The havelis in Pakistan that you can actually go inside are few: Omar Hayat Mahal in Chiniot, now a library and cultural centre; Sethi House in Peshawar's old city; and Fakir Khana in Lahore's Walled City, a private museum in a family home. Many more, including Lahore's Haveli Nau Nihal Singh and the merchants' houses of Shikarpur, can be seen properly only from the street, because they are schools, offices or private homes.
A haveli is a townhouse built around a courtyard, closed to the street and open to the sky inside, with carved wooden doors, balconies called jharokas, and rooms for men and women arranged around the centre. This guide covers where the best ones are, what you can see, and how to plan a visit.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Best interior to visit | Omar Hayat Mahal, Chiniot |
| Best in Lahore | Fakir Khana (inside, by arrangement); Nau Nihal Singh (outside) |
| Best in Peshawar | Sethi House, Mohallah Sethian |
| Best in Sindh | Shikarpur's old city, near Sukkur |
| Best months | October to March |
| Fees | Small or none; carry cash |
| Time needed | An hour per haveli, half a day for a walk |
Lahore: Walled City havelis
Lahore's Walled City has the largest number of old havelis in Pakistan, most of them from the Mughal, Sikh and British periods, but very few are set up for visitors. Our guide to havelis in Lahore covers the full list; these are the two that matter most.
Fakir Khana
Fakir Khana, on Hakiman Bazaar near Bhati Gate, is the home of the Fakir family, who served as advisers and envoys at the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. They opened the house to the public in 1901, and the collection of around 21,000 objects, including manuscripts, miniature paintings, textiles and Gandhara pieces, makes it the largest privately owned museum in South Asia. It is still a family house, so visits are arranged with the family; phone ahead rather than walking up. Our Fakir Khana guide has the details.
Haveli Nau Nihal Singh
Ranjit Singh built this haveli around 1836 to 1837 for his grandson, Nau Nihal Singh, in the south of the Walled City near Mori and Bhati gates. It is the best preserved Sikh-era haveli in Lahore, with Kangra-style frescoes and carved jharokas decorated with birds, fish and winged figures. For more than a century it has housed the Government Victoria Girls' High School, so it is not open to casual visitors. The façade is the reason to come, and the narrow lane means you need to stand close and look up.
Chiniot: Omar Hayat Mahal
Omar Hayat Mahal is the best haveli in Pakistan to see inside. Sheikh Omar Hayat Vohra, a Chinioti trader who made his fortune in Calcutta, built it from 1923 to 1935. The town's woodcarvers did the work, led by the master carvers Rahim Bakhsh and Elahi Bakhsh Pirjha, and the carved wooden balconies, ceilings and doors show off the craft that Chiniot is still known for.
It is also called Gulzar Manzil, after Omar Hayat's son Gulzar, who died the day after his wedding in 1937 and is buried in the ground-floor courtyard. The building was originally five storeys; the upper floors have been lost or need repair. Today it is a cultural centre and library, the Sheikh Omar Hayat Library.
Chiniot is about two and a half to three hours from Lahore by road, or under an hour from Faisalabad. Combine the haveli with Chiniot's furniture bazaars and the Shahi Mosque. Our Omar Hayat Mahal guide has the visiting details.
Peshawar: Sethi Mohallah and the Kapoor house
Sethi House
The Sethis were a merchant family, originally from Bhera, whose trade ran into Central Asia. Between about 1800 and 1910 they built a row of havelis in what is still called Mohallah Sethian, near the Ghanta Ghar clock tower and Gor Khuttree. Seven of the original twelve survive. Their woodwork and layout follow Bukhara styles: carved doors and balconies, tehkhanas (basement rooms for summer), painted and mirrored rooms and coloured glass.
The provincial government bought one of the houses, and it is open to visitors with a small ticket. Allow an hour. Our Sethi House guide covers timings.
Kapoor Haveli and Dilip Kumar's house
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa archaeology department took possession of the ancestral homes of Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar in 2021, and both are protected monuments. The World Bank stepped in to fund their conservation, and the plan is to turn them into museums. They were not open as museums at the time of writing, so expect to see them from the lane.
Is it safe to visit Peshawar?
Pakistani visitors still go to Peshawar's old city. The UK government advises against all travel to Peshawar (September 2026), and there have been several deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026. Check local news and current police advice before you go. Overseas visitors should know that travelling against their government's advice can void travel insurance.
Sindh: the merchants' houses of Shikarpur
Shikarpur, about 37 km northwest of Sukkur, was the financial capital of the Durrani Empire in the 18th century, and its merchants ran money and credit networks across Central Asia. Their wealth went into tall havelis with carved wooden doors and balconies, many now crumbling, and into the covered bazaar, a long narrow street roofed in teak to keep out the summer sun.
Most of the havelis are private homes, so this is a walking visit: the old city, the doors, the covered bazaar and Shikarpur's famous pickles. A local guide makes a large difference here, because the best houses are down side lanes. Our guide to Shikarpur's old city and havelis has a route.
Shikarpur is in Sindh north of Nawabshah, where the UK advises against all but essential travel (September 2026). Travel by day and check local advice.
Other haveli towns
Bhera, in Sargodha district just off the M2, is an old walled town with carved wooden doors on many of its old houses, and it is where the Sethi family came from. It is an easy stop on the motorway between Lahore and Islamabad. In Chiniot itself, the lanes around the bazaar hold smaller carved houses beyond Omar Hayat Mahal, mostly private, which you can see on a walk with a local guide.
How to visit a haveli, and is it worth it?
A few practical points:
- Go in the morning. Old city lanes are cooler and less crowded, and offices or schools that occupy havelis sometimes let visitors look at a courtyard before the working day.
- Ask before entering any courtyard. Most havelis are homes. A polite request in Urdu or Punjabi goes a long way; walking in uninvited does not.
- Carry small notes for tickets, chowkidars and shoe-minders.
- Use a guide in the old cities. The best doors and façades are easy to miss from the main bazaar.
If you love buildings, woodwork or old photographs, a haveli trail is one of the best ways to see how Pakistan's cities lived before the 20th century, and Omar Hayat Mahal alone justifies a day out from Lahore or Faisalabad. If you want grand interiors and museum labels, you will be disappointed: most havelis are worn, lived in and seen from outside. For more heritage ideas, see our experiences page.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most famous haveli in Pakistan?
Omar Hayat Mahal in Chiniot is the best known and the best to visit inside. Haveli Nau Nihal Singh in Lahore is the most important Sikh-era haveli, though it is a school and seen mostly from outside.
Can tourists go inside Lahore's havelis?
Only a few. Fakir Khana can be visited by arrangement with the family, while Haveli Nau Nihal Singh and most others are schools, offices or homes.
Is Kapoor Haveli open to visitors?
Not as a museum yet. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government took over the house in 2021 and plans to restore it with World Bank funding, but it was not open at the time of writing.
What is a haveli?
A traditional townhouse built around an inner courtyard, closed to the street, with carved wooden doors and balconies. They were built by merchants and nobles across Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Why is Omar Hayat Mahal also called Gulzar Manzil?
It is named after Sheikh Omar Hayat's son, Gulzar, who died the day after his wedding in 1937 and is buried in the courtyard.
