Every Thursday night, adherents of the Sufi order of Islam in Lahore gather to participate in dhamaal, which is essentially a type of ritual ecstatic dance. There are several places to witness this – one of the best-known is the Shrine of Shah Jamal, located in the area known as Fazlia Colony near to the Shadman neighbourhood. The dhamaal happens only on Thursdays, every Thursday. We attended on our first night in Pakistan and found it to be a great experience.

At Shah Jamal, the dhamaal takes place in the courtyard to the right of the main shrine entrance and starts around 9.30-10pm. The dhamaal has a very raw, informal and impromptu atmosphere, almost like an underground rave. We walked there from our hotel near Bagh-e-Jinnah. When we arrived at the Shrine of Shah Jamal we were initially unsure of where to go. We entered the main shrine area at first and were a little confused, but were soon approached by a very kind man who pointed us to the courtyard where the dhamaal was to be taking place and even offered us food and drinks from the communal kitchen in the shrine.

Outside, the audience in the courtyard had created a circle around the central area. We tried to lay low towards the back of the crowd and sat down on a ledge next to a well-groomed, mustachioed older guy who told us that he worked as a designer of mens’ clothing. He then proceeded to chat with Dan and tell us all about the shrine and the dhamaal, making us feel very safe and welcome. Many other locals around us were eager to make sure we were looked after too. There was a frenetic atmosphere but it was also tolerant and welcoming. It reminded me of attending a heavy rock gig.

Once the drummers begin to play, some members of the crowd slowly begin to enter the center space moving to the beat of the drums, jerking, rapidly spinning their heads and twirling around in a hedonistic and unhinged manner. Although an audience gathers to watch, this isn’t really intended as a show or performance. The participants are trying to attain a state of delirium with the aim of bringing them closer to God.

The dhamaal takes place in this courtyard outside the shrine

Smoking of hashish is said to be pretty standard at these gatherings, although we didn’t spot anyone partaking in the courtyard setting. We discovered later that in addition to the courtyard, there is also another room at the top of the stairs inside the shrine building where dhamaal was also taking place. According to our fashion designer friend, the heavy hash smoking goes on in there. He warned us not to go into the other room as ‘it’s dangerous’ – we’re not sure if he meant for health reasons or otherwise. From what we could gather, foreigners are encouraged to stay in the courtyard rather than going to the other dhamaal inside. 

The legendary local drummer Pappu Sain used to perform each week at Shah Jamal, and following his death in 2021 the legacy has been picked up by his son who receives a hero’s welcome when he emerges with his imposing “dhol” drum. There are no fixed timings, the dhamaal continues late into the night. We left around 11pm but it felt like things were just starting to ramp up at that time, with the crowd increasing in size and also becoming more boisterous with cheering, clapping and chanting.

We saw several sufis who had worked themselves into a frenzy being carried out of the circle of dancers. Some had resorted to contorting their bodies and flailing around on the floor. I don’t doubt things would’ve gotten even more intense had we stayed longer. 

There seemed to be some officials in charge who kept an eye on foreigners and gently asked them to come to the front to sit on a carpeted area where they could be protected more easily. We were surprised to see around 10 other foreigners gathered for the dhamaal. We also spotted groups of Pakistani women gathered on the stairs of the shrine watching the proceedings without entering the male circle. It’s a very surreal experience to be a part of.

Video and photographs are permitted but please be respectful of the participants. We were disappointed to see a group of older Spanish tourists who appeared to have been taken to the dhamaal as part of a group tour and were behaving quite disrespectfully; entering the circle with their shoes on and pointing stupidly-big canon cameras in the faces of the delirious sufis. If you do attend the dhamaal, please don’t behave like this. It isn’t a concert or exhibition for tourists but a religious experience for the participants.

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