The World Through Bella's Eyes
Bella Frames
the trips filled with love & signs
BELLA ARGAZAM PHOTOGRAPHY
Photobooks
Each of us carries our own filter – built from experiences, emotions, fears, and dreams – through which we perceive reality. What seems obvious, clear, and profound to you may go unnoticed or be perceived completely differently by someone else.
UN/KNOWN/ is an attempt to show that a single image can tell many stories — each one depending on the eyes that look.
Searching for the soul — photo book
In searching for the soul, I invite you to slow down, look, and feel.
Sometimes what we seek in others is already within us.These are not just photographsThey are traces of encounters, emotions, and stories.
This space contains reflections on life - like in photography, these words strive to capture more than what is visible: the traces of people, emotions, and moments when life slows down.
Haveli Barood Khana - What Remains
A House of Powder and Memory
The name Barood Khana literally means “house of gunpowder.” The building was constructed in the early 19th century, during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, when Lahore was the capital of the Sikh Empire. Its walls once stored weapons and explosives. After the fall of Sikh rule and the arrival of the British, the building was abandoned and gradually fell into ruin, becoming one of many forgotten relics of the old city.
It was only in the second half of the 20th century that it found its guardian — Yousuf Salahuddin, a descendant of the philosopher and poet Allama Iqbal. A cultural activist and lover of heritage, Salahuddin began a meticulous restoration — brick by brick. He revived the wooden beams, uncovered faded frescoes, and restored the original lime-washed tones of the walls.
In the heart of the old walled city of Lahore, beyond Bhatti Gate and through a labyrinth of narrow streets scented with incense and turmeric, stands a building that holds contradictions — past and present, gunpowder and music, silence and celebration. This is Haveli Barood Khana — a place that has journeyed from a 19th-century ammunition store to one of the most remarkable cultural spaces in Pakistan.
Architecture That Speaks
Haveli Barood Khana is a fine example of 19th-century haveli architecture — a residence built around a central courtyard, blending Mughal and colonial influences. A narrow entrance framed by heavy wooden doors studded with brass opens into a wide stone courtyard — the heart of the house.
Open corridors run along its edges, supported by carved columns, each adorned with a unique motif. On the upper floors are jharokas — delicate wooden balconies from which women once observed life below, unseen.
Stained glass filters the light, casting patterns in shades of yellow, green, and blue across the walls. In the air lingers the scent of aged wood, jasmine, and dust — the unmistakable fragrance of Lahore’s history, lingering like a shadow that refuses to fade.
From Silence to Music
Where barrels of gunpowder once stood, music now rises. Under Salahuddin’s care, the haveli became a living cultural space — hosting qawwali concerts, poetry evenings, film screenings, and artistic gatherings. On Sunday evenings, the courtyard comes alive with the rhythm of drums, the voices of singers, and the aroma of cardamom tea.
The Fountain and the Golden Fish
At the very center of the courtyard stands an old stone fountain, its water flowing into a circular basin. Local stories say that once, golden fish swam here, brought by children from a nearby canal. Each one, it is said, symbolized the soul of an artist who performed within these walls.
Legend has it that during the first qawwali concert after the restoration, the water in the fountain began to tremble as the singers’ voices rose. Some claimed they saw a flicker of gold — as if remnants of gunpowder had transformed into light. Since then, the caretakers have kept the fountain pristine, believing the fish return when the music is pure.
A Living House
Haveli Barood Khana is not a museum. It breathes. In the morning, it smells of dust and chai; in the evening — of incense and rose oil. Shadows of trees move softly across the bricks, while voices and laughter drift from the balconies — in Urdu, Punjabi, and English.
The restoration preserved a balance between old and new. Modern lighting is discreetly hidden among antique lamps, and the brick floors remain uneven — intentionally, so that time can still be felt beneath one’s feet.
Echo of the City
Today, Haveli Barood Khana is more than a monument. It is a symbol of Lahore — a city that has survived wars, fires, and forgetting, yet never lost its soul. Here, history does not sleep behind glass; it quietly pulses in every note of music, in every reflection of light dancing on the fountain’s water.
At night, when the city quiets and the last note of the rabab fades, the air still trembles gently — perhaps with echoes of old battles, or perhaps with the breath of a house that has learned how to turn gunpowder into song.
All images & orginal text
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