The mausoleum of Muḥammad Šarīf Ḫān is one of the few still‑standing pieces of architectural evidence left in Ghazni for the Mughal epoch. This monument, largely documented by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Afghanistan during the 1960s and 1970s , has already been the object of detailed architectural analysis and preliminary archaeological investigations aimed at its study, safeguard and restoration . However, a comprehensive analysis of the funerary inscriptions coming from the tombs located inside the mausoleum, still partially unpublished, and a full cross‑reading of historical, architectural and epigraphic data related to this monument call into question some assumed considerations on its chronology and lead to a new speculation about its patronage and historical significance .
Architectural overview
The mausoleum stands north‑east of the present‑day urban centre of Ghazni, near the minaret of Bahrām Šāh, on a small‑level, semi‑artificial plot (fig. 1) . To the south of the...