Today, I will tell you about the tomb of Asif Khan (Shahdara Lahore). Asif Khan also is known as Mirza Abdul Hassan, was the brother of Noor Jahan and father of Arjumand Bano ( Mumtaz Mahal). She was the favorite lady or wife of Shahjahan.
Asif khan got the title of Yameen ud Daula and was appointed as commander of the chief ( Sippah-e-Salar) by the emperor Shahjahan. However, he was famous for his art and architectural taste. He was the brother in law of Jahangir.
Asif khan’s tomb is present in Shahdara Lahore near Jahangir’s tomb in Dil Khusha bagh and it’s also close to the tomb of Noor Jahan. Shah jahan ordered to build his tomb.
He was the governor of Lahore in the sovereignty of Shahjahan. In Shahjahan,s period, he was also an important minister.
He died on 12 June 1641 in a battle. Which was fought against the forces of rebel Raja Jagat Singh.
Tomb of Asif Khan (Shahdara Lahore)
The tomb was built in a Central Asian architectural style. It was highly damaged in the sovereignty of the Sikh empire. Sikhs damaged the tomb and planted the trees here to destroy it completely. However, the trees were completely removed in the British era.
However, in the 19th century, Sikhs again removed their marble from inside and outside and destroy all the decorations of the tomb. They used all the material to built their temple which is known as the golden temple located in Amritsar. They also used these materials to build their Hazuri Bagh Baradari which is close to the Lahore fort.
The Asif Khan tomb is built of bricks and large gates are present on Northern and Southern walls. The main gate of the tomb is on the Southern side.
At the time of construction, the tomb gives the taste of the finest arts and crafts. The floor was made up of marble, and precious stones were inlaid in it. There were decorated windows and doors were also in the tomb.
The interior of the tomb was made up of white marble and precious stones. Cenotaph was also made up of pure marble material.
Now the tomb does not look much attractive as the British colonies. In 1905, the staircase was repaired because Sikhs destroyed it. However, in 1912, British authorities ordered to protect it. In 1920-21 British repaired its gardens and causeways. Tomb was also damaged by the flooding of the Ravi river in 1955.
