Rumi Darwaza

The Rumi Darwaza ('Roman Gate' — 'Rumi' meaning Roman/Byzantine in Persian) was built in 1784 by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula as part of a famine-relief employment programme during a year of severe drought. The model was the Sublime Porte (Bab-i-Humayun) of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul — hence the 'Roman' name, the Ottoman capital being called 'Rum' in Persian-speaking Asia. The gateway is a 60-foot Awadhi-Mughal arch in cream-and-pink lakhori brick and stucco, topped by a small pavilion (originally containing an enormous lantern that was lit nightly to mark the city limit). The carved tympanum bears stylized lotus flowers and flame finials. It once formed the western gateway of the old city of Lucknow, but the city has long since spread far beyond it; today it sits stranded in a busy traffic intersection between the Bara and Chota Imambaras, with the Hussainabad Clock Tower 200 metres to its north. The Rumi Darwaza is best photographed at sunrise or after the evening floodlights come on. No interior to visit — it's purely an architectural monument. Combine it with a walking tour of the Hussainabad complex.