Lahore: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has announced the discovery of a 400-year old tunnel during a recent restoration effort at the Lahore Fort, according to a news source published on March 18.
Reportedly, the edifice dates back to the era of Emperor Akbar but only now it has been revealed. The four centuries-old tunnel in Lahore Fort is reported to be holding well on its own. It is sufficiently ventilated with holes every 10 feet for proper airflow and spaces to hang the lamps for light. The said structure also has a 625-foot-long tunnel for the purpose of draining as well to function as a secret passage going by the niches for lamps.
As per the experts working on the project, the rehabilitation of the tunnel and the drain would be a difficult task owing to the fact that the tunnel was closed for over 400 years – and unlike other countries of the world where modern machinery and equipment for used for the restoration purposes, the team prefer a more traditional way of doing things.
WCLA Sub-Engineer Hafiz Umar revealed that some time ago, while he was working on a rehabilitation project involving Moti Masjid and Maktab Khana, when he came upon faint traces of a mysterious tunnel during excavation.
Lastly and most interestingly, Archaeology experts noted that the fort itself had seven layers, meaning the structure was demolished and rebuilt a total of seven times.
