Tomb of Jahangir

The tomb is located in Shahdara Bagh, northwest of the Walled City of Lahore. The tomb is located across the River Ravi from Lahore, in what was a rural area known for its numerous pleasure gardens.{{cite web|title=Jahangir's tomb|url=http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/pakistan/lahore/jahangir.php|publisher=Oriental Architecture|access-date=13 March 2015}} The tomb is located in Jahangir's pleasure garden, the Dilkusha Garden, which had been laid out in 1557.{{cite book|last1=Nadiem|first1=Ihsan|title=Lahore, a Glorious Heritage|date=1996|publisher=Sang-e-Meel|isbn=9789693507188|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CHPjAAAAMAAJ&q=jahangir+tomb|access-date=14 September 2017}} The Tomb of Asif Khan, built-in 1645, and the Akbari Sarai, built-in 1637, are located immediately west of Jahangir's tomb complex, and the three form an ensemble oriented on an east-west axis. The last of the Shahdara Bagh monuments, the tomb of Jahangir's wife Nur Jahan is located slightly southwest of Asif Khan's tomb.

File:Tomb of Jahangir Lahore Pakistan.jpges.]]

The tomb was built for Emperor Jahangir, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1605 to 1627 C.E. The emperor died in the foothills of Kashmir near the town of Rajauri on 28 October 1627. A funeral procession transferred his body from Kashmir and arrived in Lahore on Friday, 12 November 1627.{{cite book|last1=Nicoll|first1=Fergus|title=Shah Jahan|date=2009|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=9780670083039|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KfkCTTcvKGwC&q=jahangir+tomb&pg=PA146|access-date=14 September 2017}} The Dilkusha Garden in which he was buried was a "favourite spot" of Jahangir when he lived in Lahore.{{cite web|title=Visiting the sub-continent's rebellious prince|url=http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/01/18/city/lahore/jehangirs-tomb-visiting-the-sub-continents-rebellious-prince/|publisher=Pakistan Today|access-date=13 March 2015}} His son, the new Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, ordered that a "mausoleum befitting an Emperor" should be built in his father's honour to inter his remains.{{Cite web|title=Jahangir's Tomb|url=https://visitlahore.com/lahore/jahangirs-tomb/|access-date=2020-08-23|website=Visit Lahore|language=en-US}}

File:Jahangir Tomb 1.jpg

File:Aerial view of Jahangir Tomb.jpg

Though contemporary historians attribute the construction of the tomb to Jahangir's son Shah Jahan. Construction started in 1627, requiring ten years for completion,{{Cite journal |date=2001 |title=Tomb of Jahangir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6fZwAAAAMAAJ&q=jahangir+tomb |journal=Journal of Asian Civilisations |publisher=Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations |volume=24 |issue=1 |access-date=14 September 2017}} and cost Rs 10 Lakh.{{Cite web |title=Jahangir's Tomb |url=https://www.ualberta.ca/~rnoor/tomb_jahangir.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331220245/http://ualberta.ca/~rnoor/tomb_jahangir.html |archive-date=31 March 2016 |access-date=13 March 2015 |website=University of Alberta}}

