Scribd
Upload
144 views

DOCUMENTATION

The Rumi Darwaza is a historic gateway located in Lucknow, India that was built in 1784. It was commissioned by Asaf-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, to serve as the entrance to the Bara Imambara complex and rival similar structures in Istanbul. Made with intricate brick and stucco designs instead of more expensive materials, it stands 60 feet tall and was inspired by the architecture of Constantinople. The gateway remains an iconic structure representing both the heritage of Awadh architecture and the city of Lucknow.

Uploaded by

Harsh Agarwal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
144 views

DOCUMENTATION

The Rumi Darwaza is a historic gateway located in Lucknow, India that was built in 1784. It was commissioned by Asaf-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, to serve as the entrance to the Bara Imambara complex and rival similar structures in Istanbul. Made with intricate brick and stucco designs instead of more expensive materials, it stands 60 feet tall and was inspired by the architecture of Constantinople. The gateway remains an iconic structure representing both the heritage of Awadh architecture and the city of Lucknow.

Uploaded by

Harsh Agarwal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

RUMI DARWAZA

SUBMITTED TO-
SUBMITTED BY-
AR. KESHAV
HARSH AGARWAL
AR. ANSHU RASTOGI
INTRODUCTION
• The Rumi Darwaza, one of the heritage attractions in
Uttar Pradesh, is also referred to as Turkish Gate
because it bears a strong similarity in design to a
gateway built in ancient Constantinople (today’s
Turkey) called Bab-i-Humayun.

• The Rumi Darwaza (Gate) is an incredible structure


which stands imposingly between Bara Imambara and
Chota Imambara in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.It is a
fine example of Awadhi architecture.

• It is adjacent to the Asafi Imambara, Teele Wali


Masjid in Lucknow and has become a logo for the
city of Lucknow. It used to mark the entrance to Old
Lucknow City, but as the City of Nawabs grew and
expanded, it was later used as an entrance to a palace
which was later demolished by the British Raj
following the Indian Mutiny.
WHY IS IT CALLED RUMI ?
• Rumi Darwaza is in no way related to the poet Rumi.
It is so called because it was modelled after a
similar gateway in Istanbul, which was then known
as Constantinople under the Eastern Roman Empire.

HISTORY
• It is built in 1784, along with the Bara Imambara,
this 236 year old archway is as pivotal to
Lucknow as is India Gate is to Delhi. Rumi
Darwaza is one of the most popular heritage
structures of the city and is truly counted amidst
Lucknow's pride. The magnificent structure, the
intricate design and the peculiar name of this giant
doorway, have a story to tell.

• The Nawabs appointed by the Mughals as


governors in the yesteryears, have left an artistic
stamp on the architecture of the city and Rumi
Darwaza is a towering witness to it.

• This lofty gateway along with the magnificent


Bara Imambara and other splendid buildings were
built by Asaf-ud-daula to define his new capital
after he shifted the seat of the Nawabs of Awadh
from Faizabad to Lucknow, 130 km away, in 1775
CE.
• Asaf-ud-daula was just 26 years old when he became
Nawab on the death of his father in 1775 CE. Young
and extravagant, he wanted to move away from the
influence of his mother and grandmother, the famous
'Begums of Awadh', who were known for their
financial acumen and astute administrative skills. He
refused to rule in their shadow.

• Until then, Lucknow was just a small provincial


town and Asaf-ud-daula, a great patron of the arts
and culture, was determined to build a grand capital
that would rival the other capitals of the Islamic
world. The Rumi Darwaza was a part of his plan to
turn Lucknow into an architectural marvel.

• This arresting gateway, commissioned by the Nawab


in 1784 CE, was meant to outshine the Bab-i-
Humayun (Sublime Porte) of the Ottoman Sultans in
Istanbul, Turkey. It took the name 'Rumi', which
means 'relating to Rome', as Istanbul was once the
capital of Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire.
This is perhaps why it is also referred to as the
'Turkish Gate'.
• The Rumi Darwaza serves as a gateway to the Old
City of Lucknow and to the complex that comprises
another of the Nawab's monumental creations, the
Bara Imambara. The Nawabs of Awadh were Shias,
and the imambara or congregation hall was used by
them for azhari, the mourning of Muharram.
• Both these monuments were built by Asaf-ud-daula
when a great famine struck the region in 1784-1786
CE. Instead of putting his plans on hold, the Nawab
launched a food- for-work programme, which
generated employment during these hard times while
also allowing him to continue to build his brand new
capital city.

• There was a famous saying in Awadh at that time,


about the Nawab's generosity:

"Jisko na de maula, usko de Asaf-ud-daula""To whom


even God does not give, Asaf-ud-daula gives.“

• In 1856 CE, the British East India Company deposed


the last Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, and
annexed his kingdom. The following year saw the
Revolt of 1857, in which a number of Lucknow's
Nawabi monuments were extensively damaged or
destroyed. Thankfully, Rumi Darwaza emerged
unscathed.Even now,Rumi Darwaza is acting as the
main gateway to the old lucknow city.
ARCHITECTURAL
FEATURES
• The architectural style of the gate is distinctly nawabi,
differentiated from the Mughal style by the material used
– where the latter preferred red sandstone, the formed
used bricks coated in lime, allowing for more detailed
sculpting, which would be near impossible on stone.

• To keep construction costs low while not compromising


on the monument's beauty. brick and lime were used
instead of stone and marble. This also allowed local
masons to cleverly use brick to create amazingly fine
details on the surfaces of the walls and columns. For
instance, the stucco ornamentation (gajkari) that decorates
the gateway gives the monument a profound relief effect.
Artisans also used mother-of-pearl and shells collected
from lake beds in the stucco ornamentation, to create a
sheen richer than that of even marble.

• The uppermost part of the Rumi Darwaza consists of an


octagonal chhatri (umbrella) and a domed rooftop pavilion
that can be accessed by staircases. However, these are not
open to the public. The arch itself is decorated with
intricately carved flowers and designs that also contain
traces of Roman architecture. It is said that a lantern used
to be placed under the chhatri to illuminate the gateway at
night, lighting up jets of water that streamed out of
beautifully carved flower buds embedded in the sides of
the arch. The effect was hypnotic and intended to make
the arch look like a 'Gateway to Paradise'.
• Asaf-ud-daula's generosity was matched by an eye
for aesthetics and he entrusted the design of the
Rumi Darwaza to a Persian architect named
Kifayatullah. It was designed in typical Nawabi or
Awadhi, not Mughal, style. It is also a testament to
the ability of the craftsmen to adapt low-cost
materials to such stupendous effect: balusters were
fashioned from iron-baked clay and pottery was
used in ornamentation on the walls.

• The height of Rumi Darwaza is 60 ft (18m)

RUMI DARWAZA

ASAFI COMPLEX – SITE PLAN


PLAN (RUMI DARWAZA)

E
P L
L E
A V
N A
T
& I
O
KIOSK N
LOTUS PETAL
TURRETS
CUSPED
ARCHES

THREE ARCHED
OPENINGS

VIEW

You might also like