A tawaif was a highly successful courtesan singer‚ dancer‚ and poet who catered to the nobility of the Indian subcontinent, particularly during the Mughal era. Many tawaifs were forced to go into prostitution due to a lack of opportunities by the time of the British Raj.
Humayun's tomb is the tomb of Mughal emperor, Mirza Nasir al-Din Muhammad commonly known as Humayun situated in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum under her patronage in 1558, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by her. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, close to the Dina-panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila, that Humayun found in 1538. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.
Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa, commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India.
Mughal architecture is the type of Indo-Islamic architecture developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of earlier Muslim dynasties in India and from Iranian and Central Asian architectural traditions, particularly Timurid architecture. It also further incorporated and syncretized influences from wider Indian architecture, especially during the reign of Akbar. Mughal buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and character, including large bulbous domes, slender minarets at the corners, massive halls, large vaulted gateways, and delicate ornamentation; examples of the style can be found in modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Major-General Sir David Ochterlony, 1st Baronet, GCB was a Bengal Army officer who served as the British resident to the Mughal court at Delhi. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he spent most of his life on the Indian subcontinent in the service of the East India Company, seeing action in numerous conflicts.
The Moti Masjid is a 17th-century mosque inside the Red Fort complex in Delhi, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, damaged during the Siege of Delhi, and subsequently restored by the British. Named for its white marble, the mosque features ornate floral carvings. It is an important example of Mughal architecture during Aurangzeb's reign.
The nautch was a popular court dance performed by girls in later Mughal and colonial India. The word "nautch" was a British corruption of Nachna, the Hindi verb "to dance". The culture of the performing art of the nautch rose to prominence during the later period of Mughal Empire and the rule of the East India Company.
Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establishment of Delhi as the capital of the Ghurid dynasty in 1193. Succeeding the Ghurids was the Delhi Sultanate, a series of Central Asian dynasties that consolidated much of North, East, and Central India, and later by the Mughal Empire during the early 16th century. Both of these dynasties introduced Islamic architecture and art styles from West Asia into the Indian subcontinent.
Mujra is a dance performance by man/woman in a format that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs of the Indian society used to frequent tawaifs (courtesans) for their entertainment.
Begum Shahi Mosque, officially the Mosque of Mariyam Zamani Begum, is a 17th-century mosque situated in the interior walled city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. Constructed by Mughal empress Mariam-uz-Zamani, chief consort of Akbar. The mosque was built between 1611 and 1614 during the reign of Jahangir.
The Jama Mosque is a 17th-century congregational mosque located in the historic core of Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was built by Jahanara Begum, the eldest daughter of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, during the latter's reign. It is the principal mosque in the city of Agra, and lies close to Agra Fort.
The Fatehpuri Mosque is a 17th-century mosque in India located at the western end of the oldest street of Chandni Chowk, in the Old Delhi neighbourhood of Delhi, India. It is opposite the Red Fort on the opposite end of Chandni Chowk.
Rai Chunnamal Ki Haveli is a rare haveli surviving in a well-preserved condition within the Old Delhi area.
Firoz Shah palace complex (Hisar-e-Firoza) is an archaeological complex located in modern-day Hisar, in the Haryana state of India, built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq of the Delhi Sultanate in 1354 AD. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Akbarabadi Mosque was a mosque in Delhi, India. It was built by Akbarabadi Mahal, one of Shah Jahan's wives in 1650. One of the several Mughal era mosques in Old Delhi, it was demolished by the British, following their recapture of Delhi during the 1857 Uprising. It is believed to have existed in modern-day Netaji Subhash Park locality of Old Delhi.
The Sunehri Masjid is an 18th-century mosque in Old Delhi. It was built by Mughal noble Roshan-ud-Daula, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. It is located near the Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Chandni Chowk, once an imperial boulevard leading to the Red Fort.
Persian Inscriptions on Indian Monuments is a book written in Persian by Dr Ali Asghar Hekmat E Shirazi and published in 1956 and 1958 and 2013. New edition contains the Persian texts of more than 200 epigraphical inscriptions found on historical monuments in India, many of which are currently listed as national heritage sites or registered as UNESCO world heritage, published in Persian; an English edition is also being printed.
The Zeenat-ul-Masajid, also written as Zeenat-ul-Masjid and popularly known as the Ghata Masjid, is an 18th-century Mughal mosque located in Delhi, India. The mosque was commissioned by Zeenat-un-Nissa, second daughter of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Bibi Ki Masjid, also known as Bibi Saheba Masjid is a mosque in Burhanpur, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is listed as a monument of national importance.
Mubarak Begum, was an Indian tawaif (courtesan) and thirteenth wife of David Ochterlony, the first British Resident to the Mughal court at Delhi.
