The controversial tomb

And associated stories that are forever forgotten

Zeb un Nisa, from her childhood, showed great intelligence and at the age of seven she had learnt the Quran by heart under the guidance of her tutor Hafiza Mariam. She mastered the Arabic and Persian languages along with different kinds of calligraphy

As you travel on Multan Road you will come across a junction known as Samanabad Mor. This 17th century Mughal tomb of Zeb un Nisa is all hidden behind shops and you might pass by without noticing it. It will be better if ask a local there about the location of the tomb. Like many other historic monuments, this tomb, also, could not escape the shackles of encroachment. Zeb un Nisa (meaning the most beautiful of all of women) was the eldest daughter of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. She lived from 1637 to 1702.

Let me mention here an interesting controversy about this tomb. The tomb which is commonly recognised as the tomb of Princess Zeb un Nisa, according to some historians, is the tomb of Mian Bai known as Fakhr-un-Nisa who was gifted the Chauburgi garden by Jahan Ara, the daughter of Shah Jehan. In addition to Chauburji garden, she was also entrusted to look after the Mughal garden in Nawankot and upon her death; she was buried in this tomb in Lahore. Historians claim that Zeb-un-Nisa would have been only eight years old during the last days of Shah Jehan and could not have conceived and executed the construction of a garden tomb of this scale. Besides, there is evidence that Zeb-un-Nisa had died in the Salim Garh Fort, a residential area of the Red Fort at Delhi, in 1701, and was buried in the garden of “Thirty Thousand Trees” outside Kabuli Gate. In 1885, her tomb was shifted to Akbar’s mausoleum at Sikandra when the railway line was laid out in Delhi. The controversy remains but the plaque on the tomb has the name Zeb un Nisa. This is why most of the historians affirm that Princess Zaib un Nisa is resting in the grave inside the tomb.

Zeb un Nisa, from her childhood, showed great intelligence and at the age of seven she had learnt the Quran by heart under the guidance of her tutor Hafiza Mariam. She mastered the Arabic and Persian languages along with different kinds of calligraphy. She also studied mathematics and astronomy. Being kind hearted Zeb un Nisa always helped the poor, widows and orphans. She had a huge collection of books in her library and had employed skilled calligraphers to copy rare and valuable books for her. Zebunissa’s library was inspired by Akbar’s collection, which had the Qur’an, Hindu and Jaina scriptures, Greek mythology, Persian texts, travel accounts of the scholarly Alberuni, translations of the Bible and contemporary writing about her ancestors. Zeb un Nisa was also a poetess who wrote under the pen name “Makhfi”. She was a known and a distinguished princess of her times and the masses loved her for her kindness and literary taste. Zeb un Nisa also learned the sciences of the time with Mohammad Saeed Ashraf Mazandarani. Zeb un Nisa also took interest in music and it was said that she was the best singer among the women of her time. In some books it has been written that there was a secret love affair between Zeb un Nisa and Aqil Khan Razi, a poet and the governor of Lahore. However, others disagree with the theory.

As per historic accounts it is said that the structure of this tomb was once among the most beautiful Mughal pieces built in Lahore. It was decorated with costly stones, furnished with pavilions, fountains and reservoirs. Historians also believe that Ranjit Singh removed the costly materials to construct his summer house in Huzoori Bagh. If we talk about the recent state of the tomb, it is in shambles and unattended. People hardly go there and you will see waste lying around the entire place. There is no proper cleaning mechanism of the place.

If we talk about the structure of the tomb, its pyramidal dome, curved externally and falcate internally, is a masterpiece of its own kind. Originally, this tomb was constructed in the centre of a garden provided with majestic buildings and summer house, about five kilometers south of the walled city of Lahore. There are remains of the garden and two corner towers and a central gateway which are a little away from the tomb. The space in between the garden and the tomb is occupied by densely populated residential properties. The tomb itself stands on an elevated brick platform and is square in shape. The architects and historians believe that originally this tomb was embellished with stones and fresco work, which was typical of a Mughal structure. With the passage of time, the beauty is lost and now the place is lying dead. The structure of the tomb is much similar to the Tomb of Dai Anga located on GT Road. The possession of the tomb is with the Archeology Department of Punjab at present.

I hope that one day this place will be conserved and opened for tourists. We have so much to highlight in Lahore, but unfortunately we fail to do so. I think more and more people should raise their voices for improvement of the heritage. Photographers and private tour operating companies should play their parts as well. These people should start visiting the place so that it becomes lively and the authorities and bound to maintain it. If the place is ticketed it can have a self sustainable model too, but before this it needs to be cleaned up, restored and promoted among the masses.