Salim Chisti

Salim Chishti (1478 – 1572) (Hindi: सलीम चिश्ती, Urdu: سلیم چشتی ‎) was a Sufi saint of the Chishti Order during the Mughal Empire in India.

The Mughal Emperor Akbar came to Chishti's home in Sikri to ask him to pray for a male heir to the throne. Chishti blessed Akbar, and soon the first of three sons was born to him. He named his first son Salim (later emperor Jahangir) in honor of Chishti. A daughter of Sheikh Salim Chishti was the foster mother of Emperor Jahangir. The emperor was deeply attached to his foster mother, as reflected in the Jahangirnama and he was extremely close to her son Qutb-ud-din Khan Koka who was made the governor of Bengal and his descendants are still to be found in Sheikhupur, Badaun.

Akbar held the Sufi in such high regard that he had a great city Fatehpur Sikri built around his camp. His Mughal Court and Courtiers were then relocated there. A shortage of water is said to be the main reason that the city was abandoned and it now sits in remarkably good condition as a mostly deserted city. Now it is one of the main tourist attractions of India.

Chishti's tomb was originally built with red sandstone but later converted into a beautiful marble mausoleum. Salim Chishti's Mazar (tomb) is in the middle of the Emperor's Courtyard at Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The mausoleum was constructed by Akbar as a mark of his respect for the Sufi saint, who foretold the birth of his son, who was named Prince Salim after him and later succeeded Akbar to the throne of the Mughal Empire, as Jahangir.

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