1 · POSITION
The Arab Serai stands in the Humayun’s Tomb complex in Delhi, a World Heritage site. It is said to have been built in 1560 by Haji Begum, Humayun’s widow, to house the Arabs she brought back from her pilgrimage — a caravanserai built for one particular company of returning guests. [1]
2 · THE GUESTS
By the account the source gives, she returned from the Hajj with about three hundred Hadhrami sayyids, sheikhs and attendants, and the serai sheltered them. It is one of the clearest cases in the register of a lodging made for named guests rather than for the road. [1]
3 · THE GATES
The northern gate, about twelve metres high, is the only structure intact. The eastern gateway, built under Jahangir by Mihr Banu, once led to a market; there is a western gate as well. [1]
4 · RESTORED
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture began conserving the serai in January 2017 and finished in November 2018, and in 2019 announced the conservation of its stepwell. Delhi still names the place Arab ki Sarai. [1, 2]
5 · ⚑ CANDOUR
⚑ Checked on 22 October 2026. The three hundred Arab clerics are the source’s count and are confirmed as such. The builder is given as Haji Begum with the words it is said; the guests are described as Arab mullahs in one place and Hadhrami sayyids in another. [1–2]
Sources & Further Reading
Sources checked 22 October 2026.