Mustafa Castle in Meerut

The imposing Mustafa Castle is located in the Cantonment area of Meerut and marks one of the greatest and historic landmarks of the city. This castle was built in 1900 by Nawab Mohammad Ishak Khan in the memory of his father Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta who was a renowned Urdu poet of those times. The grandiose of the interiors, the decorated gates, the art and artifacts are some of the highlights of this castle.


This castle also served as a centre for meetings by nationalists and conferences that was held during the pre-Independence era and has hosted some of the illustrious political and literary figures of those times. This castle is an unparallel even as on date and is considered to be an epitome of great architecture and design coupled with great eye for detail.

Significance of Mustafa Castle in Meerut

Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta Nawab was a patriot, poet and critic who was a close friend of Mirza Ghalib. His grandfather, Ismail Baig, was the Commander-in-Chief of the Mughal army. He fought against the British even after he surrendered and later migrated to Nepal. Naturally, the eyes of the British were on Nawab Mustafa Khan.

During the 1857 uprising, he wrote extensively in support of his motherland, for which reason he was imprisoned for seven years. The cell in which he was confined has been retained unaltered even till today.

Nawa Ishak Khan was the son of Nawab Mustafa Khan Shefta, who was a renowned politician and national activist himself, was a man of eclectic tastes. In honor and respect to his father, he came upon the idea to design this castle himself and is considered to be a finest examples of architecture, which has impressions of European, Rajasthani and Lucknow architecture.

Choicest of art and artifacts from world over, paintings, wooden carvings, furniture from England are some of its highlights. The internal chambers of this castle have been named after the colours and the rooms are used as per the seasons of the year. Mustafa Castle has hosted some of the noteworthy and illustrious personalities of the pre-Independence times such as Sarojini Naidu, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed Ali Jinnah etc., during the various phases of the freedom struggle.

Having stood the test of time for more than a century now, the total area comprises of 30 acres in the midst of which the Mustafa Castle stands. Even till to this day, this castle continues to be a finest example of architecture with a eclectic blend of styles from world over.

Address: Mustafa Castle, Meerut Cantonment, Meerut-250001