Hiran Minaar a beautiful place to visit: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Islamabad: Italy’s ambassador to Pakistan Stefano Pontecorvo Wednesday said Hiran Minaar was a beautiful place to visit near in Sheikhupura.

“Lidia (Pontecorvo) and I visited the Hiran Minaar. Beautiful peaceful place with a lovely water reservoir which surrounds this well preserved Mughal monument,” he said. Lidia Pontecorvo is the ambassador’s wife.

The envoy said Italy had been supporting Pakistan to improve its tourism. He said Pakistan had a huge tourism potential.

Hiran Minar or ‘The Deer Tower’ is an early 17th-century Mughal era complex located in Sheikhupura, in the province of Punjab.

The complex was built at the site of a game reserve in honour of Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s pet antelope. The Emperor is remembered for his fondness of nature, and his complex embodies the Mughal relationship between humans, pets, and hunting.

The minaret and tank were soon accompanied by a larger pavilion, built during the reign of Shah Jahan.

The complex consists of a Jahangir-era minaret situated next to a larger Shah Jahan-era complex.

The Jahangir-era minaret stands 30 metres tall and was built in 1606 C.E. as a tomb marker for the emperor’s pet antelope,[4] Minraj. The sides of the minar are inscribed with a eulogy to the pet antelope.

A massive rectangular water-tank pool measuring 229 metres by 273 metres lies at the heart of the complex. At the center of each side of the tank, a brick ramp slopes down to the water, providing access for wild game that were sought by hunters.

The two-storey pavilion is topped by stone chhatri. An octagonal pavilion built during the reign of Shah Jahan is at the centre of the pool.

The pavilion is two-storeyed, and is topped by a rooftop chhatri that served as a stone gazebo. The pavilion’s architecture is similar to the Sher Mandal at Delhi’s Purana Qila, built by Emperor Humayun.

The pavilion was surrounded not only by the water tank, but also semi-wilderness. The pavilion was thus likely used for recreational purposes

A causeway spans the pool to connect the minaret with the pavilion along an axis which passes through a gateway.