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Portrait of Zeb-un-Nissa Holding a Flower. Image by an unknown author from

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Zeb-un-Nisa Tomb, Lahore

Zeb-un-Nissa (“Ornament/ Beauty of Womankind”) was the eldest child of Prince Muhi-ud-Din (later, Emperor Aurangzeb). She was born on 15 February 1638 in Daulatabad, Deccan, exactly nine months after the marriage of her parents.

Her mother, Dilras Banu Begum, was Aurangzeb’s first wife and chief consort and was a princess of the prominent Safavid dynasty; the ruling dynasty of Iran (Persia). Zeb-un-Nissa was her father’s favourite daughter and it was because of this that she could compel him to pardon people who had offended him.

She was imprisoned by her father for the last 20 years of her life at Salimgarh Fort, Delhi. Princess Zeb-un-Nissa is remembered as a poet and her writings were collected posthumously as Diwan-i-Makhfi (“Hidden, Disguised, Concealed One”)

Let鈥檚 have a look at the top 10 interesting facts about Zeb-un-Nisa Tomb.

1.   It is the Tomb of a 鈥淛ewel among Women鈥�

Portrait of Zeb al-Nisa, daughter of ‘Alamgir’. Image courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art  from

Sitting alone in her quiet gardens, reciting verses of poetry and waiting for the end to come. This is how Princess Zeb-un-Nisa spent the final years of her life. Zeb-un-Nisa means 鈥渏ewel among women,鈥� and she truly deserved that title.

Zeb-un-Nisa was a gem in the Mughal harem, she was an extremely intelligent and bright child, who grew up to be an administrator and scholar. Unfortunately, her life would be filled with its fair share of misfortunes, specifically when she was imprisoned for encouraging her brother to revolt against their father.

She was a brilliant poet, scholar and an icon of womanhood, but her end was something that no one could have expected.

2. Zeb-un-Nisa Tomb was Stripped by Ranjit Singh

Image by Maemjee from 

The mausoleum building today is without its decorative features and elements. Historical accounts allege Ranjit Singh removed materials from the tomb for the construction of his summer house in Hazuri Bagh.

Each face of the square tomb consists of a central cusped arch flanked by cusped arch insets and low-height doorways leading to an internal chamber containing two unmarked graves.

Presently the entire structure is stable but is surrounded by residential houses and shops leaving a small space to access the tomb from the main road.

3.   Zeb-un-Nisa’s Tomb Unique Build

The tomb building is constructed on a raised brick platform. A portion of the original tessellated floor of white and black marble and Sang-e-Badal has survived. The existing patches of the flooring are exactly similar to that of the veranda in Jahangir鈥檚 tomb in Shahdara near Lahore

The tomb is rare for its plan and design of the roof. The pyramidal dome, curvilinear externally and hemispherical internally, is a specimen of its own class. The pyramidal dome of Zebun Nisa Tomb, curved externally, is a masterpiece in its own right.

Supporting a unique dome on a square drum which is curvilinear externally and hemispherical internally. It is the only dome constructed in this manner in Lahore.

4.  Is this even her Tomb???

Image by Maemjee from 

Zeb-un-Nisa, meaning “most beautiful of all women”, was a daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb who lived from 1637 to 1702. She became renowned for her Sufi faith and passionate interest in poetry.

However, it is not known if this in fact her tomb. Some sources indicate that she died in Delhi and is buried outside the Kabuli gate. If this is true, another proposal is that the tomb might be occupied by Mian Bai Fakhrunnisa (Pride of Women), a favoured female attendant of Zeb-un-Nisa who was gifted the Chauburji garden by her patron.

5.  Zeb-un-Nisa  Tomb Holds a Hafiza 

Image courtesy http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1600_1699/aurangzeb/darbarscene/darbarscene.html from

Being born in a Muslim household meant that children would start learning to recite the Quran from an early age.

To her father鈥檚 delight, in 1646 Zeb-un-Nisa became a Hafiza (someone who memorized the Quran) at the young age of seven.

Overjoyed by his daughter鈥檚 achievement, Prince Aurangzeb celebrated his daughter’s achievement by hosting a grand feast, donating 30,000 mohurs (the gold coins of India and Persia) to the poor and enacting a two-day holiday in her honour.

6.  Zeb-un-Nisa Created the garden in Which the Tomb Lies

Just behind the mausoleum are the remnants of a grand gateway that led into this vast enclosure of which the mausoleum is a part. It is believed that Zeb-un-Nisa created the Chuhburji garden, she is also said to have spent a large part of her life here. Using it as her self-imposed prison.

In the garden complex, she ran a public kitchen where beggars, dervish, malang, monks and yogis were fed every day.

There are several stories that recount her rendezvous with her purported lover Akil Khan and are often said to have met at the garden where today her supposed tomb exists.

7.   The Tomb Imortalises a Rebel Poetess

Image by Maemjee from 

Zeb-un-Nisa was in many ways unique. While most of the Mughal queens and princesses receded into history, Zeb-un-Nisa is one of the few princesses who was able to preserve her name.

Her poetry is still in publication and reads widely. She differed from her puritanical father, as she was inclined towards Sufism, much like her uncle and Emperor Shah Jahan鈥檚 oldest son, Crown Prince Dara Shikoh. This did not go well with her father and contributed to her imprisonment.

8.  The Tomb鈥檚  Nondescript Location

Image by Meemjee from Wikimedia

To locate this 17th-century Mughal tomb, you will need to travel south on Multan Road past the junction known as Samanabad Mor, or Samanabad Junction. Since it is hemmed in between shops on the left (east) of the road, it is easy to miss the tomb attributed to the eldest and most celebrated daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir.

The tomb itself is set back from the road, behind an iron fence with a large tree standing guard.

9.   The Tomb is Riddled with Place of Death Controversy

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 鈥淭hirty Thousand Trees鈥� outside Kabuli Gate.

In 1885, her tomb was shifted to Akbar鈥檚 mausoleum at Sikandra when the railway line was laid out in Delhi. Most historians suggest that the tomb may actually belong to the same Mian Bai (also known as Fakhr-un-Nisa) who was gifted the Chauburgi garden by Jahan Ara, the daughter of Shah Jehan.

In addition to the 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.

10.  The Tomb used to be Magnificent

Image by Meemjee from

Some special features of the monument are still intact but need to be maintained by the concerned department to attract more tourists.

The facade displays panels of tile mosaic, with which the internal surfaces were once decorated. The notable features are the domed pavilions, supported on brick-built square pillars, four on each side. The domes of these pavilions are covered with green tiles. The stage on each side of the passage has terracotta screens in complex patterns. The interior is richly embellished with fresco paintings in floral designs.