Page:The Lucknow album 1874 by Darogha Ubbas Alli.djvu/28

 The place derives the name " Najuf," from the hill on which the tomb of AH, the son-in-law of Mahomed, is built, of which tomb this is said to be an exact copy.

A fund was left by King Ghazee-ood deen Hyder, to keep the place in repair, to illuminate it yearly on the anniversary of his death, and to maintain an establishment. It is a place of great sanctity with the Mahomedans, but is not so grand as the great Imambara of Hosainabad which will be noticed in due course.

At a short distance, on the same road, is the—    This building was constructed by Newab Saadut Ali Khan : it owes its name to a superstructural projection, not a dome, in a semi-almond form, without any timber supports, but entirely of masonry, which gave the fancied resemblance to the curve of a pearl : this answers to the word " Mote." — Mahal can only be translated as " seraglio," or, " Zenana Khana ;" the whole name, then, amounts to, the " Pearl Seraglio." It never was used as a seraglio, and appears to have been built for purposes of defence, or check, on the advance of an enemy ; in short, it may be described as the beau-ideal of a miniature citadel : it is prettily situated on the banks of the Goomtee, and is connected with a range of buildings known as the " Mubarik Munzil" and the " Shah Munzil." These buildings were appropriated to no particular purposes ; except the last-named, from which the King used to witness wild sports, of the Spanish Bull fight, or the Roman Coliseum, order. The smaller wild beasts used to fight within the enclosure ; here also tiger combats were indulged in ; but the elephant and rhinoceros encounters, which had to be viewed at a safe distance, were performed on the 