Description
Women in sari walk together towards the Hiran Minar. Hiran Minar is set in peaceful environs near Lahore in Sheikhupura, Pakistan. It was constructed by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir as a monument to Mansiraj, his favourite pet deer or antelope.
The structure consists of a large, almost-square water tank with an octagonal pavilion in its center, built during the reign of his son, Shah Jahan.
A causeway with its own gateway connects the pavilion with the mainland and a 100-foot (30 m)-high minar, or minaret. At the center of each side of the tank, a brick ramp slopes down to the water, providing access for royal animals and wild game.
Unique features of this particular complex are the antelope's grave and the distinctive water collection system. At each corner of the tank is a small, square building and a subsurface water collection system which supplied the tank; only one of these water systems is only extensively exposed today.