Shah Jahan built Red Fort and Taj Mahal in India but what did the Mughal emperor build in Pakistan? Famous monuments include...
Mughal monuments in Pakistan: You must have read about or even visited the famous monuments of India built by Mughal emperors including the ones built by Shah Jahan including the Red Fort and Taj Mahal but do you know about the famous monuments of Pakistan which were built by the Shah Jahan. We all know that the Mughals ruled over India for centuries and the their rule extended from the areas of India to modern-day Pakistan. Therefore, it is important to know about the Mughal era monuments in Pakistan. Which are the top Mughal era monuments in Pakistan?
Much similar to India, the Mughal era left behind some breathtaking monuments in present-day Pakistan, and many of them are linked to Emperor Shah Jahan. Among the top Mughal monuments is the Tomb of Jahangir in Shahdara Bagh, Lahore, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his father.
Another famous monument, known as the Lahore Fort is one of the most popular Mughal monument in Pakistan. Standing tall as another symbol of the empire's glory, the Lahore Fort signifies the rich history of Mughal empire in India and modern-day Pakistan. What's the history behind Pakistan's Lahore Fort?
Originally built during Akbar's reign, the Lahore Fort of Pakistan was made more iconic by Shah Jahan when he added some of its most iconic features like the Diwan-e-Khas, the elegant Moti Masjid, the ornate Naulakha Pavilion, and the most famous Sheesh Mahal.
Not stopping here, Shah Jahan's architectural influence reached beyond Lahore to places like Thatta. The city of Thatta is home to Shah Jahan Mosque, a mosque which is celebrated for its stunning tile work and intricate geometric designs.
Therefore, we can say that these Mughal era monuments, which are spread all across Pakistan, continue to narrate the story of Mughal rule over the subcontinent which consisted of India and modern day Pakistan.
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The Print
3 hours ago
- The Print
3 women among 6 killed after structure of dargah near Humayun's Tomb collapses
A senior police officer said the two rooms, one of which was occupied by an imam while the other was a resting room, were in a deteriorating state, and due to heavy rain in the past few days, the roof and one side of a wall collapsed when around 15 people took shelter there. The incident happened at Dargah Sharif Patte Shah around 3:30 pm. The dargah shares its boundary walls with the 16th century garden-tomb commissioned by Mughal emperor Humayun's first wife Bega Begum in 1558. New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) Six people, including three women, were killed and five others injured after the wall and the roof of two adjacent rooms of a dargah near the Humayun's Tomb in Delhi's Nizamuddin collapsed on Friday, officials said. The premises houses a mosque, where people frequently come to pray, a dargah and at least two rooms, officials said. A local said people gathered on the premises to offer Friday prayers at the mosque. There is also a mosque on the premises of the Humayun's Tomb, and since there was a parking lot near the dargah where the incident occurred, some took shelter there because of rain. As the rain intensified, people also took shelter in the imam's room. A total of six people, including a 79-year-old man and three women, died in the incident, while a four-year-old boy was among the five injured, police said. One of the deceased has been identified as Swaroop Chand (79), while the five injured have been identified as Md Shameem, Master Aryan, Gudiya, Rafat Parveen, and Rani (65), a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officer said. 'After the collapse, 12 victims, mostly visitors, were rescued from under the debris. Nine of them were admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where five died. 'A male patient was admitted to the LNJP Hospital, while a female patient was taken to the RML Hospital,' DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said. The man admitted to the LNJP Hospital died during treatment, he said. The DVR of the mosque has been taken to the Hazarat Nizamuddin police station, and the caretakers of the mosque are being examined, police said. Civic agencies are being informed for further investigation at their end, they said. Various agencies, including Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services (DFS), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Archeological Survey of India (ASI), were involved in the rescue operation. The victims belonged to the surrounding areas, Mustafabad and Zakir Nagar. 'It is being said that a maulavi stayed here who made 'taveez', and it is suspected that people used to visit the dargah to get that made,' an official told reporters. Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Jain said people were visiting the dargah for Friday prayers and were sitting inside the room due to rain when the incident took place. The rescue operation has been completed, police said, adding that 10-12 victims were rescued from under the debris after a call regarding the incident was received at 3:55 pm. A senior DFS officer had initially said that a call regarding the collapse of a portion of a dome at the tomb was received, after which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Authorities later clarified that the incident did not involve the main dome of the 16th-century monument but a smaller room within its premises. Vishal Kumar, an eyewitness, told PTI, 'I work at Humayun's Tomb. When we heard the noise, my supervisor came running. At least 10 to 12 people were trapped under the debris. The imam is also among the injured.' Another eyewitness narrated how close she came to being buried under the debris. 