Fakir Khana Museum

Fakir Khana Museum is a private museum owned by the Fakir family of Lahore. It is the only private museum in Pakistan, which is recognized by the government of Pakistan, and the largest private museum in South Asia with over 13,000 pieces of art. The Fakir family has a dynasty of preserving antiquities, manuscripts, sculptures, paintings, Persian carpets.

The Fakir family houses the treasures of the Fakir family, who have lived in Lahore since the 18th century. The head of the the family was a fakir (a Muslim devotee) from Bukhara whose three sons achieved prominence in the court of Sikh ruler, Ranjit Singh.

Largely because of their ties with Ranjit Singh, they got many valuable antiquities, as direct or hand-me-down gifts. The exhibit of the museum includes gifts from Queen Victoria and Maharaja Ranjit Singh to Fakir Syed Azizuddin and Fakir Syed Nooruddin who were ministers in his court.

Later generations preserved these pieces and collected more artifacts during their foreign visits. Currently the museum is managed by the sixth generation of the Fakir family. Fakir Museum is situated near the famous Bhati Gate, an androon (central) Lahore area, one of the famous 13 gates of the walled city of Lahore. It is open to the public and visitations are by appointment only.

The museum was opened to the public in the 19th Century. It was later renovated in the 20th century as a mansion housing almost two centuries of history of the eventful life of some of the greatest personalities of the region and period. Fakir Khana Museum is a house turned inside out in the sense that what is ‘private’ in the house, has been made ‘public’.

Items include relics of the Prophet Mohammed PBUH (on public display for one day during the Islamic month of Muharram), old collection of Qurans, and other illuminated manuscripts, miniature paintings, porcelain pieces, old coins, Islamic artwork, carvings, clothes worn by the Mughal emperors, a small armoury of Sikh weapons and carpets from the royal courts. Calligraphy is considered an elevated form of art in Islam. Initially used for writing Quran and Hadith, the earliest form of Islamic Calligraphy was done in Kufic script. The oldest work of calligraphy in Fakir Khana is the handwritten Quran written in Kufic Script.

A section of the museum is dedicated to the Buddhist Art of the Gandhara civilization. Reaching its peak between the 1st and 5th Centuries, this ancient civilization spread over an area of what is today North West Pakistan and part of Afghanistan. The sculptures of Gandhara bear strong influence of Greek art. Gandhara is also famous for producing the first known representation of Buddha in sculpture and spreading the Mahayana school of Buddhism across South Asia.

The textile collection almost entirely belongs to the 19th century Sikh Period. Highlights include a fine Kashmiri shawl believed to have been owned by Maharani Jinda, the favourite wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of Punjab.

The Hall of Carpets is originally the Gol Kamra (sitting room) of Fakir Khana Museum. There are 18 Carpets, falasies, shawls and other embroideries preserved in the museum. Some of them are exhibited in this hall while others can be seen in the Hall of Miniature Paintings and the room of Calligraphy. There are 16 carpets in the collection - 6 Irani, 8 Shirazi, one Iranian ‘gilm’ of floral patterns and one currently displayed in the exhibit.

Porus of Paurava’s forces clashed with Alexander of Macedonia’s forces in the Battle of Hydaspes River. The ring of Porus is preserved in the museum. Porus is known for his valor and bravery, he lost the battle against Alexander the Great, but later served Alexander as the patron King.

The porcelain collection comprises old Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, French, German, English and Dutch crockery. The most ancient piece of the collection is the Japanese crackelein of the 18th Century.

The wooden framework present in Fakir Khana Museum is designed by Bhai Ram Singh, the most influential architect of pre-Partition Punjab. He also designed Aitchison College’s interior. History sounds surreal and leaves us wondering, and often takes us in the past as we read about it. But Fakir Khana Museum is about living history, feeling it, a trip down the memory vault, where it might leave a lasting effect on us.