Repair works were undertaken at the tomb in 1814 according to Sikh court records. The tomb complex, however, was also desecrated under Sikh rule when they were pillaged by the army of Ranjit Singh,{{Cite web |last=Rogers Kolachi Khan & Associates Pvt. Ltd. |date=February 2011 |title=Site Conservation Assessment Report: Jahangir's Tomb Complex, Lahore, Pakistan |url=http://ghn.globalheritagefund.com/uploads/documents/document_1705.pdf |access-date=14 September 2017 |website=Global Heritage Fund}}{{Cite book |last=Chaudhry |first=Nazir Ahmad |title=Lahore |date=2000 |publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publications |isbn=9789693510478 |page=156}} with building materials used for decoration of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.{{Cite book |last=Saladin |first=Henri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yuRQQiUHwQMC&q=nur+jahan+tomb+golden+temple |title=Art of Islam |last2=Migeon |first2=Gaston |date=2012 |publisher=Parkstone International |isbn=9781780429939 |page=94 |access-date=14 September 2017}}{{Cite book |last=Hansen |first=Waldemar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AV--abKg9GEC&q=nur+jahan+tomb+golden+temple&pg=PA88 |title=The Peacock Throne: The Drama of Mogul India |date=1986 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ |isbn=9788120802254 |page=88 |access-date=14 September 2017}} The pillaged grounds were then converted for use as a private residence for an officer in the army of Ranjit Singh, Señor Oms, who was also known as Musa Sahib.{{Cite book |last=Grey |first=C |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S8AN0-cO-RYC&q=jahangir+tomb&pg=PA164 |title=European Adventurers of Northern India, 1785 to 1849 |date=December 1996 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=9788120608535 |access-date=14 September 2017}}{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Khushwant |title=Ranjit Singh |date=2008 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=9780143065432 |page=167}} Ranjit Singh further desecrated the mausoleum once more when he ordered that Musa Sahib be buried on the tomb's grounds after dying from cholera in 1828. By 1880, a rumor had begun circulating which alleged that the tomb once was topped by a dome or second storey that was stolen by Ranjit Singh's army, though no evidence has been found to suggest that a dome or second story ever existed at the tomb.

The Shahdara ensemble of monuments suffered further under British rule, when a railway line was built between the tombs of Asif Khan and Nur Jahan. The site was then repaired by the British between 1889 and 1890.{{Cite news |date=20 August 2013 |title=The Tomb of Emperor Jehangir |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1037112 |access-date=17 December 2016 |work=Dawn}}

Flooding from the nearby River Ravi threatened or damaged the site in 1867, 1947, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1988, and 2010. The site sustained water damage during flooding in 1988 that covered much of the site in 10 feet of water for 5 days.

File:Minaret_of_Jahangir%27s_Tomb,_Lahore.jpg during the reign of Jahangir.]]

File:Jahangir%27s_tomb-4.JPG

The tomb was constructed in a Mughal style influenced by Safavid-style architecture from Persia,.{{cite book|last1=Bhallia|first1=A. S.|title=Monuments, Power and Poverty in India: From Ashoka to the Raj|date=2015|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9781784530877|page=256}} The mausoleum is laid out as a takhtgah - or a mausoleum built upon a podium which serves as a takht, or "throne." For except, there is no takhtgah on the podium, nor seemingly had ever been built.

Similar to the tomb of Akbar, Jahangir's tomb lacks a central dome as the Emperor is reported to have expressly forbade the construction of a dome over his tomb.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=96ec98LieGsC&q=jahangir+tomb+forbade+dome&pg=PA204|title=Mughal Gardens: Sources, Places, Representations, and Prospects|last1=L.)|first1=Wescoat Jr (James|last2=Wescoat|first2=James L.|last3=Wolschke-Bulmahn|first3=Joachim|date=1996|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks|isbn=978-0-88402-235-0|page=204|language=en}} The use of domes in Mughal funerary architecture was first used at the Tomb of Humayun, and re-established by Shah Jahan.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aIF6DwAAQBAJ&q=jahangir+tomb+dome&pg=PP179|title=India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765|last=Eaton|first=Richard M.|date=2019-07-25|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=978-0-14-196655-7|language=en}}

File:Arches of Jahangir's Tomb.jpg

In keeping with Sunni religious tradition, Jahangir's great grandfather Babur chose to be buried in a tomb open to the sky at the Gardens of Babur. Jahangir's tomb broke with this tradition by including a roof. In order to forge a compromise with Sunni tradition, Jahangir expressly forbade the construction of a dome over his tomb,{{cite book|last1=Wolschke-Bulmahn|first1=Joachim|last2=Wescoat|first2=James L.|title=Mughal Gardens: Sources, Places, Representations, and Prospects|date=1996|publisher=Dumbarton Oaks|isbn=9780884022350|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=96ec98LieGsC&q=jahangir+tomb&pg=PA204|access-date=14 September 2017}} and so the roof is simple and free from architectural embellishments which later featured prominently at the Taj Mahal.{{cite web|title=Jahangir's Tomb|url=http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/sid/569/pakistan/lahore/jahangirs-tomb|website=Asian Historical Architecture}} The mausoleum's façade is embellished with red sandstone inlaid with marble motifs.

