The earliest known garden in Lahore was laid out by Mirza Kamran, brother of Emperor Humayun (r. 1530–1540, 1555–1556). The baradari and part of the original garden stand in the middle of an island in the river Ravi. It was initially located on the west bank of the river. The Kamran garden was the setting for a major conference of Mughal princes in 1540, while Humayun was in the process of being driven out of India by Sher Shah Suri. Akbar traveled across the Ravi by boat in 1591 and enjoyed the spring flowers there, and he made another journey there during spring the following year. Jahangir also stayed there in 1606 when he reached Lahore while pursuing his rebellious son, Prince Khusrau. The garden was badly damaged by a flood, but the baradari still survives. In 1986–1987, massive repairs were carried out in the garden and missing parts of the baradari were restored.
Source: Court Chronicle, 16th-early 17th century
-Abdul Rehman, Munazzah Akhtar
Resources:
Chronicle of Akbar the Great: A Description of a Manuscript of the Akbar-nāma Illustrated by the Court Painters (Open in Zotero)
The Āʾīn-i Akbarī (Open in Zotero)
The Tūzuk-i-Jahāngīrī: or, Memoirs of Jāhāngīr (Open in Zotero)
The Tezkereh al vakiāt; or, Private memoirs of the Moghul Emperor Humāyūn (Open in Zotero)
The Akbarnāma of Abu-l-Faẓl (Open in Zotero)
Originally published at: Rehman, Abdul, and Munazzah Akhtar. “Bagh-e-Mirza Kamran.” Middle East Garden Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, November 18, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue#b_start=0&c6=Mughal+Gardens. Archived at: https://perma.cc/9W6B-6FJT
