Mohammad Shaheer | Landscape design | India

2. LIFE OF MOHAMMAD SHAHEER
Professor mohammad shaheer was a delhi
based landscape architect with a practice that
started in 1976. Dr. shaheer was educated at
the school of planning and architecture, new
delhi and the university of Sheffield. He worked
for two years in northern Ireland before
returning to india, where he spent the next 26
years teaching landscape architecture at the
school of planning and architecture, new
delhi.an ardent thinker and philosopher, His
practice concentrated primarily on large-scale
public projects and conservation work. Amongst
all his projects his work at sanskriti kendra delhi
is well known. Some of his other interesting
projects are the restoration of the gardens of
humayun’s tomb in delhi and the restoration of
baghe-babur in Kabul. He is also a member of
delhi urban art commission. He was also the
initiator and co-editor of a popular textbook
landscape architecture in india: a reader. He
died in 2015.

3. Mohamed Shaheer’s approach & ideas is based on merging Indian traditions and modern ideas together which is
perceptible in his projects.
• He believes “every district has its own standards for evaluation and definition of a suitable approach of contemporary
understanding, while keeping touch with thoughts and ideas of the past”.
• His other approach is continuity which creates a space that is sustained by the continuous presence of people. As he says
about this project: “a lot of functions or the probability of their occurrence played an important role in the idea of the
landscape design”.
• Background tendency and precision in cultural context of the
project is a significant approach of this architect which results
in paying attention to long held beliefs and traditions of the
people of India in order to rehabilitate their culture.
• Restoring the authenticity of these historic gardens is the result
of this understanding and also his special attention to details.
Restoration of water flow and planting in these projects is
carried out based on historic description also considering local
tradition with the aim of bringing the garden back to the state
of a flourishing orchard.
• Shaheer’s thorough understanding of local cultural context and
his special style in design_ simple yet to great effect_ has
ensured modern functions are incorporated in the historic
gardens and turned them into major tourist attraction sites.

4. GOALS AND POLICIES
One of the goals of the Sanskrit foundation in this project is creating a place for cultivating creativity and for residence of
the artists. The existence of creativity in the place serves as a motive for creating a variety of activities that can cause self-
organization of landscape as a dynamic landscape. Rehabilitation of culture and art of India is another goal of this project
which is made by its records of artistic activities, especially performance art.
Shaheer says: “This project started in 1984,while I was a young professor of landscape architecture and in the beginning of
my profession. Yet, it is true that I was consciously trying to find a way to approach landscape architecture which despite
expressing modern understanding, be rooted in valuable traditions of the past in which the long history of Delhi were its
buildings and landscapes
One of the other goals is drawing in people from all sorts of different cultures so that artists
work in this place and consider it as an extension of their workplace and life, the same as when they sat under the shade of
the tree at home and weaved baskets and worked with pottery tools in the
yard. This goal can be defined as ecological tendencies.

5. L I S T O F
P R O J E C T S
Sanskriti Kendra,
Delhi
The restoration of
the gardens of
Humayun’s Tomb in
Delhi ( 2001)
The restoration of
the Baghe-Babur at
Kabul (2006)
Sundar nursery

6. Since 1997 he was the responsible landscape architect for several Aga
Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) initiatives in India and Afghanistan, the first
of which was the Humayun’s Tomb Garden restoration. It was the first ever
opportunity to undertake a landscape restoration project at any of India’s
protected monuments and, as with everything he did, Shaheer spent
endless hours understanding the site, guiding everyone involved on what is
required to be undertaken. His deep involvement, almost daily visits and
deep understanding of Mughal garden traditions coupled with the
practical necessities of a site where over 2 million were expected to visit
annually led to the project being the success it has been.
HUMA
YUN’S
TOMB

7. The Humayun’s Tomb gardens are a perfect Char-bâgh with the
tomb in the centre and the garden divided into four quadrants.
Each of the principal pathways with water channels in their
centre and the four pathways in the cardinal directions adorned
with large square water tanks with a fountain in their centre.
Each quadrant further subdivided into eight plots representing
the eight gateways or spaces of Quranic paradise
• Though Humayun’s Tomb remained a place of veneration
for the early Mughals, with the decline of the Mughal
Empire, the gardens were left in a state of neglect.
• In the mid 19th century, the British changed the formal,
geometric layout of the western half of the garden to a
more English layout with changes including introduction of
circular flower beds to replace the square Mughal tanks.
• In the early 20th century, Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India,
directed the restoration of the Mughal layout –
enthusiastically adding channels even to pathways where
none had existed in Mughal times.
• Several further changes were then carried out through the
20th century – a major planting in 1916 when palm trees
were inappropriately introduced on the four corners of the
mausoleum and tamarind trees on the platforms used by
the Mughals for tents. Additional plantings neither used
plant species favoured by the Mughals nor planting
patterns.
• Three failed attempts in the 20th century to restore flowing
water preceded the 1997 garden restoration and of these
the 1984 effort was the most destructive with the Mughal
stone bedding ripped out and replaced by the more
familiar and favoured material – cement concrete!

