Arab Serai

According to S.A.A. Naqvi, Mughal emperor Humayun's widow Haji Begum built this serai in 1560 to shelter three hundred Arab mullahs whom she was taking with her during her hajj to Mecca; however, Y.D. Sharma opines that the word Arab in the title is a misnomer as this building was built for the Persian craftsmen and workers who built the Humayun's Tomb.{{sfn|Naqvi2002|p=66}}

In January 2017, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture started a project to conserve the serai. The restoration was completed in November 2018.{{cite web |title=Arab Ki Sarai, the caravans of bygone era, restored to old glory in India |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/11/05/Arab-Ki-Sarai-the-caravans-of-bygone-era-restored-to-old-glory-in-India.html |publisher=Al Arabiya |accessdate=27 May 2019 |date=5 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527170918/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2018/11/05/Arab-Ki-Sarai-the-caravans-of-bygone-era-restored-to-old-glory-in-India.html |archive-date=27 May 2019 |url-status=live }} In March 2019, the trust announced a planned project to conserve the baoli (stepwell) of the serai with the help of funds from the embassy of Germany.{{cite web |title=Mughal baoli suffering from neglect hits road to revamp |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/mughal-baoli-suffering-from-neglect-hits-road-to-revamp/articleshow/68588466.cms |work=The Times of India |accessdate=27 May 2019 |date=27 March 2019}} This building along with other buildings form the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun's Tomb complex.{{cite web |title=Humayun's tomb |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/232 |publisher=UNESCO |accessdate=27 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527102431/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/232 |archive-date=27 May 2019 |url-status=live }}

File:Arab Ki Sarai Abadi Area.jpg

This building contains arched cells against its enclosure walls. Presently, the cells are in ruins. The northern gate is the only structure of the building which is intact. The gate measures {{convert|12.2|m|ft}} in height and is made of quartzite with red sandstone and is inlaid by marble. The octagonal shaped gate chamber was crowned by a dome at the time of its construction, but since then the dome has collapsed. A balcony window is present over the arch of the main gateway and is supported by six brackets. On each side of the gateway at the same level, more balcony windows crowned by a pyramidal dome are present. The domes are covered with yellow and blue tiles.{{sfn|Naqvi2002|p=67}}

The sarai houses two more gateways - one on the east side and another on the west. According to an inscription at the eastern gateway, the eastern gateway actually served as an entrance to a market and was built by a man named Mihr Banu during the reign of Jahangir. The market also contains arched rooms which are presently in ruins.{{sfn|Naqvi2002|p=67}}

File:Gate way of Arab Sarai facing East towards the tomb of Humayun 77.JPG|The walls of the serai

File:Arab sarai.JPG|Doorway of the serai

{{reflist}}

• {{citation|title = Humayun's Tomb and Other Adjacent Monuments | last = Naqvi | first = S.A.A. | publisher = Archaeological Survey of India | date = 2002 | isbn = 9788187780083}}

{{Humayun's Tomb complex}}

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Category:Mughal caravanserais

Category:World Heritage Sites in India

Category:1560 establishments in India

Category:Monuments of National Importance in Delhi

Category:Caravanserais in India