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'''Ustad Ahmad Lahori''' ({{circa}}1580–1649)<ref name=d>{{Cite book |last1=Curl |first1=James Stevens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Lu6BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture |last2=Wilson |first2=Susan |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-967498-5 |pages=11 |language=en}}</ref>, also known as '''Ahmad Ma'mar Lahori,''' was a ] architect and engineer during the reign of ]. He was responsible for the construction of several Mughal monuments, including the ] in ], a ]. '''Ustad Ahmad Lahori''' ({{circa}}1580–1649),<ref name=d>{{Cite book |last1=Curl |first1=James Stevens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Lu6BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture |last2=Wilson |first2=Susan |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-967498-5 |pages=11 |language=en}}</ref> also known as '''Ahmad Ma'mar Lahori,''' was a ] architect and engineer during the reign of ]. He was responsible for the construction of several Mughal monuments, including the ] in ], a ].


Ahmad Lahori came from an illustrious family of ] and ]. He was a skilled engineer who, owing to his architectural finesse, was bestowed with the title of ''Nadir-ul-Asar'' ("wonder of the age") from Shah Jahan.<ref name=s>{{Cite book |last=Necipoğlu |first=Gülru |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xHXEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA155 |title=The Topkapi Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic Architecture |date=1996-03-01 |publisher=Getty Publications |isbn=978-0-89236-335-3 |language=en|page=155}}</ref> His architecture is a combination of ] and ] architectural styles, and thus, a major instance of ] culture. His architecture is a combination of ] and ] architectural styles, and thus, a major instance of ] culture.


== Life == == Life ==
Ustad Ahmad Lahori hailed from ], ], as his '']'' indicates.<ref>{{cite journal| last=Balasubramaniam |first=R. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qjdEi89Q34kC&q=ahmad |title=New insights on architects of Tāj|journal=Indian Journal of History of Science, SpringerLink|volume= 44| issue=3 |date= 2009|issn=2454-9991|oclc=1398048453 |publisher= National Institute of Sciences of India|page=391|via=] }}</ref> He has been described as a ]<ref>{{cite journal | last=Srivastava |first=Prof. R. P. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=g2FRAAAAYAAJ|title=Patiala: Its Artistic and Cultural Significance|location=London|journal= The Sikh Courier|oclc=265579842|issn=
0037-511X|orig-year=|volume= 10 |issue=4 |date= 1981|via=]|publisher= Sikh Cultural Society of Great Britain |page= 16 |quote=Nadir-ul-Asar Ahmad Mimar Lahori Shahjehani was also a Punjabi who designed the Taj Mahal of Agra.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|page=89|oclc=85485369 |last=Chopra |first=Ravindra Mohan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pyRuAAAAMAAJ |title=Indo-Iranian Cultural Relations Through the Ages |date=2005|via=] |publisher=Iran Society |language=en}}</ref> or an ].<ref name="Janin">{{cite book|last1=Janin|first1=Hunt|title=The Pursuit of Learning in the Islamic World, 610-2003|date=2006|isbn=978-0786429042|page=124|publisher=McFarland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTWDxDEY-Q0C&q=Ahmad+Lahori+Indian%7CPersian&pg=PA124|access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> Even after his family's migration to Delhi, his family is still referred to by the epithet "Lahori".<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kanwar, H. I. S|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wn9CAAAAYAAJ&q= |title= Ustad Ahmed Lahori |journal= Islamic Culture| volume=48 |page=11–32 |editor1= ] |editor2= ] |date=1974 |publisher=Islamic Culture Board| ISSN=0021-1834}}</ref> In Muslim India, Lahori was used as a synonym for Punjabi by historic writers: ] uses it to refer to the spoken language of the people of Punjab, and the Mughal Emperor ] writes, "In fact they are pure Lahauris and speak the same language."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=shAdAAAAMAAJ&q=In+fact+they+are+pure+Lahauris+and+speak+the+same+language |title= Chieftains in the Mughal Empire During the Reign of AkbarAhsan Raza Khan |date=1977 |isbn= 9780896843769 |last1= Khan |first1= Ahsan Raza |publisher= Indian Institute of Advanced Study }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9x5FX2RROZgC&dq=amir+khusro+lahauri&pg=PA204 |title= Different Types of History |page=204 |author= Bharati Ray|publisher=Centre for Studies in Civilizations (Delhi, India) |date=2009 |isbn= 9788131718186 }}</ref>

