Kathmandu, Feb 9: Tabassum Siddiqui has held the distinction of becoming the first Nepali Muslim woman to get a PhD in architecture. Her PhD dissertation is entitled ‘Comparative Study of Hindu and Islamic Architecture in Nepal: Its influence on Contemporary Nepali Architecture’, which she did from Nepal Sanskrit University in the year 2024. She has also held the distinction of becoming the first Muslim architect and interior design engineer of Nepal.
Born and brought up in Nepalgunj, a city in the western plain of Nepal, she earned her graduation and post-graduation degrees from the prestigious National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan. She also served as an assistant professor at Babu Banarasi Das University in Lucknow, India for seven years.
Currently, she teaches as a visiting lecturer at Department of Architecture in several colleges including in Thapathali Campus, Himalayan College, Pulchowk Campus, and Kantipur International College in Katmandu.
Apart from her academic journey, she has set up a not-for-profit organisation – The Mother Foundation – that stresses on the need of cultural diplomacy for the development of Nepal.
According to the 2021 census, approximately 1.483 million Muslims (5.09 percent) of the total population of Nepal live in Nepal. Nepali Muslim people are defined as Nepalis who follow Islam.
According to her research themed ‘incorporation of Islamic architectural features in Nepalese architecture’, ancestors of Muslim people in Nepal are believed to have migrated from different parts of South Asia, Central Asia, and Tibet. Kashmiri traders were the first Muslim who arrived in Kathmandu during the King Ratna Malla’s reign (1484-1526), Afghans, Persians, and even Arabians. Many Muslims had also migrated to Nepal from northern India at the time of King Pratap Malla (1641-74). They were primarily engaged in the business of carpets, shawls and woolen garments between Kashmir, Ladakh, and Lhasa.
