In 2012, when the Sher Shah gate opposite the Purana Quila collapsed, conservationists in the Capital were apprehensive that the two feet tilt in the ornamental facade of the gateway of Arab Serai near the Humayun’s Tomb would meet a similar fate.
In the 20 Century, the entrance chamber’s dome had collapsed and since then much of the structure was in various stages of disintegration. Most of the structure was held up by patches of cement plaster.
As a result, Arab Serai became a dilapidated gateway. Thankfully, now this over 150-foot-long gateway — with grand vaulted rooms on either side of the principal arched entrance — is now in the process of becoming a landmark structure worth visiting.
To ensure that the Mughal-era Arab Serai is restored to its original glory, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has been doing major restoration work for the past one and a half years. It is working in association with the Archaeological Survey of India. Entrusted with the challenging task, AKTC achieved its objective by putting in 5,000 man-days of work by master craftsmen. The tile work on the canopies is now being restored by the youth of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti. These youth were trained in this craft during the conservation of Humayun’s Tomb. Before commencing the project, the AKTC did extensive research work.
“It was a much larger work than originally envisaged. We believe in on-site evidence as well as archival evidence in the form of photographs or maps. The serai was perhaps built by those who had constructed the Humayun’s Tomb. Ninety five per cent of work will be finished by this month end,” said AKTC project director Ratish Nanda.
Interestingly, the nomenclature Arab Serai was derived as it was a barrack built for a mix of Arab and Persian Islamic scholars and masons.
“Haji Begum, wife of Mughal emperor Humayun, returned from a pilgrimage to Makkah, accompanied by hundreds of scholars and masons. Under the supervision of Akbar’s officials from Agra, the masons constructed the Humayun’s Tomb. Some of them were brought all the way to Hindustan to pray for Humayun’s soul,” said historian and journalist R.V. Smith.
According to AKTC conservation architect Divya Nandini, it was necessary to reconstruct some of the collapsed portions, where there was “photographic evidence to tie up the tilting façade.”