'I was only two steps away from entering the room,' she said. 'It started raining, and everyone went inside to take shelter. Suddenly, the wall collapsed. I kept shouting for help but there was no one nearby. Then some people came running, and we started pulling people out,' she added. Among those who lost their lives was Moin Uddin (32), the sole breadwinner for his family. A father to a five-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, Moin had moved from Bihar and worked at a garment shop to support his family. 'He had gone to offer Friday namaz,' Waseem Uddin, Moin's landlord, said. 'He used to send money back home in Bihar to support his parents and younger brother,' he said. Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a major tourist attraction, which sees the footfall of hundreds of domestic and foreign visitors daily. 'There has been no damage to the Humayun's Tomb. A new structure was being built near the Tomb, a portion of which collapsed,' Ratish Nanda, conservation architect at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), the organisation behind the restoration of Humayun's Tomb, said. PTI SSJ BM SHB NSM KND BUN ARI This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
News18
12 hours ago
- News18
3 women among 6 killed after structure of dargah near Humayuns Tomb collapses
New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) Six people, including three women, were killed and five others injured after the wall and the roof of two adjacent rooms of a dargah near the Humayun's Tomb in Delhi's Nizamuddin collapsed on Friday, officials said. The incident happened at Dargah Sharif Patte Shah around 3:30 pm. The dargah shares its boundary walls with the 16th century garden-tomb commissioned by Mughal emperor Humayun's first wife Bega Begum in 1558. A senior police officer said the two rooms, one of which was occupied by an imam while the other was a resting room, were in a deteriorating state, and due to heavy rain in the past few days, the roof and one side of a wall collapsed when around 15 people took shelter there. The premises houses a mosque, where people frequently come to pray, a dargah and at least two rooms, officials said. A local said people gathered on the premises to offer Friday prayers at the mosque. There is also a mosque on the premises of the Humayun's Tomb, and since there was a parking lot near the dargah where the incident occurred, some took shelter there because of rain. As the rain intensified, people also took shelter in the imam's room. A total of six people, including a 79-year-old man and three women, died in the incident, while a four-year-old boy was among the five injured, police said. One of the deceased has been identified as Swaroop Chand (79), while the five injured have been identified as Md Shameem, Master Aryan, Gudiya, Rafat Parveen, and Rani (65), a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officer said. 'After the collapse, 12 victims, mostly visitors, were rescued from under the debris. Nine of them were admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where five died. 'A male patient was admitted to the LNJP Hospital, while a female patient was taken to the RML Hospital," DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said. The man admitted to the LNJP Hospital died during treatment, he said. The DVR of the mosque has been taken to the Hazarat Nizamuddin police station, and the caretakers of the mosque are being examined, police said. Civic agencies are being informed for further investigation at their end, they said. Various agencies, including Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services (DFS), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Archeological Survey of India (ASI), were involved in the rescue operation. The victims belonged to the surrounding areas, Mustafabad and Zakir Nagar. 'It is being said that a maulavi stayed here who made 'taveez', and it is suspected that people used to visit the dargah to get that made," an official told reporters. Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Jain said people were visiting the dargah for Friday prayers and were sitting inside the room due to rain when the incident took place. The rescue operation has been completed, police said, adding that 10-12 victims were rescued from under the debris after a call regarding the incident was received at 3:55 pm. A senior DFS officer had initially said that a call regarding the collapse of a portion of a dome at the tomb was received, after which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Authorities later clarified that the incident did not involve the main dome of the 16th-century monument but a smaller room within its premises. Vishal Kumar, an eyewitness, told PTI, 'I work at Humayun's Tomb. When we heard the noise, my supervisor came running. At least 10 to 12 people were trapped under the debris. The imam is also among the injured." Another eyewitness narrated how close she came to being buried under the debris. 'I was only two steps away from entering the room," she said. 