One of the last few sessions of the day was perhaps one of the most informative as well. Titled ‘Architecture of Aesthetics and Urbanism’, the session was with a star cast of panelists in the related field – Ebba Koch, Kamil K Mumtaz and Nayyar Ali Dada.
The audience showed enthusiasm in a lesson in the history of the Mughal tomb by Koch, who is a leading authority on Mughal architecture. He gave a presentation on tombs of Mughal emperors -- Babur, Akbar, Humayun and Jehangir.
She explained that in many ways the architecture of these tombs was built for both “imperial monumentality and orthodox belief” which, according to her, was a way for the emperors to not break away from the Islamic tradition of a simple burial and yet to have a physical symbol of their might.
As technical talk by Koch was appreciated by the architecture students in the audience, Dada lightened the tone by recalling a time when a city official wanted to make domes “like on the Badshahi Masjid” on top of the Lahore airport. He said the official was finally convinced by the aviation authorities that having domes would be a bad idea for pigeons – saving the city from what would have been a disastrous financial and aesthetical decision.
Dada said that although tradition must be followed, it should be in a constructive manner, adding that there was a fire station in Islamabad where he felt like saying Azaan. He said that what urban architecture needs to learn from the Mughals is their use of space, water and gardens and learn ecological solutions.
The talk veered into a debate on what the Mughals were thinking of when building tombs for their fathers, from Babur’s simple burial to the non-traditional tomb of Akbar to why domes are useful or aesthetic additions. As the audience jumped in with questions and the panelists themselves discussed history and architecture, time ran out. Kamil Mumtaz wrapped up what was turning into a loud discussion by saying “let us not get caught in letter but celebrate spirit”, much to the audiences’ appreciation.
