Nadan Mahal, Lucknow

Nadan Mahal is a 16th-century mausoleum on Nadan Mahal Road, Lucknow, commemorating Shaikh Ibrahim Chishti, Lucknow's first governor under the Mughals, who died in 1543. The name comes from the Persian naadan, 'innocent', meant to reflect his piety and simplicity.

The tomb became an early centre of Islamic authority in the city. The Chishti family buried here was closely tied to the growing influence of Awadh's Sheikh community, later prominent in the region's government and society and in the Firangi Mahal seminary. Shaikh Abdur Rahim of Bijnor, who became the first Mughal subedar of Lucknow, commissioned his own cenotaph here, and he also built the Panch Mahal and the Machchi Bhawan fort-palace for his sons.