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    Mausoleum of Shad-e (or Shadi) Mulk Aga in Shah e Zinda, Samarqand

    Mausoleum of Mahmud Pahlavon in Khiva, Uzbekistan

    The tomb of Baba Rukn al-Din Shirazi, Takht-i Fulad, Isfahan, Iran

    The Summer Mosque of the Arc in Khiva, Uzbekistan

    Shrine of Sheikh Zainuddin Bobo in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

    The Madrasas ( educational institutions) of Ulugh Beg

    The Madrasas ( educational institutions) of Ulugh Beg

    Dargah of Sheikh Raju Qattal in Khuldabad, Maharashtra

    Dargah of Sheikh Raju Qattal in Khuldabad, Maharashtra

    AkshayVat in Allahabad/ Prayagraj

    AkshayVat in Allahabad/ Prayagraj

    Helical stepwell in Pavagadh area of Gujarat

    Islam Khoja ensemble in Khiva,Uzbekistan

    Mysore Silk and Tipu Sultan

    Mysore Silk and Tipu Sultan

    Lord Buddha statue in Chandigarh Museum

    Akbar’s Inscription in The Ranakpur Jain Temple

    Neelkanth Temple in Kumbhalgarh

    Neelkanth Temple in Kumbhalgarh

    Vijai Stambh in Chittorgarh Fort

    The importance of River Yamuna in Vrindavan

    The importance of River Yamuna in Vrindavan

    Tajuddin Baba of Nagpur or Shahenshah-e Haft-e Aqleem Hazrat Baba Tajuddin

    Tajuddin Baba of Nagpur or Shahenshah-e Haft-e Aqleem Hazrat Baba Tajuddin

    Shri Niwas or the House of Mirrors in Jaipur’s City Palace

    Shri Niwas or the House of Mirrors in Jaipur’s City Palace

    Kanishka statue in Mathura museum

    Kanishka statue in Mathura museum

    Shahji ka Mandir, Vrindavan

    Shahji ka Mandir, Vrindavan

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      Mausoleum of Shad-e (or Shadi) Mulk Aga in Shah e Zinda, Samarqand

      Mausoleum of Mahmud Pahlavon in Khiva, Uzbekistan

      The tomb of Baba Rukn al-Din Shirazi, Takht-i Fulad, Isfahan, Iran

      The Summer Mosque of the Arc in Khiva, Uzbekistan

      Shrine of Sheikh Zainuddin Bobo in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

      The Madrasas ( educational institutions) of Ulugh Beg

      The Madrasas ( educational institutions) of Ulugh Beg

      Dargah of Sheikh Raju Qattal in Khuldabad, Maharashtra

      Dargah of Sheikh Raju Qattal in Khuldabad, Maharashtra

      AkshayVat in Allahabad/ Prayagraj

      AkshayVat in Allahabad/ Prayagraj

      Helical stepwell in Pavagadh area of Gujarat

      Islam Khoja ensemble in Khiva,Uzbekistan

      Mysore Silk and Tipu Sultan

      Mysore Silk and Tipu Sultan

      Lord Buddha statue in Chandigarh Museum

      Akbar’s Inscription in The Ranakpur Jain Temple

      Neelkanth Temple in Kumbhalgarh

      Neelkanth Temple in Kumbhalgarh

      Vijai Stambh in Chittorgarh Fort

      The importance of River Yamuna in Vrindavan

      The importance of River Yamuna in Vrindavan

      Tajuddin Baba of Nagpur or Shahenshah-e Haft-e Aqleem Hazrat Baba Tajuddin

      Tajuddin Baba of Nagpur or Shahenshah-e Haft-e Aqleem Hazrat Baba Tajuddin

      Shri Niwas or the House of Mirrors in Jaipur’s City Palace

      Shri Niwas or the House of Mirrors in Jaipur’s City Palace

      Kanishka statue in Mathura museum

      Kanishka statue in Mathura museum

      Shahji ka Mandir, Vrindavan

      Shahji ka Mandir, Vrindavan

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      A story of neglect and disrepair : Begumpur Masjid

