20 December 2009, 5:05 am
Allama Iqbal is great poet of Pakistan. He motivated the Muslims with his poetry for their independence. His tomb is found in Lahore, Pakistan. His tomb is simple but impressive structure located in Hazuri bagh lawn between the Badshahi mosque and Lahore fort. Hundreds of visitors come to the tomb every day to pay their respect to the poet-philosopher. He had born on 9 November 1877, died Iqbal died on April 21, 1938 in Lahore at the age of 60.
He was one of the major inspirations behind the Pakistan Movement, and is revered in Pakistan as Muffakir-e-Pakistan or Shair-e-Mashriq. Since the independence of Pakistan, an academy named after him (Iqbal Academy) has been established to promote and disseminate his poetical and philosophical messages and teachings. As another tribute, the recently renovated Lahore airport has also been named after him as Allama Iqbal International Airport.
Design and construction
After the death of Iqbal, a committee was formed that was supervised over by Chaudhary Mohammed Hussain. The committee suggested an innovated new combination rather than following a specific school of architecture. The final design, thus, broke away from Mughal tradition and comprised a combination of Afghan and Moorish architecture.
Construction materials
Red sandstone was brought from Jaipur and building marble from Makrana, Rajputana. After independence, the construction course was affected due to export restrictions of red stone from India. Couplets and Quranic verses were selected, calligrapher and inscribed in Afghanistan.
Many difficulties had to be overcome before the actual construction was begun. The British government delayed approval of the project. Then, funds had to be raised from contributions from the poet's friends, disciples, and admirers. Construction halted for a long time after Independence, when the import of red sandstone from Jaipur and marble from Makrana in Rajputana (India) was temporarily stopped.The mausoleum has two gates with teak frames inlaid with marble. The taweez of the tomb, done in lapis lazuli, the most expensive architectural stone in Afghanistan, is a gift from the Afghan government. On the inside walls of the mausoleum are written six couplets of a ghazal of the poet from Zabur-e-Ajam which epitomizes the message of Iqbal. Every day a large number of people visit the national poet’s tomb, offer Fateha and sprinkle flowers.
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