An Islamic Art Circle Lecture by Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi
The Mughals, the Muslim rulers of much of South Asia between 1526 and 1858, created incredible works of funerary architecture that remain some of the most iconic examples of this genre. This talk will examine the four monumental Imperial Mughal mausoleums, meaning the tombs of the emperors, and their symbolic, temporal and political importance. These are Humayun’s tomb in Delhi, the mausoleum of Akbar in Sikandra, that of Jahangir in Lahore, and the Taj Mahal in Agra. It will be seen that these structures were imbued with multiple layers of meaning: they conveyed the Mughals’ dynastic importance and lineage; they stood as visualisations of the emperors’ political power; they commemorated both the deceased ruler and the patron of the site; and the funerary complexes themselves included elements of paradisical symbolism.
Dr Mehreen Chida-Razvi is an Islamic Art Historian specializing in the art and architecture of Mughal South Asia. She is the In-House Editor of the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Islamic Architecture, and regularly teaches courses and lectures on Islamic and Indo-Islamic art at universities and museums in London and Oxford. She has published extensively on aspects of Mughal and Persianate art, architecture, and urbanism; her most recent publications include: ‘Picturing the Mughal Madonna: The Virgin Mary as a Symbol of Mughal Legitimacy and Royal Authority in Jahangir’s Architecture’ (Brill, forthcoming 2023); and ‘Power and Politics of Representation: Picturing Elite Women in Ilkhanid Painting’, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (2021). Dr Chida-Razvi has shared her academic expertise consulting for documentaries, including on the Taj Mahal; programming on BBC World Service Radio, BBC2 and BBC4; podcasts; participation in the Lahore, Jaipur and Heidelberg Literary Festivals; and as an expert lecturer on cultural tours.
MIAH Foundation would like to thank the Cadbury Research Library for their support.
This event is free to attend but places are limited and must be booked in advance.