8. The Mughals left no drawings and Shaheer’s proposed
layout was required to be based on historic descriptions but
also the modern functions of the World Heritage Site
attracting almost 1 million annual visitors.
• The garden, built with the tomb in the 1560’s was one of
the earliest gardens built on the plains where it was
challenging to ensure flowing water.
• The garden plots were lower than the pathways with
water channels to ensure irrigation by flooding from the
water channels was possible.
• The project was to commence with restoring the levels of
the 32 garden plots - so methodically trenches were dug
on all four sides of each plot to determine the original
levels.
• The level variation from plot to plot and could be
determined both by the depth of the pathway edging
but also by the levels of the water outlets into each plot
from the channels.
• His attention to detail led him to provide individual
levels for each garden plot but also specific slopes for
levels within each plot to ensure accumulated rainwater
quickly taken to the aquifer through the four rain water
harvesting pits provided in each plot.

9. The significance of the tomb-garden for the Mughals and the
levels of the garden played a role in determining the
planting layout. As did the presence of existing trees;
Shaheer would never permit the removal of an existing tree
– taking great pains to alter design in a manner that would
save any vegetation – yet here historic considerations
required for the transplanting of 72 Ashoka trees –
inappropriately planted over the decade preceding the
garden restoration to serve as a visual barrier for large
portions of the gardens which were un-kempt.
• The final planting layout for the tomb-garden was
stylistically Shaheer – simple yet to great effect.
• The peripheral pathways were planted with tall
trees – mango and neem – both recorded in
Mughal chronicles and the canopy of which was
eventually expected to be visible from over the 6
m tall enclosure walls.
• The three garden plots in each of the four corners
had the pathways perpendicular to the enclosure
walls planted with one row each of orange and
lemon – fruits said to have been favoured by
Humayun.
• The ends of these plots towards the enclosure wall
were planted with a grove of flowering shrubs –
hibiscus – recorded to have been planted here
during Mughal times and the sweet smelling
Harsingar.
• Similarly the intersections of the pathways in the
center of the quadrant were planted with the
lowering Motia and Mogra. Finally, an orchard of
pomegranate was planted along the western edge
of the sunken eastern side of the garden.

10. • The Humayun’s Tomb garden was probably the earliest garden built on
the plains with flowing water channels and ensuring the flow of water
would have been a major challenge.
• Flowing water was also a significant element of the garden and it was
essential for the project to restore flowing water.
• Originally used for irrigation, the flowing water in the channels was no
longer required for irrigation and as such it was not considered
necessary to restore flowing water to the peripheral channels and to
those in the south-west quadrant – where channels had in fact been
introduced in the 20th century where none were built by the Mughals. In
the 1980’s much of the water distribution network at Humayun’s Tomb
was dismantled and destroyed in an otherwise well meaning attempt to
restore flowing water by making the bed ‘water tight’ by using cement.
• These 1984-5 works were dismantled and a traditional masonry with
lime mortar bedding was restored to the channels while providing the
required slope.
• Over 2 kilometers of sandstone edging had to be prepared – hand
chiseled by traditional tools by the stone carvers.
• On amongst the first few channels fixed in this manner, the stone was
provided a mortar edging – rounded off – this upset Shaheer Sir
enormously – it was an inappropriate detail not thought through and
the work had to be reversed and the pathway levels changed to
provide the required stability to the stone edging.

11. ARCHITECT
Ar. UPAL GHOSH and team
LANDSCAPE
Ar. MOHAMMAD SHAHEER
AREA
7.41 arces
LOCATION
Foothills of Arravali range
SANSKRITI
KENDRA

14. The Sanskriti Kendra is the Foundation’s Cultural Centre
located in an idyllic natural environment with sprawling lawns,
towering trees, flowering shrubs, lotus-ponds, homes to birds
and butterflies (Nature at Sanskriti). It serves as conducive
space for innovative and interactive work.
• All the activities of the Centre are conducted in a low-lying
and beautifully designed complex of buildings
• The scale and proportion of which are humane and in
harmony with the natural environment.
• Traditional architectural elements are gently imbibed into
modern buildings.
• The campus, gradually developed in stages, houses three
museums, a Multi-Purpose hall, an amphitheatre, artists’
studios and dormitories and workshop spaces.
• It provides a uniquely enabling environment for all
Sanskriti’s own activities, as well as for the many NGOs,
associations and other civil society organizations that use
the facilities for conferences and workshops.
• The buildings are semi-rustic in appearance with ample
space between them for strolling but not so far apart as
to engender a sense of isolation.
• The grounds are filled with trees making it seem like an
organic growth.
• All spaces are scattered in a manner of a village
dwelling. Over 2 thousand trees were planted across the
plot with a banyan tree at the entrance.
Architecture and landscape

15. SANSKRITI IS ROOTED IN SOIL OF LIFE AND ITS INEXORABLE AND INTRINSIC
SENSE OF BEAUTY. ITS FAITH IS IN THE CULTURE AS A CATALYST AND AS A PART
OF EVERYDAY LIFE AND NOT AS AN EXCULIVE IVORY TOWER CONCEPT.
GHOSH proposed bringing a ‘shantiniketan’ to Delhi, creating an idyllic village that would have
a flowing river and trees for artists to work under.
The importance of this complex lies in the honest formulation of creating a natural, rural
environment where architectural expression emphasizes on restrain over exuberance.