Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/324

 2 7 8 INDIAN SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE. BOOK VII. those seven-storeyed palaces which come across us so strangely in all out-of-the-way corners of the world. Add to this that the Asar-i-Mubarak has been converted by the Muhammadans into a relic-shrine to contain some hairs of the Prophet's beard, 419. Audience Hall, BijapCir. (From a Photograph.) and we have a picture of the strange difficulty of weaning a Tartar from the innate prejudices of his race. Besides these two there were five other palaces within the walls, some of them of great splendour, and numberless residences of the nobles and attendants of the court. But about twenty years ago the Bombay Government adapted a number of these old buildings to modern requirements: the Bukhara Masjid has been used as a post office, and the mosque belonging to Muhammad's great tomb was turned into a travellers' rest-house, but both have again been restored ; the 'Adalat Mahall was converted into the collector's residence, and the Suraj Mahall into outhouses ; the Chini Mahall into public offices ; the Anand Mahall into a residence for the Assistant Collector ; Yaqut Dabali's Mahall into a traveller's bangla ; Kawass Khan's tomb and mosque into house and office for the Executive Engineer ; the Chhota Chini Mahall into a house for the Police Superintendent ; and the 'Arsh Mahall into the Civil Surgeon's residence. One of the most remarkable edifices is a little gateway, known as the Mihtari Mahall. It is in a mixed Hindu and