Asaf Khan (d. 1641) was the brother of Nur Jahan, Jahangir's wife, and wazir to the same emperor. His daughter, Mumtaz Mahal, was married to Shah Jahan. His tomb, commissioned by Shah Jahan, is built to the west of Jahangir's mausoleum, facing it, in the same enclosure of Shahdara, near the city of Lahore. It stands on a platform faced in red sandstone, with a reservoir of water at each corner.
The tomb is an example of the 'subsidiary tomb' type: built entirely of brick, it is a one-story regular octagon, with a large central double-layered bulbous dome. Each side has a deeply recessed iwan, or alcove, with a door and arched window looking into the tomb. Marble, and blue kashi tiles typical of Lahore once covered the mausoleum; they have since been stripped off. The interior was renowned for its lavish use of white marble and precious stone inlay, which have been removed and reused in local temples. The inner dome ceiling is decorated in a high plaster relief of interlacing patterns. The tomb still contains the marble sarcophagus, carved with Koranic inscriptions.
Sources:
Tillotson, G.H.R.. 1990. Mughal India. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 136.
Koch, Ebba. 1991. Mughal Architecture. Munich: Prestel, 102.
Asher, Catherine. 1992. The New Cambridge History of India: Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 174.
Chaudhry, Nazir Ahmad. 1998. Lahore: Glimpses of a Glorious Heritage. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 122-23.
