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A Glimpse at the Tomb of
Jahangir Part II
Text and photos by Huma Wasiq
I
n the previous part of this article, I wrote about the Tomb of Jahangir near River Ravi, Lahore. I discussed a bit of its history, its layout plan, gardens, architectural qualities, building material and engineering geniuses. But there is much more to tell from my field research about this place of much historical value.
sections have their own charbagh style gardens with their own significance. Apart from the enclosed buildings, there are tombs of the grand vizier Asif Khan and empress Noor Jahan.
The gates of this building allowed elephants to enter with the queen and the royals sitting on them to be welcomed under a shower of flowers falling from well-designed small balconies. These balconies have arch windows to allow the guardians and court girls to see and welcome their masters with full royal protocol. Imagine the flower petals falling, lush green gardens blooming, birds chipping, the waterfalls and fountains burbling. The whole atmosphere was created for a special feel.
The most interesting thing about Noor Jahan’s tomb is its underground tunnel which links it to Hiran Minar at Shekhupura on one side while Shalimar Garden to Delhi on another side. This tunnel allows a horse rider to sit on the horse and travel safely underground. These tunnels were closed in different places with the passage of time and the hanging coffin of the Queen was looted. Asif’s tomb is in critical condition, pillaged but still, we can see beautiful plaster work inside the dome and extremely beautiful glazed tile work on the outer walls. The first section of Jahangir’s tomb is just beside Asif Khan’s tomb.
The whole plan of this tomb is divided into three main parts. The mosque, the rest area or the workers’ residence and the main tomb. Simplest to the fanciest. All these three
The Mosque
54 | APR - JUNE 2023
