The Shish Mahal, in the northwest corner of Lahore Fort, is one of the most remarkable pavilions of its palace. Begun under Jahangir, it was completed by Shah Jahan. Its original purpose was to serve as a shah burj, where the sultan would discuss state affairs with his closest courtiers. Unlike its counterparts in the palaces of Agra and Delhi forts, the shah burj of Lahore is not a tower, but a pavilion protruding from the north wing of the fort. Known as the 'palace of mirrors', it consists of apartments roofed with cupolas and decorated in a mirror mosaic style, ayina kari, with thousands of small mirrors called 'Aleppo glass' by the Mughals. The central portion of the façade is composed of five cusped marble arches supported by coupled columns in marble, with bases inlaid with precious stones.
Sources:
Tillotson, G.H.R.. 1990. Mughal India. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p. 134.
Koch, Ebba. 1991. Mughal Architecture. Munich: Prestel. pp. 114-15.
"Palace of the Mirrors". World Monuments Fund Panographies. http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/pk/lahore/shahiQila/shishMahal/map.html. [Accessed February 2, 2006]
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