Shah Jahan's court histories emphasize his personal involvement in the construction, and it is true that, more than any other Mughal emperor, he showed the greatest interest in building new magnificent buildings and holding daily meetings with his architects and supervisors. The court chronicler, ], writes that Shah Jahan would make "appropriate alterations to whatever the skillful architects had designed after considerable thought and would ask the architects competent questions."<ref name="K89">Koch, p.89</ref>
] ]
Ustad Ahmad Lahori hailed from ], ], as his '']'' indicates.<ref>{{cite journal| last=Balasubramaniam |first=R. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qjdEi89Q34kC&q=ahmad |title=New insights on architects of Tāj|journal=Indian Journal of History of Science, SpringerLink|volume= 44| issue=3 |date= 2009|issn=2454-9991|oclc=1398048453 |publisher= National Institute of Sciences of India|page=391|via=] }}</ref> He has been described as a ]<ref>{{cite journal | last=Srivastava |first=Prof. R. P. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=g2FRAAAAYAAJ|title=Patiala: Its Artistic and Cultural Significance|location=London|journal= The Sikh Courier|oclc=265579842|issn=0037-511X |orig-year= |volume= 10 |issue=4 |date= 1981|via=]|publisher= Sikh Cultural Society of Great Britain |page= 16 |quote=Nadir-ul-Asar Ahmad Mimar Lahori Shahjehani was also a Punjabi who designed the Taj Mahal of Agra.}}</ref> and an ].<ref name="Janin">{{cite book|last1=Janin|first1=Hunt|title=The Pursuit of Learning in the Islamic World, 610-2003|date=2006|isbn=978-0786429042|page=124|publisher=McFarland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTWDxDEY-Q0C&q=Ahmad+Lahori+Indian%7CPersian&pg=PA124|access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|page=89|oclc=85485369 |last=Chopra |first=Ravindra Mohan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pyRuAAAAMAAJ |title=Indo-Iranian Cultural Relations Through the Ages |date=2005|via=] |publisher=Iran Society |language=en}}</ref> Even after his family's migration to Delhi, his family is still referred to by the epithet "Lahori".<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kanwar, H. I. S|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wn9CAAAAYAAJ&q= |title= Ustad Ahmed Lahori |journal= Islamic Culture| volume=48 |pages=11–32 |editor1= ] |editor2= ] |date=1974 |publisher=Islamic Culture Board| ISSN=0021-1834}}</ref>
⚫ In writings by Lahori's son, Lutfullah Muhandis, two architects are mentioned by name: Ustad Ahmad Lahori<ref name="unesco"> UNESCO.org website, Retrieved 17 November 2021</ref><ref name="B65">Begley and Desai (1989), p.65</ref> and Mir Abd-ul Karim.<ref name="A212">Asher, p.212</ref> Ustad Ahmad Lahori laid the foundations of the ] at Delhi, which was built between 1638 and 1648. Mir Abd-ul Karim counted as the favourite architect of the previous emperor, ], and is mentioned as a supervisor, together with Makramat Khan,<ref name="A212" /> for the construction of the Taj Mahal.{{cn|date=December 2024}}