The square-shaped mausoleum is a 22 foot tall, single-story plinth with arcades lining all four sides of the structure. Vaulted bays along the perimeter of the tomb reflect Timurid architectural styles from Central Asia.{{cite book|last1=Bhalla|first1=A. S.|title=Royal tombs of India: 13th to 18th century|date=2009|publisher=Mapin|isbn=9788189995102|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PVlJAQAAIAAJ&q=jahangir+tomb|access-date=14 September 2017}} The mausoleum's façade of red sandstone is inlaid with motifs forged of white marble.

From the building rise four octagonal ornamental minarets projecting from each corner of the building, decorated with geometric inlaid stone. The use of minarets, absent from early Mughal commissions, reflects a renewed interest in Timurid architecture from Central Asia during the reign of Jahangir.{{cite book|last1=Necipoglu|first1=Gulru|last2=Flood|first2=Finbarr Barry|title=A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture|date=2017|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781119068570|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6YgpDwAAQBAJ&q=jahangir+tomb&pg=PA835|access-date=14 September 2017}} The minarets are divided into three sections, with the tomb forming the base, upon which the body of the minaret rests, called by white marble cupolas. The minarets rise to a height of 100 feet (30m).

File:Grave of Emperor Jahangir II.jpg.]]

The mausoleum building is divided into a series of vaulted compartments which are richly embellished with Mughal buon fresco. Carved jali screens admit light in various patterns facing toward Mecca.

At the centre of the mausoleum is an octagonal chamber lined with carved marble in which the remains of the Mughal Emperor rest in a crypt below a cenotaph. The interior of the tomb features a white-marble cenotaph inlaid with pietra dura in vegetal patterns, as well as the 99 Names of Allah, a common theme in Islamic mysticism.

File:Tomb of Jahangir and gardens.jpg

The gardens surrounding the tomb are vast, and laid out in the Persian Chahar Bagh, or Paradise garden.{{cite web|title=Jahangir's Tomb|url=https://sites.ualberta.ca/~rnoor/tomb_jahangir.html|website=Lahore Sites of Interest|access-date=17 December 2016|archive-date=31 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331220245/http://ualberta.ca/~rnoor/tomb_jahangir.html}} The garden is separated into four squares by paved walkways (khiyabans) and two bisecting central water channels which are designed to reflect the four rivers that flow in jannat, the Islamic concept of paradise. Each of the four squares is further divided into smaller squares with pathways, creating into 16 squares in all. The garden forms a quadrangle measuring approximately 500 metres on each side.

The mausoleum is set in a large quadrangle with gates facing each of the cardinal directions. Entry to the quadrangle is via the western edge through the Akbari Sarai – a gate featuring a small mosque. To the immediate west of the Akbari Sarai is the Tomb of Asif Khan – Jahangir's brother-in-law.

The tomb was constructed in a Mughal style that was influenced by Safavid architecture from Persia. Nur Jahan, who was of Persian descent, may have introduced this style into the Mughal Court.

The site is protected by the Federal Antiquities Act 1975, though stipulations of the law are frequently neglected, resulting in damage to the site and surrounding area. The act forbids construction within 200 feet of the site, though private homes have been built that are located a few metres from the boundary walls of the site. The site was inscribed on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1993.{{cite web|title=Tentative Lists|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/state=pk|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=14 September 2017}}

The tomb was featured on the 1000 Rupee note until 2005.

