Za Nur Jahan Begum ain Sara Abad: Viewing Inscription and Reading Architecture in the Caravanserai of a Mughal Empress

Abstract

There has been no dearth of Mughal women in positions of immense power, but their histories have been limited by a shortage of credible, primary sources, and their gendered and colonial readings. This paper addresses the gap thus created, by examining the inscriptions of Serai Nur, a caravanserai constructed under the matronage of Empress Nur Jahan in Punjab. This case study leads an inquiry into the expressive possibilities of architectural matronage, and the potential for structures thus erected to be considered as alternative primary sources where women have been agents of their own representations. In contrast to positivist approaches traditionally employed to read foundational inscriptions, this paper contextualises epigraphy within its wider visual environment instead to recognise performative and phenomenological intents, and traces an interpretive path backwards from individual design decisions manifest in the built fabric to their maker’s creative ambition in order to better understand her mind and motivations.