Name of monument: Makatib Khana
Location: Lahore Fort
Date of construction:1027 AH/1617 AD
Materials of Construction and finishes: Bricks, lime plaster, fresco paintings
Brief Description:
Makatib Khan is one of the most impressive buildings located adjacent to Moti Masjid in Lahore fort. The main entrance overlook Diwan Khas-o Am. The word ‘Makatib Khana’ means a clerk’s room or a secretariat and according to historic references, this was a place where clerks (muharirs) recorded entry into the Lahore Fort. The Makatib Khana is a small cloistered court tastefully decorated with fresco paintings. There is also a secondary entrance which leads to Moti Masjid court.
A Persian inscription fixed on the façade of the vestibule tells that the palace was built under the orders of the emperor Jahangir in the year A.H. 1027 (1617) under the superintendence of the architect Ma’mur Khan. The inscription which is carved in exquisite Nastaliq characters on the marble slab. The English translate read:
“In the twelve occasion of the blessed accession of his imperial majesty, the shadow of God, a Solomon in dignity, Kayumars in state, An Alexander in arms, the asylum of the Khlilafat emperor Nur ud din, son of emperor Jalal ud din, champion of the faith, corresponding with 1027, the building of the auspicious was completed under the superintendence of most humble disciple and slave, the devoted servant, Mamur Khan.”
Naqoosh-e-Javidan 