Arz Gah

Arz Gah or Royal Complaint Center was the place where Umaraa or Nobles of the royal court assembled in the morning to receive the Emperor’s commands. According to a Sikh period document, this place is mentioned as Arz Gah; though British travelers refer to it as the Arz Begi, a term which denotes an officer who would read letters and petitions to the King.

According to oral history, along with the Picture Wall, there existed a room at the back of the Diwan-e-Khaas called the Arz gah. Here, the petitioners would bring their grievances and problems which have no redressal inside the fort. The distance from the ceiling of this room to the windows of the Diwan-e-Khaas would be very short. So the pleaders would stand on the roof of this room and convey their problems to the king. Furthermore, it is said that the poor and needy people were used to receive bags of charity thrown from the windows of the Diwan-e-Khaas.

The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) and Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP) completed the renovation of this Mughal-era site in September 2024.