Walled City: Historical plaques installed along the Royal Trail

‘Visitors consider the initiative important and are keen to read about the sites’ history’.

LAHORE:

The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has placed plaques describing the history of several sites along the Royal Trail, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The plaques have been placed at the Dehli Gate, Shahi Hammam, Gali Soorjan Singh, Haveli Mian Sultan, Haveli Bej Nath, Dina Nath Well, Wazir Khan Mosque and Kotwali Chowk.

WCLA Director General Kamran Lashari said, “I am glad that we are taking initiatives to facilitate tourists… We are placing plaques along the Royal Trail now. In the near future, we will have them all over the Walled City.”

Asif Zaheer, director of marketing and tourism, told The Express Tribune that the initiative was intended to promote tourism. He said the text on the plaques was in both Urdu and English.

Tania Qureshi, the marketing and media deputy director, said, “We are trying our best to promote tourism. Installing plaques on the history of these sites will disseminate information about them. In the future, we plan to put up plaques at houses of Ghazi Ilm Din Shaheed, Allama Iqbal and Ustad Daman along Fort Road.

Samina Fazil, assistant director for historic research at the WCLA, told The Express Tribune: “We have consulted several resources for this activity, including Naqoosh’s Lahore Number, Tehqeeqat-i-Chishti and Tareekh-i-Lahore.”

She said the Walled City’s residents had also been consulted for authentication. Fazil said the plaques had been designed in accordance with international standards.

Muhammad Javed, a senior tourist guide, said “I am glad that visitors are appreciating the effort. They are keen to read the plaques and consider the initiative important.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2014.