A view from the roof of Ali Mardan Khan's Tomb, Lahore

The Tomb of Ali Mardan Khan (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Mughal era The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the ...

tomb in the city of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

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 ...

that was built in the 1630s.

Background

Ali Mardan Khan Ali Mardan Khan ( fa, ; died April 1657) was a Kurdish military leader and administrator, serving under the Safavid kings Shah Abbas I and Shah Safi, and later the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan. He was the son of Ganj Ali Khan. After surrendering ...

was a

Kurd ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...

who first worked in the court of the Persian

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

ruler

Shah Safi Sam Mirza ( fa, سام میرزا) (161112 May 1642), better known by his dynastic name of Shah Safi ( fa, شاه صفی), was the sixth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1629 to 1642. Early life Safi was given the name Sam Mirza when ...

, before moving to the Mughal court. The tomb is of octagonal plan. He was experienced in the management of engineering works, especially the construction of canals, and worked on many large projects in the Mughal territories in modern Pakistan and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

. He was appointed as the governor of

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

and

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...

, then of the

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

in 1639. Khan died in 1657 while going to Kashmir. Though Khan was an engineer and courtier, he has come to be locally regarded as a notable spiritual figure, and locals call the tomb Mardan Khan's durbar (shrine). The grave is in a chamber below ground level, accessed by stairs, and has been decorated by visitors as though it were a saint's shrine.

Architecture

Central Dome of the Tomb with two small domes - Tomb of Ali Mardan Khan

The tomb is now in a semi-ruined state, lacking its decorations, though the main structure is intact. This is in brick with a dome of in diameter above an octagonal drum with

iwan An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projectin ...

s on each side. There are kiosks around the top of the drum. The tomb stands on an octagonal podium, with each side at the edge. It would have been originally decorated with stone facings and inlays (''kashi kari''), and fresco paintings, some traces of which remain on the tomb. The two storey gatehouse has retained much more of its decoration; originally there were perhaps four gateways. The tomb would have stood in the centre of a paradise garden as other Mughal tombs do.

Conservation

The tomb is surrounded by railway property, and located in Mughalpura road (which was earlier known as Vetman Road or Wheatman Road) which is from right from the

Grand Trunk Road The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. ...

. Near the railway track on the road is a sign board where "MET-1" is written, beyond which lies the gate through which people can access the tomb, through a passageway.

Gallery

File:Nawab_Ali-Mardan_Khan.jpg, The tomb was built for Nawab

. File:Basement_of_Ali_Mardan%27s_Tomb.jpg, The burial chamber is subterranean File:Tomb_of_Ali_Mardan_Khan,_Lahore.JPG, The tomb lies largely empty, as the burial crypt is subterranean File:Ali mardan Tomb (shrine) Lahore.jpg, An exterior view of the mausoleum File:Street-Tunnel_Leading_Towads_Ali_Mardan_Khan%27s_Tomb.jpg, The tomb is surrounded by

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger se ...

property, and can only be accessed through a walled passageway.

References

{{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan Architecture of Lahore Mughal tombs Mughal gardens in Pakistan Persian gardens in Pakistan Tombs in Lahore