‘This noble edifice was finished in the year 974 AH under the superintendence of Ustad Khuda Quli’.

‘This noble edifice was finished in the year 974 AH under the superintendence of Ustad Khuda Quli’.

In CE 1540, when Humayun was drowning in a river after the battle of Chausa, he was saved by Shams-ud-din.

As a reward, his wife, Jiji Anga, was appointed a wet nurse of Prince Akbar, and he earned the title of ‘Atgah Khan’.

He became a foster father to Akbar, and later, one of his close confidantes.

Two decades later, he was appointed Prime Minister (vakil) by Emperor Akbar leading to jealousies in the court.

He was assassinated in CE 1562 by Adham Khan, the son of Akbar’s other wet nurse, Maham Anga.

Atgah Khan’s Mausoleum has a red sandstone façade with profuse use of Quranic inscriptions intricately carved in marble.

Atgah Khan’s Mausoleum has a red sandstone façade with profuse use of Quranic inscriptions intricately carved in marble.

Inside the main hall is the painted incised-plaster ceiling, and the principal gravestones have delicate floral patterns carved in solid marble.

Unique amongst Delhi monuments, the building has glazed tiles inlaid in marble.

This is one of the few Akbar-era buildings in Delhi, the striking mausoleum stands within a walled enclosure.

It consists of a 6 sq m chamber roofed by a dome.

On its four sides are deeply recessed arches containing doorways, most of which (with the exception of that towards the south, which forms entrance to the building) are closed with lattice stone screens.

The building as well as the enclosure walls are made of red stone inlaid with marble and coloured tiles.

The floor of the enclosure has marble strips inlaid in sandstone.

Inside the mausoleum, there are three marble graves containing interesting carving.

The grave in the centre is that of Atgah Khan; that on visitor's right is of his wife Ji Ji Angah, but the grave on his left has not been identified.

The enclosure contains two dalans or vaulted halls of late Mughal period which were used as khanqahs or convents.

There are several other graves in the enclosure, but they are of no importance.

Square in plan, the mausoleum is a combination of red sandstone and white marble, with geometric pattern red sandstone inlay panels on all the four façades and marble panels with handmade tile inlay work in the spandrels.

The interiors – once highly decorated with red sandstone jaalis and incised plasterwork motifs and calligraphic inscriptions from the holy Quran – have mostly been stripped of this original work and in the early 2000s, layers of cement-surkhi plaster was added to much of the red-blue ceiling, which had ornamental incised plaster work.

In 2015, as part of the conservation works, the AKTC team conducted 3D laser scanning of the monument and prepared measured drawings.

In 2015, as part of the conservation works, the AKTC team conducted 3D laser scanning of the monument and prepared measured drawings.

Each stone of the façade was assessed for damage.

The existing plaster patterns on the ceiling were documented to determine the extent to which original patterns can be ascertained, following which a team of master craftsmen led by conservation architects restored the decorative ceiling.

On the façade, the red sandstone panels with marble inlay work had been extensively damaged in past repairs with the insertion of cement and incorrectly sized marble inlay.

Following the documentation and assessment of patterns, the replacement panels were prepared and installed using traditional lime mortar.