September 1791: Gaur was the capital of Bengal under its ancient Hindu kings and after 1200 under Muslim rulers, but an outbreak of the plague caused it to be abandoned. When the Daniells visited it, the town was "nearly overgrown with jungle (i.e. reeds, thorns, and close underwood)". The builder of the five-storeyed brick and granite minar is not documented but may well be Firuz Shah (ruled 1490) or Husain Shah (ruled 1493-1519).