Shahjahani Mosque Conservation: Completion Report

Babur, in the early 16th century, built the garden today known as Baghe Babur. Of the over ten gardens he is known to have built in the Kabul region, it is the only surviving garden and its survival can best be attributed to Babur, the first Mughal Emperor having been buried here and his successors, notably the emperors Jahangir and Shahjahan making a pilgrimage to the garden and ordering additional structures to be built here.

Shahjahan, better know as the builder of the famed Taj Mahal, commissioned the white marble mosque in Baghe Babur in AD 1638. Sited to the west of Babur’s grave enclosure, on a lower terrace within the garden, the mosque is one of the most significant historical buildings in Kabul. As with the Taj and Babur’s grave enclosure, white marble was the predominant building material used for the construction of the Mosque. Building elements such as the foliated arch, decoration on the plinth and the original parapet used for the mosque are also typical of Shahjahani buildings.

This report documents the restoration of the Mosque conducted by the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme.