Architectural History

Aligarh Muslim University

Sir Syed A Campus Planner and Architect:
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan found an enthusiasm of his
educational efforts in Aligarh that he had not previously
encountered.
Another attraction of Aligarh was the availability of
revenue free land. In 1869, the military camp was
abolished. A number of private English residents of the
civil lines were leaving and selling their houses. Thus,
with many usable buildings and open land, it was an
excellent place to start a college except the little
malaria. According to the British Civil Surgeon Dr
Jackson, malaria was not in fact so serious a threat, the less so than in Rohilkhand
cities. Aligarh is one of the healthiest stations in the North-West Provinces. There
was also some cholera, but it was not as bad as elsewhere. A meeting of the MAO
College Fund Committee was held on 10th February 1873 under the President ship of
Nawab Mohd. Hasan Khan Bahadur and 37 out of 52 members were in favour to
establish the college at Aligarh.
For all these reasons, Sir Syed formally recommended Aligarh as the site for the
college; the Fund Committee ratified the choice in February 1873, when Moulvi
Samiullah Khan and his Aligarh Committee decided to defy Sir Syed and open a
School, they purchased three of the old Cantonment Bungalows (presently PRO
Office, Guest House No. 3 and Non-Teaching Club). Later, with the help of Lord John
Strachey, the college was granted the seventy-four acre military parade ground on
the condition that the Public Works Department approve all new buildings and the
Government has the right to resume the land if it were misused. The Fund
Committee also purchased about twenty more acres of adjoining land.
In 1872, the British Principal of Roorkee College turned down an invitation to be
architect for the college at Aligarh. From than on the planning of the buildings and
the supervision of their construction was the special province of Sir Syed himself.
The Public Works Department reviewed plans for most of the buildings those
constructed on the Government land and the college employed a full-time man to
supervise the unknown. But it was Sir Syed who conceived the architectural designs,
laid out the trees and gardens, and handled all financial matters such as selection
and purchase of building materials. He also decided which buildings were built when.
The college was a planned community for the first; Sir Syed had a clear idea of basic
layout a self-contained quadrangle with classrooms, living accommodations,
dinning room, library and Mosque.
The blueprint for the modern educational system had been developed by Sir Syed in
London. Although the existence of the MAO College Fund Committee was formally
announced on 26 December 1870, with Sir Syed as its life Secretary. This NGO was
registered under Societies Registration Act of 1866. Along with Sir Syed and his co-
worker Saiyid Mahmud had convinced that three colleges to be located as a single
campus, consisting the nucleus of a University patterned after the system of Oxford
and Cambridge, combining institution with residence.

Strachey Hall:
Strachey Hall was the first
building to come up on the
campus. Lord Lytton, the then
Viceroy and Governor General of
India laid the foundation stone
of the M.A.O. College, Aligarh on
8 January, 1877. While
envisaging the College as the
precursor of a future University,
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan remarked at the time of its foundation.
The College may expand into a University whose sons shall go forth throughout the
length and breadth of the land to preach the gospel of free enquiry, large-hearted
tolerance and of pure morality.
The foundation stone was lowered at the main gate of the present Strachey Hall under
the directions of Mr Noyes, the Executive Engineer. A scroll of papers on which were
printed the details of the history of the College was sealed in a bottle and the Viceroy
deposited it along with some silver and gold coins in a cavity of the foundation. It was
covered with a metal plate on which was inscribed in English and Persian a brief history
of the College. The foundation stone weighed nearly thirty mounds and the Viceroy
tapped it three times with a silver mallet, saying, I declare this stone to be well and
truly laid.
Addressing the foundation stone ceremony Sir Syed said, Schools and Colleges
founded and endowed by private individuals. There have been others built by
sovereigns and supported by the revenues of the state. But this is the first time in
the history of the Mohammedans of India that the College owes its establishment
not to the charity or love of learning of one individual, but to the splendid patronage
of a whole community. It is based upon the principles of toleration and progress
such as find no parallel in the annals of the East.
The most important part of the proposal was the main hall where all-important
academic and social functions would be held. Sir Syed announced that the fund
committee had decided to perpetuate his association with the College by naming it
as the Strachey Hall.
The construction of the Strachey Hall with an estimated cost of Rs. Sixty thousands
began on 24 April, 1885. The collection of funds at the rate of Rs 500 each had
started in 1877 at the time of foundation stone ceremony. By 6 October 1885,
seventy-four persons had contributed their share, of which thirteen were Europeans.
