ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>SAMMAN BURJ</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="SAMMAN,BURJ"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279SAMMAN BURJ, also called Musamman Burj, an octagonal tower commanding a wide range of buildings within the Lahore Fort, was built by Emperor Akbar, who made the city his capital for some time. Within the Fort was situated the royal palace which was enlarged by Jah&#257&#7749g&#299r and, then, by his successor, Sh&#257h Jah&#257&#7749. Sh&#257h Jah&#257&#7749 is also said to have laid out the gardens in the Chinese style and to have constructed inside the Musamman Burj a marble pavilion of refined architectural design and beauty. Popularly called Samman Burj, this octagonal tower of the Lahore Fort overlooked the River R&#257v&#299, which then flowed closely by its side. The Mu<u>gh</u>al rulers of Lahore used it as the audience hall and carried out from here their day-to-day administration. The Af<u>gh</u>&#257n invader, Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299, also held his <i>darb&#257r</i> in the Samman Burj. When in 1799, the Sikhs occupied Lahore, Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh found the Samman Burj in a state of disrepair. Some of the alterations and additions made showed up poorly as against the superb original Mu<u>gh</u>al architecture. He made efforts to have the Burj restored to its former glory. He held his daily court in it and transacted business of state from here. The Samman Burj figures prominently in the chronicles and diaries of the Sikh times.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, <i>'Umd&#257t ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Hot&#299, Prem Si&#7749gh, <i>Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh</i>. Amritsar, 1918<BR> <li class="C1"> Hasrat, B.J., <i>Life and Times of Ranjit Singh</i>. Nabha, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Latif, Syad Muhammad, <i>Lahore</i>. Lahore, 1892<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Har&#299 R&#257m Gupta<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>