Sheikhupura Fort is a Mughal fort built around 1607 for the emperor Jahangir in Sheikhupura, about 38 km north-west of Lahore. Its walls, gateway and bastions still stand, and inside is a Sikh-era haveli with painted walls. The fort has been closed to the public for years because of its poor condition, so most visitors see it from outside, and any visit inside needs permission from the archaeology authorities.
That makes it a different kind of trip from nearby Hiran Minar. This guide covers the fort's history, what is there, what state it is in, and how to fit it into a day from Lahore or Islamabad without being disappointed.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Where | South-east corner of Sheikhupura city, Punjab |
| From Lahore | About 38 km north-west |
| Built | Around 1607, in Jahangir's reign |
| Area | About 65 kanals |
| Protected since | 1967, under the Department of Archaeology |
| Can you go inside? | Generally closed; supervised visits only with permission |
| Pair it with | Hiran Minar, in the same city |
What is Sheikhupura Fort?
Jahangir used the country around Sheikhupura as a royal hunting ground. According to the Punjab Tourism, Archaeology and Museums Department, he camped at a place then called Jahangirpura and ordered the local jagirdar to build a fort there. The town's name comes from Shekhu, the childhood nickname Jahangir's mother gave him.
The fort is almost square, roughly 128 by 115 metres, with brick walls averaging about 11.5 metres high. There is an octagonal bastion at each corner and five more semi-circular bastions along the walls. It covers about 65 kanals in the south-east of the city.
Not much of the original Mughal fort survives beyond the shell. The Punjab Tourism department credits the Mughal period with the main gateway and the fortification wall; most of the buildings inside are later, from the Sikh period.
Who lived in the fort?
The fort's second life began in the early nineteenth century. In 1808 forces led, at least nominally, by Kharak Singh, the six-year-old son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, took it. In 1811 Ranjit Singh granted it as a jagir to the boy's mother, Datar Kaur, also known as Raj Kaur or Rani Nakain. She did much to rebuild it and lived there until her death in 1838.
Her quarters are the part of the fort people come to see: a multi-storey haveli whose rooms were decorated with floral frescoes and painted scenes in the Kangra style of the Punjab hills.
After the Sikh kingdom fell, the British held Maharani Jind Kaur, Ranjit Singh's youngest queen and the mother of Maharaja Duleep Singh, under house arrest here. The fort then had a practical colonial career. It served as the headquarters of Gujranwala district until 1881 and later as a police station. The Department of Archaeology took it over as a protected monument in 1967.
What can you see today?
From outside, the fort is still impressive: long, high brick walls, the bastions and the main gateway, with the old city pressing in around it. The walls are at their best in the late afternoon, when the brick turns red.
Inside, the picture is bleak. Dawn described the interior in 2015 as covered in graffiti, with the haveli stripped of its wooden doors, windows and roof, bats in the rooms and the paintings fading further with every visit. A 2025 academic study described the frescoes and structure as badly damaged by neglect. We found no report of a finished restoration.
Can you go inside Sheikhupura Fort?
Not as a normal visitor. The fort has been closed to the public for years because of its condition. Dawn reported that the archaeology department occasionally allows supervised visits, and that remains the only proper route in.
If seeing the haveli matters to you:
- Contact the Punjab Tourism, Archaeology and Museums Department well before your trip and ask whether supervised access is possible. Its Sheikhupura Fort page lists the department's contact details.
- Go in a small group, on a weekday, and in daylight.
- If the answer is no, plan the day around the outside of the fort and Hiran Minar instead.
There is no published ticket price or opening time, because there is no regular public opening.
Has the fort been restored?
There have been several attempts. In 2010 the US government's Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation gave USD 850,000 towards conservation. In 2020 the Express Tribune reported that revival plans had still not taken off, and in 2021 the Express Tribune reported that the Punjab Archaeology Department had decided to restore the fort, and a 2025 article in Youlin Magazine said a three-year restoration programme to stabilise it had begun.
None of the sources we found confirm a reopening date, so assume it is still closed until the department says otherwise.
How to get to Sheikhupura Fort
The fort is inside Sheikhupura city, in its south-eastern part. Once in the city, ask for the qila; local people know it.
- From Lahore: about 38 km, usually an hour or so in light traffic, either along the Lahore to Sheikhupura road or on the M2 motorway to the Sheikhupura interchange.
- From Islamabad: take the M2 south towards Lahore and leave at the Sheikhupura or Hiran Minar interchange. It is a long day from the capital, so most people stop on the way to or from Lahore.
- By public transport: buses and vans run between Lahore and Sheikhupura; from the city, take a rickshaw to the fort.
Is Sheikhupura Fort worth visiting?
As a stop on the way to somewhere else, yes. Twenty minutes walking along the walls and looking at the gateway gives you a sense of a fort that housed a Mughal emperor's hunting court and a Sikh queen, and it costs nothing. Combined with Hiran Minar, Jahangir's deer tower and water tank in the same city, it makes a good half day from Lahore.
As a destination on its own, no. If you want to walk through a Mughal fort, go to Lahore Fort or Rohtas, which are open and maintained; our guide to the forts of Punjab compares them. Sheikhupura suits people interested in Sikh history, architecture students and photographers who are happy with an exterior.
For the other sights in the district, from Gurdwara Sacha Sauda to Waris Shah's tomb, see our guide to places to visit in Sheikhupura. Our list of day trips from Lahore and the destinations page have more ideas for a day out.
Frequently asked questions
Who built Sheikhupura Fort?
It was built around 1607 on the orders of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, who used the area as a hunting ground. Most of the buildings inside were added in the Sikh period, after 1808.
Is Sheikhupura Fort open to the public?
No, not for regular visits. It has been closed for years because parts are structurally unsafe, and the archaeology department occasionally allows supervised visits only with prior permission.
How far is Sheikhupura Fort from Lahore?
Sheikhupura is about 38 km north-west of Lahore, usually around an hour's drive. The fort is in the south-east part of the city.
What is inside Sheikhupura Fort?
The main building is the haveli of Datar Kaur, a wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, whose rooms were painted with Kangra-style frescoes. Many paintings are now damaged or faded.
Who was imprisoned in Sheikhupura Fort?
Maharani Jind Kaur, the youngest queen of Ranjit Singh and mother of Maharaja Duleep Singh, was held here under house arrest by the British after the fall of the Sikh kingdom.
Can I combine Sheikhupura Fort with Hiran Minar?
Yes. Both are in Sheikhupura, and Hiran Minar is open to visitors, so it is easy to see the fort from outside and spend the rest of a half day at Hiran Minar.
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