Makka Darzee: The Nawab's Tailor Who Built Khairabad's Mini-Lucknow

• Khairabad features a complex of buildings, dubbed "mini-Lucknow," built by Makka Darzee, a wealthy tailor to Nawab Nasir-ud-din Haider of Awadh.
• Makka Darzee amassed wealth by stitching European-style clothes for the Nawab, eventually retiring to his native Khairabad to construct the architectural complex.
• The complex includes Makka Darzee's tomb, a mosque, an Imambara, and a Qadam Rasool, all designed to emulate Lucknow's architectural style.
• Despite their historical significance and architectural beauty, the structures in Khairabad are largely dilapidated due to decades of neglect.
• Heritage activists and social media attention have led the Waqf Board to request the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for restoration of Makka Darzee's complex.

Why It Matters: It reveals a common tailor's extraordinary architectural legacy, urging heritage preservation.