Pakistan issued a postage stamp in 1954 to commemorate Emperor Jahangir mausoleum.

File: Interior of the Tomb of Emperor Jahangir.jpg|The Emperor's cenotaph is located in a solemn inner chamber.

File:Tomb_of_Jahangir,_Lahore.jpg|The tomb is surrounded by a Persian-style Paradise garden.

File:Jehangir tomb.jpg|Jehangir's cenotaph is richly embellished with intricate inlay.

File:Entrance_to_Jahangir%27s_Tomb_Compound_Lahore.JPG|Entry to the mausoleum is through the Akbari sarai.

File:Minaret and arcades - Tomb of Jahangir.jpg|A view of the mausoleum's exterior embellishments and architectural features.

File:Jahangir_tomb_roof_top.jpg|Even the mausoleum's roof is decorated with mosaic tile-work.

File:Jehangir%27s_tomb,_detail.JPG|Close up view of the intricately inlaid marble on Jehangir's cenotaph

File:Grave of Jahangir.jpg|The cenotaph of the Emperor is located in the centre of the mausoleum.

File:Main_Entrance_of_Akbari_Sarai.jpg|The outer perimeter of the complex features a large entry gate known as Bara Darwaza that leads to the Akbari Sarai.

File:Arcades - Jahangir’s Tomb.jpg|Bases of the minarets feature fine pietra dura detail.

Image:Jehangir Tomb5.jpg|"Illumined Grave of His Majesty, Asylum of Pardon: Emperor Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir, 1037 AH"

File:Jehangir%27s_Tomb1.jpg|Walls surrounding the tomb

Image:Jehangir_Tomb4.jpg|Pietra dura detail

File:White marble cupolas cap minarets at the Tomb of Jahangir.jpg|The minarets at the tomb are capped by white marble cupolas

File:Sunset view of Jahangir's Tomb Compound.jpg

File:Façade of Jahangir's Tomb taken by Henry Hardy Cole in 1880.jpg|Façade of Jahangir's Tomb in 1880.

File:(Pakistan)-Emperor_Jahangir_Tomb_17_th_Century,Shahdara,Near_Lahore-By_@ibneazhar_Sep_2014_(153).jpg|Close-up of pietra dura detail.

Image:Jahangir_Mausoleum9.jpg|Fresco in vestibule of tomb chamber

Image:Jahangir_Mausoleum10.jpg|Fresco in vestibule of tomb chamber

Image:Jahangir_Mausoleum12.jpg|Glazed tile kashi inlay in mausoleum verandah

• Humayun's Tomb in Delhi
• Tomb of Akbar the Great in Agra

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• {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjxx6vGtejg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/Hjxx6vGtejg |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|title=Tomb of Jahangir Lahore |last1=SN Bukhari |date=2010-06-24 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2013-12-07}}{{cbignore}}
• [http://www.photoblog.com/pakistan/2007/11/15/tomb-of-jahangir.html Pakistan's PhotoBlog - Snaps of Jahangir's Tomb] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229120557/http://www.photoblog.com/pakistan/2007/11/15/tomb-of-jahangir.html |date=2015-12-29 }}
• [http://www.cybercity-online.net/Pakistan/Punjab/pages/jahangir_mausoleum.htm Photograph of the left side of the mausoleum]
• [http://www.universalgiving.org/donate/asif_khan_tomb/id929.do?targetPage=/receiverSearch.do Conservation of the mausoleum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011213042/http://www.universalgiving.org/donate/asif_khan_tomb/id929.do?targetPage=%2FreceiverSearch.do |date=2016-10-11 }}

{{Lahore}}

{{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan |state=autocollapse}}

{{Mughal Empire}}

Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1637

Category:Mausoleums in Punjab, Pakistan

Category:Tombs in Lahore

Jahangir

Category:Mughal gardens in Pakistan

Category:1630s establishments in India

Category:1630s establishments in the Mughal Empire

Category:1637 establishments in Asia

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