'It started raining, and everyone went inside to take shelter. Suddenly, the wall collapsed. I kept shouting for help but there was no one nearby. Then some people came running, and we started pulling people out," she added. Among those who lost their lives was Moin Uddin (32), the sole breadwinner for his family. A father to a five-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, Moin had moved from Bihar and worked at a garment shop to support his family. 'He had gone to offer Friday namaz," Waseem Uddin, Moin's landlord, said. 'He used to send money back home in Bihar to support his parents and younger brother," he said. Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a major tourist attraction, which sees the footfall of hundreds of domestic and foreign visitors daily. 'There has been no damage to the Humayun's Tomb. A new structure was being built near the Tomb, a portion of which collapsed," Ratish Nanda, conservation architect at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), the organisation behind the restoration of Humayun's Tomb, said. PTI SSJ BM SHB NSM KND BUN ARI (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 15, 2025, 23:45 IST News agency-feeds 3 women among 6 killed after structure of dargah near Humayuns Tomb collapses Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Indian Express
Gulab jamun: The sweet that travelled across empires and centuries
Luqmat-al-qadi, Lady Canning, kalo jaam — this sweet of many names is one of my all-time favourite Indian desserts. You'll find it everywhere: in Indian restaurants abroad, in people's homes, and in the tiniest of shops across India. This is the gulab jamun: deep-fried balls made of milk powder, flour, butter, and cream (or milk), soaked in sugar syrup. One of my fondest childhood memories, from when I was six or seven, is of attending my best friend's birthday party. Alongside all the other dishes, there was always a large glass bowl of small, dark brown gulab jamuns floating in warm syrup. I marvelled each year at the fact that her mother made them from scratch. They were perfectly sweet, soft, and still slightly warm. To this day, gulab jamun remains my favourite Indian dessert. Gulab jamun is popular in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and much of the subcontinent. In 2019, it was even declared Pakistan's national dessert. The name itself loosely translates to 'rose fruit' — gulab meaning rose, and jamun referring to the tart Java plum found across South Asia, which the sweet resembles in shape and colour. The 'rose' could also be a nod to the syrup it is soaked in, often scented with rosewater. That rosewater is a clue to one possible origin story. While there is no definitive proof, many food historians believe gulab jamun was introduced to the subcontinent by Central Asian Turkish invaders. Others claim it was an accidental creation by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's chef, though credible evidence for that is lacking. What I have discovered is that the dessert is quite similar to the Arabic sweet, luqmat-al-qadi, which was introduced to India by the Mughal emperors. Luqmat-al-qadi is paler in colour and often soaked in honey rather than sugar syrup. It dates back to at least the thirteenth-century Abbasid caliphate, where it appears in cookbooks like Kitab al-Tabeekh and accounts by historians such as Abd-al-Latif al-Baghdadi. Greek poet Callimachus even mentions deep-fried honey balls — served to winners of the ancient Olympic Games — which sound strikingly similar. The method has barely changed: balls of dough fried in oil, then dipped in flavoured syrup, whether orange juice, rosewater, honey, or lemon. Variants appear across the region — the Iranian bamiyeh, the Turkish tulumba and lokma — each with its own twist. In South Asia, Mughal cooks may have adapted these recipes with rosewater to suit the hot climate, alongside other cooling flavours like khus. Recipes vary widely. Some use yoghurt, some baking powder, some milk powder, and a few Pakistani recipes even include an egg. Saffron and cardamom often add depth to the sweetness. Shapes vary too: round, doughnut-shaped, or oval. In Indian Food: A Historical Companion (1994), food historian K T Achaya describes them as 'balls of chenna or khoya or paneer, kneaded using maida, then deep fried till dark brown, and gently boiled in sugar syrup, sometimes flavoured with rose essence'. Knowing the process only deepened my respect for my friend's mother. First, khoya is made by stirring milk over a low flame until it solidifies. This is mixed with flour, kneaded, shaped, and deep-fried, then dipped in sugar syrup infused with cardamom, rosewater, or saffron. The glossy deep-brown colour comes from the caramelisation of milk solids and sugar. In Bengal, you'll find the black-hued kalo jaam — dough balls coated with sugar before frying, giving them their darker colour and firmer texture. Unlike gulab jamun, it's usually served at room temperature. Bengal is also home to the pantua, an oval variant similar to the langcha from Shaktigarh in West Bengal. My favourite variant, however, is the ledikenni. Created for Lady Canning, wife of Governor-General Charles Canning (1856–1862), it is said that she commissioned Bhim Chandra Nag to make a sweet for her birthday. He created a hybrid of pantua and gulab jamun. Locals dubbed it ledikenni. Oblong in shape, infused with cardamom, and with a raisin at its centre, it is distinct from the pantua. Persian, Turkish, Greek, whatever its lineage, I would strongly recommend ending a meal with gulab jamun, pantua, kalo jaam, or ledikenni. Few sweets are made of such simple ingredients yet offer so much gratification, each bite steeped not only in sugar syrup but in centuries of culinary history.
