Bari Khwabgah behind the Diwan-i-Am, Lahore

Watercolour drawing of the Bari Khwabgah in Lahore, by an anonymous artist working in the Punjab style, c.1860. Inscribed in Persian characters is: 'Makan i darbar ya'ni khwabgah i takht-wali' (The durbar hall, that is the sleeping place of the ruler).Lahore is the site of the first Mughal settlement in India and was of strategic importance for the empire. Akbar built this fort atop an earlier fort on the site and his successors Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and other Mughal, and later Sikh, rulers made revisions, replacing many of the original buildings while maintaining the structure. The fort has two distinct sections: the private or residential section, located along the northern half of the fort, and the administrative section which includes areas for royal audiences. The Bari Khwabgah, or 'large bedroom', is attributed to Jahangir's period and is located in the residential section.