500 Years Old Mosque | Cinematic Mughal Architecture Tour | Khairul Manazil Masjid Delhi

The Khairul Manazil is a Trimukhi-style (three-arch) mosque dating from the Mughal Emperor Akbar's era (i.e., r. 1556-1605). It was constructed in 1561-62 by Akbar's foster mother and chief wet nurse, Maham Anga, who commanded substantial influence in the early years of Akbar's rule. The name of the building is taken from a chronogram on site, with Khairul Manazil meaning "The Best of Houses." The mosque is a Monument of National Importance, administered and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Khairul Manazil mosque stands about 270 meters southwest of the Bada Darwaza gate of the Purana Qila, a fortified compound built by Humayun (or possibly Sher Shah Suri) and later occupied by Akbar. Its position opposite the main gate indicates Maham Anga's high position, as this mosque was her own and not one reserved for the Emperor's use. The architect's name has survived, a certain Shihab al-Din Ahmad Khan. According to the architectural historian Bianca Alfieri, the mosque "belongs to a period of transition in the style" (Alfieri, p. 200). While it retains (at least in plan) the usual five-bay design that characterized mosque architecture since the Lodi period, the two bays on either side are not readily apparent as they form the walls of the adjoining madrasa, which encloses an interior courtyard. The madrasa is in perilous condition, mainly comprising the broken remains of galleries that give no hint as to their former function. Access to the madrasa's courtyard is from a monumental red sandstone gate which, like the mosque, is oriented on-axis toward Mecca. In its heyday, the gate would have presented an elegant juxtaposition with the Bada Darwaza of the Purana Qila. However, the entrance is now partly shielded from view by a large tree growing adjacent to the roadway and is hidden behind a modern iron gate. The bustling Mathura roadway, which runs north-south alongside the mosque, interrupts any visual connection with the Purana Qila. The Persian epigraphy carved on the marble plaque above the arch of the central gate is a chronogram written by Emperor Akbar's court historian and poet, Maulana Shihabuddin Ahmad Khan (pen name: Baazil). Transliteration: BADAURAAN E JALAALUDDIN MUHAMMAD KEH OU SHUD AKBAR E SHAAHAAN AADIL CHU MAAHAM BEGUM E ISMAT PANAAHEY BINAA KARD EIN BINAA BAHR E AFAAZIL WALEY SHUD SAAYI E EIN LAM'A E KHAIR SHIHAABUDDIN AHMAD KHAN 'BAAZIL' ZAHEY KHAIRIYYAT E EIN MANZIL E KHAIR KEH SHUD TAAREEKH E OU 'KHAIR UL MANAAZIL' Translation: During the reign of Jalaluddin Muhammad The one who became the greatest of the Mughal emperors. When Maham Begam the most exalted among chaste noblewomen Ordered the making of this monument for public benefit. And thus this event of goodness came to be recorded By Shihabuddin Ahmad Khan 'Baazil'[a] Felicitated be this monument and its makers And thus it came to be called the abode of goodness. #travel #travelvideo #architecture #mosque #masjid #khairulmanazil #oldbuildings #ruins #mughal #mughalhistory #mughalarchitecture #cinematic #tvscreensaver #ambient