On 30 December 1893, Sir Syed reported that 86 donors had together contributed
Rs 43,000.He needed 34 more contributions. The Hall was completed with a cost of
Rs. ninety thousands and Lieutenant Governor, Sir Charles Crosthwail on 12
November 1894, performed its opening ceremony. The Hall has a total area of 7000
sq ft with a varandah and two galleries and the total covered area is 5000 sq ft.
Maulana Altaf Husain Hali observed, as long as this building stands, the Muslims will
be able to claim that even in their last days they accomplished something that others
were not capable of at the height of their power.
Sir Syed informed that the Hall was being built with the help of subscription realized at
the rate of Rs. 500 each, and the donors names would appear on tablets set on the
walls of the Hall.
The Governor General of India, Lord Lyttons speech was, according to the Times of
India in his best style, as the subject was one which was well-stinted to his genius.
He said:
I can not doubt that the ceremony, on behalf of which we
are now assembled, constitutes an epoch in the social
 progress of India under British rule which is no less creditable
to the past than pregnant with promise for the future.
AMU was inaugurated on Friday, December 17, 1920 in the Strachey Hall with Raja
Sir Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan of Mahmudabad as its first Vice Chancellor and
Begum Sultan Jahan of Bhopal and the Agha khan, as Chancellor and Pro Chancellor
respectively.
Bhikampur Gate:
This apparently 18th century Gate
originally belonged to the Mughal
Fort at Agra. When the British
authorities in 1833 auctioned off
valuable material from the fort, it
was purchased by Daud Khan,
son of Baz Khan, who put it up
on his family Estate at Bhikampur
in 1835. Abdus Saboor Khan
Sherwani a descendant of Daud Khan presented it to the University in 1961, and it
was installed at the present site in 1963.
Hameedullah Khan Lecture
Rooms:
Maulvi Samiullah Khan,
Secretary of the Foundation
Committee of the MAO College
gave a dinner party at the
Institute Hall (presently
Dawakhana Tibbiya College) on
10 October, 1886, when his
elder son M. Hameedullah
Khan returned as Barrister
from England.
Hameedullah Khan was the first student whose name
was placed on the roll of the Madarsatul Uloom at
Aligarh on the day of its foundation, the 24th May
1875.The ceremony was presided over by the
President of the Managing Committee, Maulvi
Mohammad Karim. Maulvi Samiullah Khan (1834-
1908) Secretary of the College Fund Committee laid
the foundation stone of the School. Regular classes
were commenced on 1 June 1875 and there were only seven students including
Hamidullah Khan. The historical structure where the ceremony took place was later
on burnt accidentally. The news of that incident was published during the time of Sir
Syed in the Institute Gazette. Sir Syeds old house, which was also adjacent to the
school, now known as Sami Manzil, was subsequently sold to Maulvi Samiullah Khan.
Born on 17 March, 1864 at Agra, Hameedullah studied up to matriculation standard
at MAO College, Aligarh and went to England in April 1880 and joined Christs
College, Cambridge. He took part in debates of the Cambridge Union, and was one
of the founders of the Cambridge Majlis, which was a social Indian club.
On his return to India, his family and friends and the students of Aligarh welcomed
him and a huge dinner party was arranged in his honour. Over three hundred guests-
were invited to the feast. The arrangements in connection with the feast provided for
Hindu guests were kindly undertaken by Raja Jai Kishan Dass, who spared no pains in
providing a sumptuous feast. Mr. Cadell, the Magistrate presided over the function.
The feast was held at the Institute Hall, which was lit up with chandeliers and
candelabra and gardens were beautifully illuminated.
At a dinner party, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan made an appeal for contributions to raise a
building in the MAO College to mark his successful return from England. A sum of
Rs. 3,400 was pledged on the spot, of which Rs 1,100 came from Sir Syed and his
son, Syed Mahmud. The approximate cost of the building was estimated at Rs
6,000.This building was fully sponsored and is now one of the most impressive
heritage buildings of the central block.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, editor of the Institute Gazette appointed Hameedullah Khan as
Special Correspondent in April 1886, and he contributed a series of articles about the
Indian and Colonial Exhibition to the paper, which were much appreciated by readers.
Hameedullah Khan had travelled to most parts of the Europe and Egypt as a student
at the instruction of Sir Syed, but in 1909-10 he revisited these places and explored
new areas in Arabia, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Italy and France. He
also visited Makkah and Madina in order to perform Hajj.
Mr. Hameedullah had collected a wealth of information from these countries for the
benefit of the College at Aligarh, on the special request of the authorities. Sir Syed
was so much pleased with him that he got Mr Hameedullah elected as a member of
the MAO College Fund Committee in 1887. He was the member of the All India
Muslim Educational Conference since its foundation in 1886.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan moved a resolution to appoint M. Hameedullah a member of the
Committee of Directors of Instruction in the College on 17 July, 1886.In his proposal, Sir
Syed stated: M. Hameedullah one of our ex-student has been pursuing his studies in
English for more than six years and has had the honour of being educated at Christs
College, Cambridge for his B.A. degree and in Lincolns Inn for the Bar, in both of which
he has been successful. On his way back to India, to follow shortly, he intends visiting
Germany and inspecting the Schools, Colleges and Boarding houses of the country. It is
highly desirable that some Indian gentlemen should supply us with a report of the mode
of education and the manner in which the boarding houses in that country are
conducted, showing how far they could supply us with hints for our own, I beg to move
the appointment of M. Hameedullah khan as a member of the Committee of the
Directors of Instruction in our College and to request him to prepare such a report for
us. Mr Hameedullah was the trustee of the MAO College and fellow of the Aligarh
Muslim University. Alhaj Afzalul Ulema Nawab Sarbuland Jung Bahadur M. Hameedullah
was also served as Chief Justice of Hyderabad .The above appellation were conferred
upon him by Nizam of Hyderabad.
Nizam Museum:
The College Fund Committee sent a
deputation to the Nizam of
Hyderabad, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,
when he visited Delhi in 1877.
Maulvi Mohd Karim, Deputy Collctor,
Maulvi Samiullah Khan and Maulvi
Chiragh Ali led the deputation. They
had an audience with him on 3
January 1877 and conveyed to him
the decision of the Committee to name the College Museum after the Nizam. The
Nizams appreciation of the efforts of the founders of the College was readout by one of
his ministers and a confirmed further financial assistance to the College was conveyed
to the deputation.
Addressing the foundation ceremony, Sir Syed said as
a mark of gratitude to the Nizam of Hyderabad who
has endowed the college with the princely sum of Rs
90,000.00 the committee has determined to call the
Museum of the college after His Highness.
Nizam Museum was named after the great Sir Salar
Jang, who was an active supporter of the College,
who had donated Rs 10,500.00 from his own
pocket, and an estate worth Rs 12,00.00 per year.
In May 1882, Sir Salar Jang paid Syed Ahmad a visit,
and inspected the College, of which he was one of the
visitors. He was received with honour, and was very much pleased with what he saw.
He made Syed Ahmad promise to pay him a visit at Hyderabad, an in September of the
same year Syed Ahmad fulfilled his promise, staying with the minister for a month.
Many of nobles wished to entertain him at dinner, but he requested them to give him
the money that the dinners would cost, as donation to his College Fund. They did so,
and he took with him to Aligarh Rs 30,000.00.
Nawab Mir Laiq Ali Khan Bahadur Salar Jung visited the College on October 17,1885.00.
He was so pleased with the construction of the Salar Manzil, after his fathers name that
he announced an increase of his endowment to Rs 3,000.00 a year.
This building was used as Dinning Hall for first class boarders.
Lytton Library:
Sir Syed announced
on January 8, 1877
that the main College
Library would be
named after the
Viceroy as the Lytton
Library. Lord Lytton,
a literary figure in his
own right, appreciated
the gesture and
remarked: A library is the best society to which any man can be admitted, for it is
an assemblage of the worlds greater benefactors the wise and the good of all
ages.. here live those who are worthy to live. I esteem it a privilege to lay the
foundation of a building under whose sheltering roof the number of such worthies is
likely to increase.
Before leaving Aligarh, the Viceroy presented Sir Syed with a portrait of himself and
a number of his own books to mark the occasion.
Syed Ahmad Khan paid special attention to the programme of constructing buildings.
He would often stay on site all day long in the extreme summer heat, supervising
stone masonry, wells, laying of foundations and raising of structures. He prepared
plans for the expansion of College buildings and designed novel methods to obtain
funds for them.
This building was completed in 1908. Lytton Library was shifted to Maulana Azad
Library on 6 November 1960.
Beck Manzil:
The Old Boys, residing at
Meerut, called a meeting
on 10 September 1899
and decided to raise a
fund to commemorate
their Principal, Theodore
Becks memory. They
collected a sum of Rs.
465/- on the spot. Finally
the Beck Fund amounted
to Rs. 6,000/- with which
the hall adjacent to the Lytton Library was built, and was named as Beck Manzil.
Theodore Beck was a distinguished graduate of the Trinity College, Cambridge and had
held the office of the President of the Cambridge Union. He took charge as Principal of
the MAO College at Aligarh on the 1st of February 1884 and remained Principal of the
College for fifteen and a half year till his death on September 2, 1899 at Simla.
Mr. Beck was much affected by Sir Syeds death in 1898 and he decided to devote
himself to the collection of funds for Sir Syed Memorial. He wrote articles,
delivered speeches and visited Allahbad and other places to collect funds for raising
a suitable memorial to the Founders and set up the Muslim University as early as
possible. His health began to fail. He went to Simla to recoup and on 2 September
1899 he breathed his last. He was working upon an appeal to Muslims for the Sir
Syed Memorial fund, almost till the last day. The object of the fund was to collect a
sum of Rs. 1,000,000 for raising the MAO College to the status of Muslim University.
Mr. Beck devoted his energies to realizing Sir Syeds dream of the University and
through his efforts Englishmen Contributed generously to the fund. Lord Elgin, the
Viceroy, contributed Rs. 2,000.
Central Mosque:
Sir Syed started
the construction of
the College
Mosque as early as
1879 when
Mirzapur stone was
transported to
Aligarh by boats.
He appealed to
Muslims to contribute to the Mosque fund at the rate of Rs.20 per month for a period of
two years. Justice Mahmood laid the foundation of the Mosque.
Earlier, a set of ten marble slabs on which a verses of the Holy Quran Sura-al-Fajr,
were carved, came to the Aligarh market for sale. Sir Syed immediately decided to
purchase it for Rs. 102/- for the College Mosque. The inscription dates back to the
times of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan and was carved by Yaqoot Raqam, the famous
Persian calligraphist who had been associated with the inscription of the Taj Mahal.
It adorns the main entrance of the Mosque.
In 1912, the structure of the Mosque had been completed. It was however; to be
decorated with carvings, inscriptions and other embellishments, and the floor had to be
paved. Nawab Mohd.Ishaq Khan pursued the matter with great vigour. Haji Mohd
Ahmad Saeed Khan of Bhikampur donated a sum of Rs. 8,200 in 1914 for paving the
floor with white and black stone chips. Stone carvers were called from Delhi and Ajmer
who worked round the clock to complete their assignment before the end of the year.
The cistern was completed and the articles of decoration like chandeliers and hanging
lamps were purchased. The Ulema inspected the structure and approved it in January
1915. The Mosque was formally declared open on 1February 1915. In March 1915, it
was decided to fix a wooden door at the Mosque. Mumtaz-ud-Daula Sir Fayyaz Ali Khan
donated Rs. 500 for it. The Mosque was designed by the Architecture Department of
the Thompson Engineering College, Roorkee on the pattern of Shahi Masjid, Delhi.
An Urdu Journal, Hindustan published a letter in its issue of April, 1915, in which a
Muslim divine had objected to the fixture of a wooden door as it was likely to turn the
House of God into a private place (Khilvat Khana). The Honorary Secretary explained
that such doors were there in the Mosques of Iraq, Egypt, and other Islamic countries.
There was another group of Muslims, which found fault in the Mosque on the ground
that it stood in the midst of grandiose buildings of the college and the boarding
house. A pompous mosque, they said, would strike at the root of the Islamic sense
of equality among all classes of Muslims. The authorities responsible for its
construction pointed to several religious precepts, which justified its imposing
structure and its expensive decorations.
The gate formally known as the Mosque Gate was repaired and named as Bab-i-
Rahmat in 1916. Dr. Wali Mohammad undertook the electrification of the Mosque in
April 1917, for which Major General Dixon donated Rs 1,000/-
Barkat Ali Khan Lecture Room:
Khan Bahadur Mohammad Barkat Ali
Khan was the first publicity
campaigner of Aligarh Movement in
Punjab. He was the Trustee of the MAO College and was posted as Assistant
Commissioner in Lahore.
The Anjuman-i-Punjab and Anjuman-i-Islamia, Punjab invited Sir Syed on Barkat Ali
Khans initiative to visit the province. In 1874, accompanied by Maulvi Samiullah
khan and Maulvi Mushtaq Husain, Sir Syed visited the Punjab. He achieved a wide
exposure in the Punjab and collected large but unspecified donations for the
construction of proposed College at Aligarh. During January 22-Feb 4, 1884, Sir Syed
visited again five districts of the Punjab, and the Sikh
princely state of Patiala, and collected Rs 9,742 for
the building programme of the College.
This Lecture Room was constructed with the donation
of Punjab, of which Barkat Ali Khan was the main
contributor. After his death on 10 August 1905, the
Managing Committee of the MAO College has decided
to name the lecture room after him. Barkat Ali Khan
was the member of the MAO College Fund
Committee.
The construction of Barkat Ali Khan Lecture Room
was completed on 9 May 1904. Sir James Latouch,
the Lt. Governor performed the opening ceremony of the Asman Manzil, the Nizam
Museum and the Barkat Ali Khan Lecture Room on 28 July 1904.

Henry Lawrence Gate:

AMU stands today was once a
military parade ground. The
British Government had given
permission to some Britishers
to build their houses on parts
of estate, but 74 acres of land
was vacant. Sir Syed Ahmad
Khan applied on behalf of the
Fund Committee for the rest of
the vacated land for building
the proposed MAO College. Mr Henry Lawrence, the then District Collector informed the
MAO College Fund Committee vide his letter dated 14 March 1874 that the Lt. Governor
has approved that the land be transferred to the College with the condition that the
Municipal taxes will be charged as usual and the buildings be constructed away from
both the road sides as per Municipal norms. The Committee approved both these
conditions. When Sir Syed came to Aligarh to possess the land then officiating District
Collector Mr. A. Montogue has refused to transfer the land by his letter dated 14
October 1874.
Fortunately, Sir John Strachey was appointed Lieutenant Governor. The matter was
raised with him and during his circuit; he made a personal visit to Aligarh to look into
it. Sir Syed also went there to meet him and after a long discussion it was decided
that the committee could go ahead with its projects, on the condition that plans for
the buildings were submitted to the Government before any work was undertaken.
The Fund Committee of the College in its meeting held on 12 November 1875 has
decided to construct a gate and name it after Henry Lawrence recognition of his
valuable services to the College. The Indo-British architectural design was made by Mr
Scotland, lecturer of Thomson College, Roorkee. The Gate was completed in 1891.
Khalifa Syed Mohammad Hasan Gate:
The Maharaja of Patiala, Mahinder Singh accompanied by his
Prime Minister Khalifa Mohammad Hasan, paid a visit to the
School on 6 December 1875 and was much impressed.
Maharaja Patiala was the first Visitor of the MAO College and
donated a large amount for the development of the College.
The College was closed on 17 January 1895, to mourn the
death of Khalifa Syed Mohammad Hasan of Patiala and
decided that a gate be named after him.
Asman Manzil
Nawab Mohammad Mazharuddin Khan Bahadur Sir Asman Jah, Prime Minister of
Hyderabad visited the MAO College, Aligarh on 24 July 1888; Syed Mahmud
accompanied him from Allahabad.
Nawab Sir Asman Jah, who, many years before his appointment as PM, furthered
endeavours by a generous donation of Rs 10,000/- towards the construction of the
Principal lecture room of the College, and has since indicated his personal interest in
the advancement of education cause by visiting the College and giving another
donation of Rs 10,000/- towards the construction of the College Mosque.
He made a
personal
donation of Rs.
10,000/- and
increased the
Hyderabad
State grant by
Rs 250/- per
month. He laid
the foundation
stone of Asman
Manzil and Sir
James Latouch;
the Lt.
Governor preformed the opening ceremony of the Asman Manzil on 28 July 1904.
Tasadduq Rasul Khan
Arabic Lecture Room:
Mr Tasadduq Rasul Khan of
Jahangirabad, Bullandshahr
was a friend of Sir Syed. He
was the staunch supporter of
modern education for
backward Muslim community.
He contributed a donation of
Rs 25,000/- for the
construction of a classroom.
He revisited the MAO College on the occasion of the visit of Sir James Latouch on 30
October 1904. The Arabic Lecture Room was named after him.

