THE DESCENDANT OF USTAD AHMAD MIMAR AT LUCKNOW COURT;
FOUND SERVING NAWAB YASMEEN MAHAL WIFE OF WAJID ALI SHAH.

The fore fathers of Ustad Ahmad Mimar are famous as having come from Herat, but trained in Turkey under Ustad Sinan, known as Ustad Yusuf Burkurdar, son of Muhammed Hussain. Ustad Yusuf is traced through his works at the city of Hisar, in Haryana. But Ahmad was born in Lahore, and is referred as Lahori all the time. Their children spread themselves to various Courts at Delhi, Shahjahanabad, Jaipur, Peshawer, Kabul and Lahore. It is also known to have extended themselves to Lucknow, mainly at the Court of Wajid Ali Shah.

A manuscript of recited Naats at the Court of Wajid Ali Shah, by Aulad Ali, son of Amir Ali, Naqsha Nawis Sultani. This is Amiruddin Ali, beloved son of Imamuddin Riazi of Shahjahanabad. Aulad Ali mentions being on the payroll of Nawab Yasmeen Mahal, African queen of Wajid Ali Shah.At same time he refers to his father as being a Naqsha Nawis Sultani, that is Royal draughtsman or architect to the Court. We do hear of an architect in Oudh namely Kifayatullah of an Imambara there, as being from the same family. There is an inscription in the building itself of his service to Royal architecture.

Aulad Ali also mentions working under English rule, as well as Bahadur Pratap Singh Rawat. He also served both of same in his capacity. In any case the missing link in Lucknow is put on record.