The Tomb of Allama Iqbal, or Mazar-e-Iqbal (), is the final resting place of

Muhammad Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal (9 November 187721 April 1938) was a South Asian Islamic philosopher, poet and politician. Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

, the

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished ...

of Pakistan. Designed in the Mughal architectural style, the mausoleum is located next to the walls of the iconic Mughal-era

Badshahi Mosque The Badshahi Mosque (; ) is a Mughal Empire, Mughal-era congregational mosque, imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 during the rule of Aurangzeb, opposite of the Lahore Fort on the north ...

, within the

Hazuri Bagh Hazuri Bagh () is a garden in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, bounded by the Lahore Fort to the east, Badshahi Mosque to the west, the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh to the north, and the Roshnai Gate to the south. The garden was built during the reign of ...

in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Iqbal

Background

Iqbal was one of the major inspirations behind the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

, and is revered in Pakistan as ''Muffakir-e-Pakistan'' (The Thinker of Pakistan) and ''Shair-e-Mashriq'' (The Poet of the East). Iqbal died on 21 April 1938 in Lahore at the age of 60. Thousands of visitors come to the mausoleum every day to pay their respects to the poet-philosopher. It is said that

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

(the founder and first president of Turkey) sent earth collected from the tomb of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (whom Iqbal regarded as his spiritual mentor) to be sprinkled on this grave.

History

Soon after Iqbal's death in April 1938, a committee was formed that was presided over by Chaudhary Mohammed Hussain. A major problem in the realisation of this monument was a lack adequate funds. The committee resolved not to accept any donations from the local governments and state rulers, and so funds were raised through the contributions from Iqbal's friends, admirers and disciples.

Architecture

The architecture has a combination of styles; however, it reflects mainly the Mughal style. The structure is entirely constructed of red sandstone, which was brought from

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, and building marble from Makrana,

Rajputana Rājputana (), meaning Land of the Rajputs, was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the entire present-day States of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, parts of the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and adjo ...

. After the

independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...

in 1947, construction was affected due to export restrictions of red stone from India. Six

couplets In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...

of a

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

are carved from Iqbal's poetical work ''Zabur-e-Ajam'' (Persian Psalms) on the mausoleum's interior surfaces. Outside, there is a small garden, distributed into small plots. The mausoleum was designed by

Hyderabad Deccan Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

's then Chief Architect, ''Nawab Zain Yar Jang Bahadur'' and took thirteen years to build at a cost of about one hundred thousand (Rs. 100,000) Pakistani rupees. The major reason for delay was the stoppage of red-stone from Jaipur in post-independence India.Iqbal’s final resting place
Amna Nasir Jamal, 20 April 2002,

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

Grave and cenotaph

The rectangular mausoleum has two gates at the eastern and southern side respectively, inlaid with

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

, while the cenotaph itself is made of white marble. The tombstone was a gift from the people of Afghanistan, and is made of

lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...

and inscribed with

Quranic verses The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

inscribed in Afghanistan.

Conservation

The tomb complex is listed on the Protected Heritage Monuments of the Archaeology Department of Punjab.

Gallery

Image:Allama Iqbals Tomb North wall July 1 2005.jpg, North wall of the mausoleum File:Allama Iqbals Tomb East wall close-up July 1 2005.jpg, South East side of the mausoleum Image:Inside allama iqbals tomb.jpeg, Inside Iqbal's mausoleum, a marble cenotaph File:Armed guard at allama iqbals tomb.jpeg, Guard at the mausoleum, with

Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort (; ; ) is a citadel in the walled interior of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of the Walled City and spreads over an area greater than . It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which ...

in background File:Tomb of Allama Iqbal next to Badshahi Mosque main entrance.jpg, Iqbal's mausoleum adjacent to the

's gateway File:Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal.JPG, Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal

References

External links

Iqbal Databank3D Model of Tomb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad Iqbal Mausoleums in Punjab, Pakistan Memorials to Muhammad Iqbal Indo-Islamic architecture Walled City of Lahore Tourist attractions in Lahore Tombs in Lahore