Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, India, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been the subject of various scholarly articles and books in the past. This book represents a revisit to this famous complex as a constant reminder of a multi-cultural and multi-faith stance of the Mughal civilisation in general, and a...

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Main Authors:	Mahmod, Shaukat, Denan, Zuraini, Jahn Kassim, Puteri Shireen
Format:	Book
Language:	English
Published:	IIUM Press 2014
Subjects:	D History (General) NA100 Architecture and the state
Online Access:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/39433/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/39433/1/39433.pdf

id	iium-39433
recordtype	eprints
spelling	iium-394332017-09-27T06:51:36Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/39433/ Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri Mahmod, Shaukat Denan, Zuraini Jahn Kassim, Puteri Shireen D History (General) NA100 Architecture and the state Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, India, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been the subject of various scholarly articles and books in the past. This book represents a revisit to this famous complex as a constant reminder of a multi-cultural and multi-faith stance of the Mughal civilisation in general, and a hallmark of Akhbar’s reign and philosophy of leadership in particular. One is constantly reminded of the possibilities of human and cultural co-existence – unity within multiplicity-where traditions from different religious, world views and backgrounds come together. It is this distinctive balance and equipoise between different worlds and cultures that embodies Fatehpur Sikri. This ethos is reflected in the many aspect of the architecture of this complex – from its unique and innovative style from diverse religious and cultures- to its ingenious planning, layout and exquisite architectural details. There is a powerful synthesis of various regional schools of architectural craftsmanship such as Gujarat and Bengal, Hindu and Jain architecture and traditional Islamic elements. According to contemporary historians, seeking to have the best of worlds, including to retain the memory of his past heritage and yet to celebrate the present, Akhbar sought and managed to combine strands from his ancestor’s Persian style with the influence of Indian traditions which is celebrated amongst others in the typically Indian ornamentation based on the pattern and forms derived from Arab-Islamic and central Asian traditions. In its entirety, the monuments at Fatehpur Sikri celebrate the notion of the co-existence of man-kind and cultures. The assimilation of diverse regional architectural influences and the all-embracing ethos of the Mughal civilisation of its time is brought to light in an analysis of this complex. This book provides a refreshing historical account of the trajectory of events that brought to the creation of the complex, followed by a narrative of its architecture, planning and ornamentation. Fatehpur Sikri remains a testament of humanities’ shared values and the potentialities of cultural richness, and co-existence. Its architecture serves as a reminder to humanity to pursue such values, idealism and vision in multicultural world. IIUM Press 2014 Book PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/39433/1/39433.pdf Mahmod, Shaukat and Denan, Zuraini and Jahn Kassim, Puteri Shireen (2014) Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri. IIUM Press, Kuala Lumpur. ISBN 9789674183363
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	International Islamic University Malaysia
building	IIUM Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
topic	D History (General) NA100 Architecture and the state
spellingShingle	D History (General) NA100 Architecture and the state Mahmod, Shaukat Denan, Zuraini Jahn Kassim, Puteri Shireen Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri
description	Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, India, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been the subject of various scholarly articles and books in the past. This book represents a revisit to this famous complex as a constant reminder of a multi-cultural and multi-faith stance of the Mughal civilisation in general, and a hallmark of Akhbar’s reign and philosophy of leadership in particular. One is constantly reminded of the possibilities of human and cultural co-existence – unity within multiplicity-where traditions from different religious, world views and backgrounds come together. It is this distinctive balance and equipoise between different worlds and cultures that embodies Fatehpur Sikri. This ethos is reflected in the many aspect of the architecture of this complex – from its unique and innovative style from diverse religious and cultures- to its ingenious planning, layout and exquisite architectural details. There is a powerful synthesis of various regional schools of architectural craftsmanship such as Gujarat and Bengal, Hindu and Jain architecture and traditional Islamic elements. According to contemporary historians, seeking to have the best of worlds, including to retain the memory of his past heritage and yet to celebrate the present, Akhbar sought and managed to combine strands from his ancestor’s Persian style with the influence of Indian traditions which is celebrated amongst others in the typically Indian ornamentation based on the pattern and forms derived from Arab-Islamic and central Asian traditions. In its entirety, the monuments at Fatehpur Sikri celebrate the notion of the co-existence of man-kind and cultures. The assimilation of diverse regional architectural influences and the all-embracing ethos of the Mughal civilisation of its time is brought to light in an analysis of this complex. This book provides a refreshing historical account of the trajectory of events that brought to the creation of the complex, followed by a narrative of its architecture, planning and ornamentation. Fatehpur Sikri remains a testament of humanities’ shared values and the potentialities of cultural richness, and co-existence. Its architecture serves as a reminder to humanity to pursue such values, idealism and vision in multicultural world.
format	Book
author	Mahmod, Shaukat Denan, Zuraini Jahn Kassim, Puteri Shireen
author_facet	Mahmod, Shaukat Denan, Zuraini Jahn Kassim, Puteri Shireen
author_sort	Mahmod, Shaukat
title	Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri
title_short	Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri
title_full	Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri
title_fullStr	Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri
title_full_unstemmed	Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri
title_sort	architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting fatehpur sikri
publisher	IIUM Press
publishDate	2014
url	http://irep.iium.edu.my/39433/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/39433/1/39433.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T20:56:39Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T20:56:39Z
_version_	1777410349190873088

Architecture as a celebration of multi-culturalism: revisiting Fatehpur Sikri

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