Aligarh Muslim University has opened a week-long exhibition, Architectural Splendour of Aligarh Muslim University, at the Moinuddin Ahmad Art Gallery on campus. If you are a student, a parent visiting campus or an Alig in town this week, this is a rare chance to see the original proposed drawings of the M.A.O. College, made while Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was still alive.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon inaugurated the exhibition on 14 November 2026. It has been put together by the AMU Heritage Cell with the Moinuddin Ahmad Art Gallery.
At a glance
- What: Architectural Splendour of Aligarh Muslim University, an exhibition on the campus and its historic buildings
- Where: Moinuddin Ahmad Art Gallery, AMU
- Opened: 14 November 2026
- Duration: one week, as per the university
- Organised by: AMU Heritage Cell with the Moinuddin Ahmad Art Gallery
What you will see
The highlight is a set of original proposed architectural drawings of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College. These archival sheets show how the founders first imagined the campus, long before the college became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. For anyone who has walked past Strachey Hall or the Victoria Gate every day, it is a chance to see where those buildings began on paper.
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Alongside the archive, the Heritage Cell has put up its own documentation and conservation work. Students of the Department of Architecture have contributed measured drawings and documentation of the university’s historic buildings. Together they trace how the campus grew and changed over time.
If you want a quick primer before you go, read our guide to AMU’s iconic campus landmarks and the timeline from MAO College to Aligarh Muslim University.
What the Vice-Chancellor said
Prof. Naima Khatoon said the university’s architectural heritage is “an integral part of its institutional identity” and reflects the vision of its founder. She said preserving the historic buildings and recording how they evolved is a responsibility to future generations, and hoped the exhibition would push students to engage more with the university’s legacy and help preserve it.
Who curated it
The exhibition was jointly curated by Prof. Mohammad Farhan Fazli, Convener of the Heritage Cell, and Prof. Badar Jahan, Coordinator of the Moinuddin Ahmad Art Gallery. The organising team included Prof. Sabih Akhtar (Coordinator, Exhibition), Prof. Mohammad Khalid Hasan (Convener, Exhibition) and Dr. S. M. Noman Tariq (Organising Secretary).
Why it matters
AMU’s campus is one of the most recognisable in India, but most students only see the buildings from the outside. Exhibitions like this put the drawings, the conservation effort and the history in one room. For architecture and history students it is also a useful reference for project work. Sir Syed’s own vision for the college is covered in our Sir Syed Ahmad Khan biography.
Official details: AMU Public Relations Office release.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the AMU architecture exhibition being held?
At the Moinuddin Ahmad Art Gallery on the Aligarh Muslim University campus.
How long will the Architectural Splendour exhibition run?
It is a week-long exhibition that opened on 14 November 2026. Check with the art gallery for daily timings before you visit.
What is special about this exhibition?
It displays the original proposed architectural drawings of the M.A.O. College, made during Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s lifetime, along with the Heritage Cell’s conservation work and drawings by architecture students.
Who organised the exhibition?
The AMU Heritage Cell in collaboration with the Moinuddin Ahmad Art Gallery. It was curated by Prof. Mohammad Farhan Fazli and Prof. Badar Jahan.