Mushtaq Manzil:
Its foundation stone had been
laid in Sir Syeds lifetime and he
himself had named it as
Mushtaq Manzil, as an
expression of gratitude to
Nawab Viqar-ul-Mulk, Maulvi
Mushtaq Husain for the
financial assistance he rendered to the College during very difficult period of 1891
and 1892.
Sir Syed was deeply affected by Viqar-ul-Mulks efforts to help the cause of Aligarh.
He therefore decided that the College should have a permanent memorial for him.
Accordingly, the following resolution was presented before the meeting of the Board
of Trustees:
As a mark of gratitude for the efforts and sympathies
which Nawab Viqar-ul- Mulk Maulvi Mushtaq Husain
Intisar Jang Bahadur has shown for the Madarsatul
Uloom Aligarh it is proposed that a permanent memorial
should be set up in his honour.
In supporting the above resolution Sir Syed praised the services of Viaq-ul- Mulk and
referred to his personal donation to the college, which had been utilised for the
construction of parts of hostel buildings. He particularly mentioned his efforts for the
collection of funds for the Mosque, the spacious Strachey Hall and the Asman Manzil.
Then he mentioned the deputation, which had visited Hyderabad, under his
leadership, adding that its success in securing an enhancement in the annual grant
and the collection of funds for the Nizam Museum were entirely due to the efforts of
Mushtaq Husain. After quoting some other instances of assistance rendered by the
Nawab, he said:
All these kindness (of Viqar-ul-Mulk) are such that there
should be a permanent memorial in his name in our
college I therefore propose that this building should be
called Mushtaq Manzil after his name. The spacious
lecture hall on the western side of the Strachey Hall.
Sir Syed used to say that he had located Mehdi Manzil next to the Lytton Library to
express Mohsin-ul-Mulks keenness for learning while the high religious spirit of
Viqar-ul-Mulk called for a place close to the Mosque. The Mushtaq Manzil was
completed in 1910.
Mehdi Manzil:
After the establishment of the MAO
College, Mohsin-ul-Mulk spared no
pains in assisting Syed Ahmad Khan
in the work of collecting money for
the institution. As a leader of the
Aligarh Movement, Mohsin-ul-Mulk
occupies a position only next to Sir
Syed. His devotion and services to its cause were unparalleled.
After Sir Syeds death, he took over as the Secretary of the MAO College in 1899.
During his Secretary ship, he raised huge amounts for the development of the
College. In 1883, when a deputation visited Hyderabad, Mohsin-ul-Mulk did not only
give a handsome donation but also helped it in collecting funds.
In appreciation of his services to the College; in addition as a donor of their funds, a
lecture room to the east of the Strachey Hall was named after him as Mahdi Manzil.
The building was completed in 1882. He was the Finance Secretary of the Nizams
government in Hyderabad.
Boundary Walls:
In order to impress later
generations, Sir Syed had the
name of the founders and
benefactors of the college, who
were mostly Muslims, inscribed
on the walls of the various
buildings.
In November 1877, it was
decided by the Managing
Committee to raise a boundary of stone railings for the college compound with the
following dimensions:
East . 2400 ft. South . 1250 ft
West . 1950 ft North . 2100 ft
The cost of railings in one span was estimated at Rs. 20/-. Sir Syed announced that
the names of those who contributed Rs. 20/- each would be engraved on the
railings. Sixty-six persons immediately came forward with their contributions,
including his Hindu friends, Kashi Nath Biswas of Banaras and Rai Bakht Singh of
Mewar. The names of the donors can still be seen beautifully inscribed on the stone
railings in Urdu and English of the outer walls.
Victoria Gate:
The foundation stone of the main gate of the College was laid in 1884.In 1881, Haji
Ismail Khan, without consulting Sir Syed first, started a fund to have a building
erected as a memorial to him, and proposed that the door of the college should be
named after him. Sir Syed was however, was quite opposed to the scheme and said
that since the Muslims from whom Haji Ismail Khan was hoping to collect the money
for his
memorial,
had
absolutely
no regard
for either
him or his
work, no
one would
contribute to
the fund.
When Haji
Ismail Khan
would not
yield, Sir
Syed agreed to the proposal on two conditions. Firstly the door on which the
inscription was to be carved should also bear the words, The Muslim community
has founded this college for the good of its people, secondly the names of Maulvi
Samiullah Khan and Haji Ismail Khan, who were mainly responsible for the building,
should also be included in the inscription. Finally some Arabic verses, in which no
ones name was mentioned, were inscribed on the front of the door and on the back
the names of Sir Syed and his two friends Maulvi Samiullah and Haji Ismail were
inscribed in Persian language. On 25 July 1914 the main gate of the College was
christened as the Victoria Gate.
