Sep 5, 2010

Malik Amber's tomb in Aurangabad - 1860

Photograph of Malik Amber's tomb in Aurangabad from the Allardyce Collection: Album of views and portraits in Berar and Hyderabad, taken by J. Johnston in the 1860s. Aurangabad is situated on the Kham river in the Dudhana valley between the Lakenvara Hills and the Sathara mountain range in Maharashtra. Originally known as Khadke, it was founded in 1610 by Malik Amber at a crossroads of the region's major trade routes. It later became the base of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and was renamed in his honour. Malik Amber was an ex-Abyssinian slave who went on to become the Ahmednagar king's Prime Minister. His tomb is enriched with cusped arches in plasterwork and is raised on a low platform. It is situated next to the tomb of his wife, Bibi Karima.

Photographer: J. Johnston
Source: British Library