Akbari Sarai

The name can be translated as "Palace of Akbar". Abdul Hamid Lahori, court historian to the Emperor Shah Jahan, mentioned the building by the name Jilu Khana-e-Rauza, which means "attached court of the tomb", in his book the Padshahnama. ==Location==

The sarai quadrangle is situated in the middle of the tomb of Jahangir to the east of the sarai, and the tomb of Asif Khan to the west of the sarai. == History ==

Despite the name of the structure, Akbari Sarai was begun during the reign of Islam Shah Suri in the mid 1550s, and not during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The sarai was administered by an official known as a Shāhnā with several assistant caretakers. Fodder for animals, hot and cold water, and bed steads were provided free of charge. == Architecture ==

is richly decorated with pietra dura. '' decoration. The sarai is in the form of an oblong quadrangle, which covers a total area of 12 acres. The sarai measures 797 feet by 610 feet. The palace has two large gateways in the Mughal style, located to the north and to the south that were built to be visible from a distance. The gateway is two stories, and housed the shāhnā. The main arch serving as a portal to the tomb of Jahangir features a large double storied iwan, flanked by 4 other smaller arched niches featuring ghalib kari, or a network of ribs in stucco and plaster applied to curved surfaces in each archway. The central iwan is decorated with muqarnas. while the façade of the gateway is richly decorated with pietra dura. The decorative elements, the style of the structure, and the size of the bricks indicate that the palace and the gateways to the tomb could have been constructed at the same time. To the west of the palace in the middle of the cell rows is a mosque with three domes. It is clad in red sandstone with decorations. The interior of the mosque was probably once embellished with frescoes and ghalib kari as well. ==Conservation==

The Akbari Sarai, along with the Tombs of Jahangir and Asif Khan, were inscribed on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1993. == Gallery ==

File:Akbari Sarai from distance.jpg|Akbari Sarai from distance File:Side view with Pietra dura detail - Akbari Sarai.jpg|Detail of the structure's pietra dura File:Akbari Sarai rooms 1.jpg|180 small cells line the walls of the saray File:Decorative artwork in Tomb of Jahangir.jpg|Muqarnas decorate the top the main archway File:Main entrance to Tomb of Jahangir 11.jpg|The building is richly embellished with pietra dura File:Akbari_Sarai,_Main_Entrance.jpg File:Akbari Sarai 7.jpg ==See also==