Fakir Khana is the private museum of the Fakir Family of Lahore. It is one of the largest private museums in South Asia.
Considered a hidden treasure of art: paintings, sculptures,
manuscripts, Chinese porcelain, Persian carpets and countless
masterpieces of Art, it is situated in Bhati Gate, an old section of the Walled City of Lahore, Punjab province of Pakistan.The Museum gives the visitor interesting information on the culture and history of Punjab. The exhibits of the museum include gifts from Queen Victoria and Maharajah Ranjit Singh to Fakir Syed Azizuddin and Fakir Syed Nooruddin
who were ministers in his court. The Museum is currently managed by
members of the Fakir Family. It is closed to the general public and
visitations are by appointment only. History
Collections within the Museum have been passed through generations within the Fakir Family[1] and number approx 30,000 items from British, Sikh and Mughal eras. The Museum has survived several wars and the independence
of India and Pakistan. Held within the Fakir Family were several
prominent mansions (Havelis) in and around Lahore e.g. Mubarak Haveli
and others. The art from those mansions and personal pieces collected by
several prominent members of the Fakir Family have also been
incorporated into the Fakir Khana collection. Historically the Family
was known to possess a large collection of jewels and jewelled
artifacts-many of which were personal gifts to the Fakir brothers by
Maharajah Ranjit Singh.[2] These items of historic and material have been looted from the museum and are known to have disappeared sometime before the independence of India and Pakistan due to neglect, outright theft and lack of accountability in the past.
While a wonderland for fans of the Sikh Raj and the Mughal Empire,
the Museum continues to suffer from lack of proper equipment i.e.
hermetically sealed containers to house items such as manuscripts and
weaponry prone to rust. It is only recently that some members of the
Fakir Family have taken a more active role in the management and
restoration of art and artifacts.
Present
Fakir Khana was the first museum in Pakistan to launch an eMuseum; an
online site to share the art collected by the Fakir Family. The effort
was led by the Fakir Sayyed Iftikharuddin (Fakir Khana museum
co-coordinator and Associate Member of the Fakir Khana Trust). Fakir
Syed Saifuddin is currently the fifth generation custodian of the Fakir
Khana. The Museum is currently managed by members of the Fakir Family.
It is closed to the general public and visitations are by appointment
only, on prior, formal application.
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