      inHazrat-E-Dilli
      0
      From childhood i have been hearing a phrase
      ” Khandhar bata rahe hain ke imarat shaandar thi”
      Today i was almost in tears at the ruin of a once magnificent place of worship and piece of architecture.
      Begumpur is the Jami Masjid of Jahanpanah the 4th city of Delhi built by Mohammad bin Tughlaq.
      It was built to fight the Mongol menace and means Refuge of the World. Except for some ruins not much of the city survives today.
      Today it lies in the heart of Delhi, near Malviya Nagar, in a state of neglect and disrepair.
      The elevated entrance to this imposing, stark mosque.
      Though Many historians and websites say that these mosques (or some of them) were built byKhan-i-Jahan Maqbool Tilangani (Malik Maqbool), The ASI Publication “Delhi and its Neighbourhood” says that “….the Begumpuri-Masjid,(is)….reputed to have been built by Khan-e-Jahan Juna Shah….” Even Sir Syed in his seminal work Asarus Sanadeed attributes the Begumpur Mosque to Khan e Jahan Ferozshahi ( Junior)
      The famous mosques made by Telingani are:
      • Khirki Mosque.
      • Begampur Mosque.
      • Masjid Kalu Sarai.
      • Kalan Masjid (Hazrat Nizamuddin).
      • Masjid Firoz Shah Kotla.
      • Masjid Wakya (Lahori gate).
      • Kalan Masjid (Turkaman gate).
      • There is a dispute whether Telingani was indeed the builder of these mosques but i am going with the public view)
      Once inside the visitor is greeted by the sight of a huge courtyard with prayer corridors on three sides.

      andheron men khanDar sotaa padaa hai
      abaabiilon ke lashkar jaagte hain

      The mosque measures 307ft by 295ft and included within its walls a madrasa and a treasury.

      The central pishtaq is supported by pillons on both sides and houses the central mehrab.
      In Islamic architecture, a rectangular frame around an arched opening, usually associated with an iwan,a vaulted space used as an entrance.

      The mehrab : the only part of the mosque in some semblqnce of order ans maintenance.

      Till 1921 there were villagers living inside along with their cattle. In 1921 the ASI evacuated them but they continued to use it as a dumping ground and as a toilet and the state of disrepair bears testimony to it.

      ye aur baat ki ‘aKHtar’ haveliyaa.n na rahiin
      khanDar men kam to nahiin apnii aabruu raushan

      It has been built in the austere style of rubble masonry. Sir Syed describes it as strong and ugly . No doubt it is sans any embellishment we are used to seeing in medieval buildings but there is a grandeur in its starkness to me

      Some of the walls have fallen to let the sun in

       

      har shaKHs yahaan gumbad-e-be-dar kii tarah hai
      aavaaz pe aavaaz do suntaa nahiin koii

      The mosque contains 64 domes, with one central one with a height of 9ft.

      The domes today afford a place for lOcals to hang out in and at dusk to ‘party’.


      khaDaa huun zer-e-falak gumbad-e-sadaa men ‘muniir’
      ke jaise haath uThaa ho koii duaa ke liye


      On the roof.

      A view from the top. The five domes in the rear belong to the ladies mosque

      The Begumpur Mosque is known as the first Indian example of the “Brhatmukhi” mosque type: at the center of the 24 arches on its main façade, an extremely large arch stands out, flanked by massive tapering pylon-minarets.

      Resting after the climb up the steep, narrow and dark stairs to the roof

      Up close with the main dome

      This is the mehrab in the Mullah Khana : possibly a rare ladies mosque attached to Begumpur. Unfortunately its used as a toilet by the locals. I had to cover my nose to overcome the stench there and having failed to see clearly in the dark stepped on filth and dirtied my shoes.

      What was once a mehrab now bears testimony to some Raakhee’s self obsession or her admirer’s stupidity.

      The inside of the ladies mosque.

      I cannot describe my feelings at seeing such deep dosdain for our architectural heritage and magnificent places of worship.

      A mute spectator to what must have once been glory days

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      Rana Safvi

      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.