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The Shah Burj in Red Fort, Delhi : Then and Now

Shah Burj missing a dome now were royal apartments – the Nahr e Bahisht originated & flowed thru out the Fort by a charming arrangement called shutur gulu ( camel’s neck) .The water fell as a cascade into a pool lined with jade and coral and then flowed out into a marble stream which had silver fountains.


Moti mahal a charming marble pavilion stood here demolished post 1857 because it blocked flow of air to the barracks : acc to one British account.

you can see remnants of a redone channel of the nahr in front but I doubt it was ever used.

Painted by Mazhar Ali Khan for Thomas Metcalfe ‘s Imperial Dehlie- one can see the carnelian, coral and jade set in the fountain
Then and now
The Shah Burj today
The oval pool without any of the precious stones


What happened to the emperor ‘s private apartments after 1857…

This picture was taken on 1877. At that time it was occupied as the private quarters of Captain Stratford and Captain Collins of the 1st Warwickshire regiment.
I clicked this picture from Annual Report (1909-10) of Archaeological Survey of India.
This illustration was reprinted on this edition.

(Contributed by Shahroz Ejaz Hussain)

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