A big clock was installed at the top of the Victoria Gate. This clock was presented as
a gift by Mr. Joseph Beck, father of Theodore Beck, Principal of the College.
Sir Syed House:
The house of Sir Syed was a
rendezvous of scholars, admirers
and students. Graham writes:
Syed Ahmad has now resided for
many years in his comfortable
house in Allygurh, which was purchased and furnished for his in European style by
his son, the Hon. Syed Mahmud. Here he entertains his numerous guests who visit
him for all parts of India Mohammedans, Sikhs, Hindus and Englishmen. The doors
are always open. The whole atmosphere is redolent of literature. His sitting room, in
which he passes most of the day at the dark is full of books and papers; the walls of
his dining room are covered with book cases filled with standard English works; and
his library a splendid room is stocked with a variety of book.
After the partition, Sir Syed House became an Evacuee property and in course of
time the entire structure came down. It was purchased in 1960 at a cost of Rs.
1,65,782/- from the Ministry of Rehabilitation. Though the support of Professor
Abdul Aleem, the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. K.A. Nizami was able to get the
dilapidated house reconstructed.
On May3-4, 1974, the Executive Council of the University appointed Professor K.A.
Nizami as Hony. Director of Sir Syed Academy.
The inauguration ceremony of Sir Syed Academy took place on October 22, 1974 at
the hands of a distinguished alumnus Mir Akbar Ali Khan, the then Governor of U.P.
The Sir Syed House had its own importance. It was a historic structure wherein Sir
Syed planned the whole Movement. It was the centre of his activities wherein he
passed innumerable hopeful nights and restless days and wherein he dreamt of an
independent India with Hindus and Muslims as two eyes on the bright face of his
motherland. It was thought that the recovery of Sir Syed House would have a great
educational and psychological value and was decided by the University to preserve it
after reconditioning it.
The Sir Syed House had become an evacuee property because of its successors who
had gone to Pakistan. It could have been auctioned any moment but the University
persuaded the UGC to give it a grant. Dr. Zakir Husain had taken this matter seven
times to Government. Finally, the UGC sanctioned a non-recurring grant not
exceeding Rs. 1,18,000/- to the University for the purchase of Sir Syed House, which
is occupied after having paid Rs. 1,62,782/-.
Wilayat Manzil:
Deputy Habibullah Khan was a
student of the MAO College during
the time of Sir Syed. He joined the
institution in 1887. Though he
joined the Government service, he
remained deeply involved in the
affairs of the College and later
settle at Aligarh. His house in which he had named as Wilayat Manzil is now the
Faculty of Theology as he had donated the building to the University. He played an
important role in the foundation of the City High School and the Aftab Hostel. He
was a friend and admirer of Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan.
Scientific Society:
The foundation stone of the
Scientific Society was laid by the
Lieutenant Governor, Edmud
Drummond at Aligarh in 1864. A
some of Rs 30,000 was collected
and a building close to the present
Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College
(Dawakhana Tibbiya College) was
constructed to house this society,
the first modernist institution in Islam. Mr Williams, the Commissioner of Meerut
Division, formally opened it on February 14, 1866.
Health Service:
In April of 1901, Lord Curzon
visited the College and
received an address from the
Trustees; Lord Curzon
afterwards inspected the
College and the Boarding
House with characteristics
thoroughness; while going
over the buildings he
expressed a desire to make a
gift to the College in some form which would be most likely to meet its immediate
needs and promote its advancement. Morrison was responsible for informing him
that the object that best answered that description would be a hospital within the
walls of the college for the use of students, for whom no such convenience had
previously existed. When informed that the probable cost would be about Rs.
15,000/-. His Excellency said that he would gladly inaugurate an attempt to raise
that total by offering the sum of Rs. 1,000/- conditionally upon the raising of the
remaining Rs. 14,000/- by similar donations from 14 persons. In a short while a sum
of Rs. 17,000/- was raised and that in addition to this sum His Highness the Nawab
of Bhawalpur contributed Rs. 10,000/- to the same purpose; the plan has been
settled and the building is named after Curzon hospital.