History of the Building

Built in 1888 by Nawab Barkat Ali and situated close to Mochi Gate - one of the twelve gates of Lahore’s old city. The Hall was initially built in 1888 for the promotion of Islamic values. Barkat Ali was a close friend of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, there is a plaque dedicated to him at Aligarh Muslim University. Barkat Ali Islamia Hall has also played an important role in the run up to partition between India and Pakistan, where meetings of leaders of the partition movement conducted meetings and began organizing rallies.

The Hall is currently deserted. It is empty and shuttered and has fallen into a state of disrepair. It needs some restoration and refurbishment work in order to restore it back into a space of important dialogue and learning. The city of Lahore which is a hub of art, culture and learning, would benefit from the restoration of an important, historic and well located building such as the Barkat Ali Islamia Hall, which was built to be a place at the forefront of discussion and dialogue.

Keeping true to the intentions with which the building was built and also to the architectural foundations of the building, Foundation Art Divvy’s plans to convert the building into a library and research space. The aim is to create a community space of learning, talks and discussions.