million in 2019. This increase has been helpful in generating new revenue sources for the residents of Lahore, and in engaging donor interest in heritage. The development of Lahore Fort will be instrumental both for the Fort and for the abutting Walled City, spurring economic activities through urban regeneration and tourism development.


Read more about the conservation of the Walled City of Lahore.


Watch more about Walled City of Lahore Conservation


Watch an interview with Zeina Naseer, conservation scientist