Shahi Hammam

Shahi Hammam
The central chamber of the Shahi Hammam
General information
Location	Delhi Gate, Lahore
Address	Delhi Gate
Coordinates	31°34′56″N 74°19′34″E / 31.582096°N 74.325974°E / 31.582096; 74.325974
Opened	1634 (1634)
Renovated	2015
Management	Walled City of Lahore Authority
Other information
Facilities	Formerly steam bath, hot room, cold room

The Shahi Hammam (Urdu: شاہی حمام ‎), also known as the Wazir Khan Hammam, is a Persian-style bath which was built in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1635 C.E. during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built by chief physician to the Mughal Court, Ilam-ud-din Ansari, who was widely known as Wazir Khan. The baths were built to serve as a waqf, or endowment, for the maintenance of the Wazir Khan Mosque.

No longer used as a hammam, the baths were restored between 2013 and 2015 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Walled City of Lahore Authority, with much of the funding provided by the government of Norway. The restoration project was given an Award of Merit by UNESCO in 2016 for the hammam's successful conservation which returned it to its "former prominence."

The Shahi Hammam is located just Walled City of Lahore, steps away from the Delhi Gate. The Shahi Hammam is the last remaining Mughal-era hammam in Lahore.

During the Mughal era, Persian-style hammams were introduced although they never achieved the same levels of popularity in the Mughal Empire as they did in Persia.

The Shahi Hammam was built in 1635 by Ilam-ud-din Ansari, Governor of Lahore, as part of an endowment which included the Wazir Khan Mosque. The baths fell into disuse by the 18th century during the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire. From the early British period onwards the building was used for different purposes - as a primary school, dispensary, and recreational centre as well as an office for the local municipality. Additionally, shops were built into the building’s northern, western and southern façades.