LAHORE: Following completion of the conservation and rehabilitation work on the northern façade of the Wazir Khan Mosque by the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP) in association with the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA), an opening ceremony was held here on Thursday.

The restoration of the mosque`s façade has been completed with the financial support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the AKCSP.

Built in 1634-35 by Hakim Ilmuddin during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, the Wazir Khan Mosque complex included the mosque, the Chowk (roundabout), a row of shops integrated in the entrance system meant specifically for calligraphers and bookbinders and additional shops on theeastern andnorthernfaçades.

The phase I of the project involved the removal of encroachments and dense overhead cables, the excavation of a 300 cubic meter trench along the façade with aretaining wall that had exposed the original floor level and chambers (hujras) built in the façade and the construction of a soakage well for the drainage of the trench.

In the phase II, detailed documentation of the façade was done. It also involved structural consolidation of the excavated chambers, conservation of the architectural embellishments, including cut-and-dressed brickwork, carved brickwork, brick imitation work, and restoration of terracotta screens, woodwork and missing masonry elements.

According to a press release, the AKCSP conservation team was headed by Manager Conservation Shukurullah Baig, and included architects Rashid Makhdum (consultant), Naheed Iftikhar, Mehwish Bandealy, Kashif Essa, Usama Farooq, and engineers Amna Jabeen and Haider Ali. Work on the façade was completed on June 30, 2016.

Norwegian Ambassador Tore Nedrebo and WCLA Director General Kamran Lashari unveiled the inaugural plaque in the presence of AKCSP CEO Salman Beg, members of the Wazir Khan Mosque Committee, as well as representatives of the conservation team.