The great gardens of the wealthy and powerful Mughal emperors of northern India dominated all
aspects of courtly life during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These lush gardens provided
the setting for palaces, pavilions, and imposing imperial tombs. Since 2014, World Monuments Fund
has collaborated with the Archaeological Survey of India to restore two such gardens—Mehtab Bagh
and the Garden of the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah. This lecture explores these remarkable Mughal
gardens, from the hidden meaning behind their designs to the innovative technology that made them
possible.
George Michell
George Michell is a scholar and Co-Founder of the Deccan Heritage Foundation. He is the author of Architecture of the Islamic World, Brick Temples of Bengal, and The Penguin Guide to the Monuments of India, Volume I. A native of Australia, he earned a Ph.D. in Indian archeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of London.
