The basement chambers of the Lahore Fort were never open to the public under the Mughuls, who used the Fort as their residence, and were subsequently never opened at any point under either Sikh or British rule. This will be the first time in history that the chambers will be open to the general public. A few years ago when the Fort was under the federal archaeology department there was a proposal to establish a city museum in the basement chambers. However, when the fort came under PAD it was decided that only short-term exhibitions would be held in the chambers. The basement chambers are spread over the entire northern area of the fort under Shish Mahal, Deewan-e- Khas, the backyard gardens and the Jahangir quadrangle. Other basement chambers exist below the Fort but as of now, only those four have been opened to the public.
An auditorium in the basement chambers is also being set up to hold functions, tly for schoolchildren. Sources said that some American experts on archaeology have offered to help set up the auditorium. The proposal is being considered by PAD. Chairs, stage tables and other kinds of furniture for the auditorium are being constructed. Sources also said that the auditorium would house a film projector to screen documentaries on the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens. Two such documentaries are currently being produced. Both are funded by the budget provided by UNESCO for the conservation of the world heritage sites, sources added.
The history of the basement chambers goes back to Jahangir, the Mughal emperor. Shish Mahal, the famed residence building for Queen Mumtaz Mahal, was erected on the huge underground chambers. Later during British rule, the chambers were occupied by the Civil Defence who made alterations and changes to suit their needs. The chambers were vacated on the eve of the Islamic Summit Conference held in Lahore in February 1974. Work towards the conservation and restoration of these chambers began from that day, and continued up to 1978.
During this period, layers of white wash were scraped from the walls of the four halls, revealing previously undiscovered fresco paintings. These paintings have also been preserved. In the process of the restoration, the walls were plastered thoroughly in materials such as kankar lime while the terrace flooring was painstakingly laid. The Mughuls used the basement chambers, known for their water systems and breathtaking fresco paintings, as their summer palace.