Nickname: Saima Malik
Country: Pakistan
Country: Pakistan
About me
An Old Street of Lahore — Anarkali Remembered
“My inspiration to paint this area is the layered history of Old Anarkali, a residential quarter where Mughal legacy, colonial architecture, and everyday life intersect. These streets are not monuments, yet they preserve Lahore’s soul through their resilience and continuity.”
Old Anarkali is not merely a street or a bazaar—it is one of Lahore’s oldest surviving residential quarters, layered with centuries of memory, culture, and everyday life. Long before modern Lahore expanded outward, Anarkali stood at the heart of the walled city’s social and cultural rhythm, evolving quietly alongside empires, poets, families, and traditions.
These residential streets were characterized by colonial-era houses, often two or three stories high, featuring wooden balconies, arched windows, lime-plastered walls, and inner courtyards designed for ventilation and privacy. The architecture reflected a blend of Mughal sensibility and British urban planning, adapted to Lahore’s climate and social life.
Today, Old Anarkali stands as a living archive—not frozen in time, but breathing through memory. It reminds us that heritage is not only found in monuments, but in streets where ordinary lives unfolded with dignity, routine, and quiet beauty.
