Mausoleum of Imam Zamin

The Mausoleum of Imam Zamin is a tomb where the remains of Muhammad Ali (widely known as Imam Zamin), a 16th-century Islamic cleric, rest. It is located within the Qutb Minar complex in Delhi, India, and was built by Ali himself during the reign of the Mughal emperor Humayun, long after the original monuments of the complex were erected.

Imam Zamin was a direct descendant of Muhammad; his real name was Muhammad Ali. Thus, Zamin was a Sayyid and belonged to the Chishti Sufi order. It is believed that he migrated from Turkestan to Delhi during the reign of Sultan Sikandar Lodi and later became the imam (chief priest) of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque within the Qutb Minar complex. According to the inscription at the entrance, the mausoleum was built by Zamin between 1537 and 1538, during Humayun’s reign. He died in 1539. The mausoleum, located to the east of the Alai Darwaza, was constructed significantly later than the other monuments and became the last addition to the Qutb Minar complex. Zamin is buried in the center of the mausoleum. The mausoleum is designed in the Lodi architectural style. The building has a square shape, measuring 7.3 meters in both length and width. The roof is supported by twelve columns and is crowned with a sandstone dome featuring jali (lattice) screens on all sides except the west and south. The dome rises from an octagonal drum and is decorated with a marble panel above the chhajja (projecting eave) along with a double row of battlements. Marble is extensively used for interior decoration and in the construction of the cenotaph. The western side of the mausoleum contains a marble mihrab (a niche in the mosque wall indicating the direction of prayer). The entrance, located on the southern side, is also made of marble.

The entire sandstone structure was originally covered with a polished plaster layer, part of which still remains. Zamin’s name is inscribed in Naskh script above the doorway.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Imam_Zamin