Mustafa Castle

Mustafa Castle
'Nawab Kothee'
Location within India
General information
Location	Meerut, India
Country	India
Coordinates	28°59′48″N 77°41′45″E / 28.99673°N 77.69593°E / 28.99673; 77.69593
Construction started	1886/1887
Completed	1900
Cost	Undisclosed
Client	Nawab Mohammad Ishak Khan
Owner	Descendants of the original owner
Design and construction
Architect	Nawab Mohammad Ishak Khan
References
Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan

Mustafa Castle is a building of profound historical relevance located in Meerut, India. It was commemoratively built by Nawab Mohammad Ishak Khan [1860-1918] to serve as a memorial to Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta, his father, [1804-1869] who was one of the most eminent and accomplished poets and critics of his era.

The construction commenced in 1896/1897 and the building was completed in 1900. The first structure, the grandiose gate, was completed in 1899; following which was the Castle itself. The Castle was completed by 1900 after a span of 4–5 years of construction. The structure was built by Nawab Mohammad Ishak Khan in honour of his father, the Persian and Urdu poet Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta. Nawab M. Ishak Khan designed the building himself, and the imposing project, upon 30 acres of land. It was designed with the help of assistants who possessed considerable experience in building barracks for the British Army. The Nawab amalgamated many styles of architecture in building Mustafa Castle. It offers facilities akin to British bungalows and shares prominent features with the buildings of the realm of Rajasthan and Oudh—mainly Lucknow. However, the amalgam meant that the edifice of Mustafa Castle was to be peerless amongst others seen in the cities of Delhi, Hyderabad, and Lahore. A hoard of antiques within can be attributed to Nawab M. Ishak Khan's epic tours around the world and his penchant for collecting artifacts. Historical accounts make mention of clay from Mecca being used in the construction procedure and the replacement of an inward gallows with an Islamic mosque.

Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta was a close friend, admirer and, in times of need, a patron of Mirza Ghalib – who was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule. A man of letters, he found himself in trouble after the British succeeded in regaining control of Delhi in 1857. Nawab Mustafa Khan's mother was the daughter of the Commander in Chief of the Mughal army, Ismail Baig Hamadani. Even after the surrender of the Mughal army, Ismail Baig continued his fight for liberation against the British and, as a result, retreated to Nepal. Nawab Mustafa Khan was tried for allegedly supporting the uprising which had emanated from Meerut. He was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and confined in a cell which had been improvised – and later abandoned – for the convicts of the 1857 uprising. This small jail happened to be the centre of the area which is now enclosed by Mustafa Castle. Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta died in 1869 when Nawab M. Ishak Khan was 9 years of age. The spot of the poet's imprisonment was purchased by Nawab M. Ishak Khan along with the adjoining area, which comprised nearly 30 acres of land. He then had Mustafa Castle built as his homage to the memory and honour of his father. The cell, in which the poet was imprisoned, has been retained in its original form so as to keep the memory of the hardship faced by Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta during his imprisonment. That particular chamber, therefore, had been left unaltered by Nawab M. Ishak Khan. The family, that had been previously based in Delhi and Jehangirabad, had established Mustafa Castle as its main home after the building's completion in the year 1900. A similar building to Mustafa Castle, originally belonging to the same family, exists in the erstwhile family capital of Jehangirabad.