A walk down the streets of the old city of Lahore is like walking through history. In the androon shehr, every street, structure, nook and cranny has a story to tell. It is a city rich with cultural heritage as it has remained the capital for many successive empires: Shahi kingdoms (11th century), Ghaznavid empire (12th century), Ghurid state (12th and 13th century), Mughal empire (16th century), Sikh empire (early 19th century) and the capital of the province of Punjab from the mid 19th to the early 20th century when the subcontinent was under the British Raj.

Though long gone are the princely days and the languid beauty, what's left behind is a place filled with old artifacts – remnants of a bygone era, narrow pebbled lanes, tiny homes that at times double as small cottage industries and barbershops that still have stalls for hamams. Facing the ravages of time bravely, the glorious facades of the old city continue to charm. – Photos and text by Madeeha Syed, a cultural journalist at Dawn.