Walking Through Time
My Journey of Guiding Tourists in Lahore’s Walled City
The sun is rising over Lahore’s Walled City unveiling a landscape that is incredibly vibrant and rich in culture. Each brick and each street is filled with stories that echo the very tale of our cultural history. As I guided groups of over 150 tourists during the summer of my sophomore year, the significance of Mughal history echoed in our steps.
At the end of grade 9, my counselor gave me an opportunity to become a tour guide for the walled city of Lahore. At first, I was skeptical about this because leading a group of people through the historical routes required a lot of responsibility and knowledge. However, since this was an opportunity of a lifetime for me, I took up the task and went on with it.
I was a part of the “Royal Trail” tour guide, where we mostly covered 17th-century Mughal architecture. Our tours began at the Delhi gate, one of the famous 13 gates of the walled city. Usually, I would start the trip with an interesting trivia fact about the gate. Telling the tourists about how this gate served as the main gateway to Lahore during the Mughal era, allowed them to indulge themselves more in the history of the place.
After passing the Delhi gate, the tour continued at one of the most iconic spots in the area, the Turkish-style public baths, also known as “Shahi Hammam.” The Hammam is a single-story building and covers an area of approximately 1,050 square meters. Built on the pattern of Turkish and Iranian bathing establishments of its time (which consisted of hot, warm, and cool plunges, sweat rooms, and related facilities), the Hammam is a collection of 21 inter-connected rooms offering all the facilities found in a public bath.
Nearby the hammam was the majesty of the Badshahi Mosque, a testimony to Mughal grandeur, that engrossed the tourists in its architectural beauty. Its red sandstone walls and intricate marble inlay speak of an empire that once was. A few steps away, the Lahore Fort stood tall, guarding the secrets of the Sheesh Mahal, where mirrored walls reflect countless memories. I often quizzed tourists with trivia, asking them to guess why this palace of mirrors was built. The amazement in their eyes when they learned about the candlelit evenings, where a single flame transformed the space into a starry night, was a moment I’ll never forget.
Throughout the tour, I shared stories, like the legend of Anarkali that’s forever etched in time beneath the bricks of Lahore. Our route took us through narrow lanes — from ancient havelis to bustling bazaars to the Patli Gali (The narrowest street in Lahore). The Patli Gali is located in the Delhi Gate and it’s so narrow that only one person can pass through it at one time.
The whole experience of being a tour guide was one of the biggest transitional periods of my life. Not only did my character change, but also my perspectives were re-imagined. I realized that every tour wasn’t just about the past, but a continuous journey of learning and reconnecting with my roots. The walled city wasn’t just a part of the city for me anymore, it was a part of my identity. To walk its pathways is to journey through stories, legends, and an enduring spirit that reminds us of the importance of preserving our shared human heritage.