Lahori had three sons—], ], and Nurullah—who were involved not only in architecture but also in other fields like mathematics. ] was his grandson. <ref>{{cite book |author=Chanchal Dadlani |chapter=Innovation, Appropriation, and Representation: Mughal Architectural Ornament in the Eighteenth Century |editor1=Gülru Necipoglu |editor2=Alina Payne |title=Histories of Ornament: From Global to Local |year=2016 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691167282 |page=183 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nACCwAAQBAJ }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor=David Pingree |editor-link=David Pingree |title=Census of the Exact Sciences in Sanskrit Series A |volume=1 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |year=1970 |page=39 |url=https://archive.org/details/PingreeCESS/Pingree_CESS_A1_1970/ }}</ref> Ahmad Lahori hailed from a family of Timurid architects, originally from ]. He was a skilled engineer who later in life was given the title of ''Nadir-ul-Asar'' ("wonder of the age") by Shah Jahan.<ref name=s>{{Cite book |last=Necipoğlu |first=Gülru |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xHXEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA155 |title=The Topkapi Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic Architecture |date=1996-03-01 |publisher=Getty Publications |isbn=978-0-89236-335-3 |language=en|page=155}}</ref> Two of his three sons,<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=David |editor-last=Pingree |editor-link=David Pingree |title=Census of the Exact Sciences in Sanskrit Series A |volume=1 |publisher=American Philosophical Society |year=1970 |page=39 |url=https://archive.org/details/PingreeCESS/Pingree_CESS_A1_1970/ }}</ref> ] and ], also became architects, as did some of his grandsons,<ref name=s/> ] one among them.<ref>{{cite book |first=Chanchal |last=Dadlani |chapter=Innovation, Appropriation, and Representation: Mughal Architectural Ornament in the Eighteenth Century |editor1=Gülru Necipoglu |editor2=Alina Payne |title=Histories of Ornament: From Global to Local |year=2016 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691167282 |page=183 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nACCwAAQBAJ }}</ref> Ahmad Lahori was learned also in the arts of ], ] and ], and according to his son Lutfullah was familiar with the ]'s '']'' and ]'s '']''.<ref name=s/>


==Career== ==Career==
Ahmad Lahori was learned in the arts of ], ] and ]. According to his son Lutf Allah Muhandis, he was familiar with the ]'s '']'' and ]'s '']''.<ref name=s/> In 1631, Shah Jahan appointed him for the construction of ]. The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by Ahmad Lahori. The project took twelve years to manifest into reality.<ref name=i>{{Cite book |last=Khan (Arshi) |first=I. N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=teHRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT38 |title=BLACK TAJ MAHAL: The Emperor's Missing Tomb |date=2015-08-28 |publisher=Black Taj Project |isbn=978-81-927479-0-3 |language=en|page=38}}</ref> Afterwards, he was relocated to Delhi where the emperor commissioned him for the construction of the new imperial city, ''],'' in 1639.<ref name=i/> The building of the city, including the ], was complete by 1648. In 1631, Shah Jahan appointed him for the construction of ]. The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by Ahmad Lahori. The project took twelve years to manifest into reality.<ref name=i>{{Cite book |last=Khan (Arshi) |first=I. N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=teHRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT38 |title=BLACK TAJ MAHAL: The Emperor's Missing Tomb |date=2015-08-28 |publisher=Black Taj Project |isbn=978-81-927479-0-3 |language=en|page=38}}</ref> Afterwards, he was relocated to Delhi where the emperor commissioned him for the construction of the new imperial city, ''],'' in 1639.<ref name=i/> The building of the city, including the ], was complete by 1648.

⚫ In writings by Lahori's son, Lutfullah Muhandis, two architects are mentioned by name: Ustad Ahmad Lahori<ref name="unesco"> UNESCO.org website, Retrieved 17 November 2021</ref><ref name="B65">Begley and Desai (1989), p.65</ref> and Mir Abd-ul Karim.<ref name="A212">Asher, p.212</ref> Ustad Ahmad Lahori laid the foundations of the ] at Delhi, which was built between 1638 and 1648. Mir Abd-ul Karim counted as the favourite architect of the previous emperor, ], and is mentioned as a supervisor, together with Makramat Khan,<ref name="A212" /> for the construction of the Taj Mahal.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}


<gallery heights="180" mode="packed" perrow="5" caption="Ahmad Lahori's major works"> <gallery heights="180" mode="packed" perrow="5" caption="Ahmad Lahori's major works">

Latest revision as of 13:18, 13 January 2025

17th century Mughal chief architect (1580-1649)

UstadAhmad Lahori
Miniature painting of Ustad Ahmad Mimar Lahori
Bornc.1580
Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
(modern-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Diedc.1649(1649-00-00) (aged 68–69)
Delhi, Delhi Subah, Mughal Empire
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsRed Fort
Signature

Ustad Ahmad Lahori (c.1580–1649), also known as Ahmad Ma'mar Lahori, was a Mughal architect and engineer during the reign of Shah Jahan. He was responsible for the construction of several Mughal monuments, including the Red fort in Delhi, a World Heritage site.

