Hiran Minar ( ur, ; or ''"The Deer Tower"'') is an early 16th-century Mughal era complex located in

Sheikhupura Sheikhupura ( pa, ; ur, ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Jehangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of most populous citie ...

, in the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i province of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. The complex was built at the site of a game reserve in honour of Mughal Emperor

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

's beloved antelope named Mansraj. The Emperor is remembered for his fondness of nature, and his complex embodies the Mughal relationship between humans, pets, and hunting.Hiran Minar and Tank, Sheikhupura - description on UNESCO website
Published 14 December 1993, Retrieved 1 May 2020

Location

The ''Hiran Minar'' complex is located in the city of

, about 40 kilometres northwest of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

. The complex is located near the

Sheikhupura Fort Sheikhupura Fort (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a Mughal Empire, Mughal-era fort built in 1607 near the city of Sheikhupura in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Although, there is no conclusive evidence supporting this, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri mentions t ...

, which also dates from the early 17th century. Both sites are accessible from Lahore via the

M2 Motorway This is a list of roads designated M2: Europe * M2 motorway (Great Britain), a motorway in England * M2 expressway (Hungary), a motorway in Hungary * N2 road (Ireland)#M2 motorway, a motorway in the Republic of Ireland * M-2 highway (Monteneg ...

, which connects

to the

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

History

''Hiran Minar'' was built during the reign of the

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

in a hunting reserve used by the Mughal royals. The reserve was built in a scrub forest, and allowed Mughal emperors to experience a sense of semi-wilderness near the imperial city of

. The wild-reserve was used as a park where visitors could enjoy the sport of hunting. The

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

itself was built in 1606 C.E. as a monument to Emperor Jahangir's beloved pet

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

, ''Mansiraj'', or ''"Lord of All Animal Beings"''. The practice of building such tomb-markers over the skulls of game animals is an ancient

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

n custom. The minaret and tank were soon accompanied by a larger pavilion, built during the reign of

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

Layout

The complex consists of a Jahangir-era minaret situated next to a larger Shah Jahan-era complex.

Minaret

The Jahangir-era minaret stands 110 metres tall, and was built in 1606 C.E. as a tomb marker for the emperor's pet antelope, ''Minraj''. The sides of the minar are inscribed with a eulogy to the pet antelope.

Pool

A massive rectangular water-tank pool measuring 229 metres by 273 metres lies at the heart of the complex. At the center of each side of the tank, a brick ramp slopes down to the water, providing access for wild game that were sought by hunters.

Pavilion

An octagonal

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

built during the reign of Shah Jahan is at the centre of the pool. The pavilion is two-storeyed, and is topped by a rooftop ''chhatri'' that served as a stone

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries (website), Oxford D ...

. The pavilion's architecture is similar to the Sher Mandal at

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Purana Qila Purana Qila () is one of the oldest forts in Delhi, India. Built by the second Mughal Emperor Humayun and Surid Sultan Sher Shah Suri, it is thought by many to be located on the site of the ancient city of Indraprastha. The fort formed the inn ...

, built by Emperor

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...

. The pavilion was surrounded not only by the water tank, but also semi-wilderness. The pavilion was thus likely used for recreational purposes.

Causeway

A causeway spans the pool to connect the minaret with the pavilion along an axis which passes through a gateway.

Hydraulics

Unique features of this particular complex are the antelope's grave and the distinctive water collection system. At each corner of the tank (approximately 750 by in size), is a small, square building and a subsurface water collection system which supplied the water tank; only one of these water systems is only extensively exposed today.A short documentary videoclip on Hiran Minar on YouTube
Retrieved 1 May 2020

Gallery

File:Hiran minar in water reflection.jpg File:Hiran Minar- monument to Mansraj.jpg File:Hiran Minar Pavilion.jpg, The minaret which serves as a tomb marker for Emperor Jahangir's pet antelope. File:Hiran Minar, Water Tank, Pavilion.jpg, Hiran Minar, Water Tank, Pavilion File:Mughal Patterns inside Hiran minar.jpg, Mughal Patterns inside Hiran minar Image:Hiran Minaar01.jpg, The Hiran Minar: Water Tank, Pavilion and Main Entrance File:Hiran Minar and Tank.jpg

References

External links

Photographs of Hiran Minar

World Heritage: Hiran Minar and Tank, Sheikhupura
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiran Minar Sheikhupura District Mughal architecture Buildings and structures in Sheikhupura Mughal gardens in Pakistan Minarets in Pakistan