His architecture is a combination of Indo-Islamic and Persian architectural styles, and thus, a major instance of Indo-Persian culture.

Life

Ustad Ahmad Lahori's deposit of "Five Qasidas" in Kitab Khana Amrao

Ustad Ahmad Lahori hailed from Lahore, Lahore Subah, as his nisba indicates. He has been described as a Punjabi and an Indian of Iranian heritage. Even after his family's migration to Delhi, his family is still referred to by the epithet "Lahori".

Ahmad Lahori hailed from a family of Timurid architects, originally from Herat. He was a skilled engineer who later in life was given the title of Nadir-ul-Asar ("wonder of the age") by Shah Jahan. Two of his three sons, Ataullah Rashidi and Lutfullah Muhandis, also became architects, as did some of his grandsons, Shah Kalim Allah Jahanabadi one among them. Ahmad Lahori was learned also in the arts of geometry, arithmetic and astronomy, and according to his son Lutfullah was familiar with the Euclid's Elements and Ptolemy's Almagest.

Career

In 1631, Shah Jahan appointed him for the construction of Taj Mahal. The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by Ahmad Lahori. The project took twelve years to manifest into reality. Afterwards, he was relocated to Delhi where the emperor commissioned him for the construction of the new imperial city, Shahjahanabad, in 1639. The building of the city, including the Red Fort, was complete by 1648.

In writings by Lahori's son, Lutfullah Muhandis, two architects are mentioned by name: Ustad Ahmad Lahori and Mir Abd-ul Karim. Ustad Ahmad Lahori laid the foundations of the Red Fort at Delhi, which was built between 1638 and 1648. Mir Abd-ul Karim counted as the favourite architect of the previous emperor, Jahangir, and is mentioned as a supervisor, together with Makramat Khan, for the construction of the Taj Mahal.

See also

References

  1. Curl, James Stevens; Wilson, Susan (2015). The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture. Oxford University Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-19-967498-5.
  2. Balasubramaniam, R. (2009). "New insights on architects of Tāj". Indian Journal of History of Science, SpringerLink. 44 (3). National Institute of Sciences of India: 391. ISSN 2454-9991. OCLC 1398048453 – via University of California.
  3. Srivastava, Prof. R. P. (1981). "Patiala: Its Artistic and Cultural Significance". The Sikh Courier. 10 (4). London: Sikh Cultural Society of Great Britain: 16. ISSN 0037-511X. OCLC 265579842 – via University of Virginia. Nadir-ul-Asar Ahmad Mimar Lahori Shahjehani was also a Punjabi who designed the Taj Mahal of Agra.
  4. Janin, Hunt (2006). The Pursuit of Learning in the Islamic World, 610-2003. McFarland. p. 124. ISBN 978-0786429042. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. Chopra, Ravindra Mohan (2005). Indo-Iranian Cultural Relations Through the Ages. Iran Society. p. 89. OCLC 85485369 – via University of Michigan.
  6. Kanwar, H. I. S (1974). Pickthall, Marmaduke William; Asad, Muhammad (eds.). "Ustad Ahmed Lahori". Islamic Culture. 48. Islamic Culture Board: 11–32. ISSN 0021-1834.
  7. ^ Necipoğlu, Gülru (1 March 1996). The Topkapi Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic Architecture. Getty Publications. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-89236-335-3.
  8. Pingree, David, ed. (1970). Census of the Exact Sciences in Sanskrit Series A. Vol. 1. American Philosophical Society. p. 39.
  9. Dadlani, Chanchal (2016). "Innovation, Appropriation, and Representation: Mughal Architectural Ornament in the Eighteenth Century". In Gülru Necipoglu; Alina Payne (eds.). Histories of Ornament: From Global to Local. Princeton University Press. p. 183. ISBN 9780691167282.
  10. ^ Khan (Arshi), I. N. (28 August 2015). BLACK TAJ MAHAL: The Emperor's Missing Tomb. Black Taj Project. p. 38. ISBN 978-81-927479-0-3.
  11. Taj Mahal Description and Profile (Ahmad Lahori, architect of the emperor) UNESCO.org website, Retrieved 17 November 2021
  12. Begley and Desai (1989), p.65
  13. ^ Asher, p.212

Notes

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