Description of the attraction
The Mughal emperor Akbar the Great, who reigned from 1556 to 1605, is considered one of the most famous and revered Muslim rulers of India. Therefore, his tomb, although generally made in a rather restrained Spartan style, is nevertheless distinguished by a special luxury in details. The construction of the mausoleum for Akbar, according to tradition, began during his lifetime. The location for the grave was personally chosen by the emperor. After the death of the ruler in 1605, his son Jagankhir continued construction, and it was completed only in 1613.
The tomb is located in the small settlement of Sikandra, in the suburb of Agra and is a true masterpiece of Muslim architecture. This is a complex of two buildings, one of which is the mausoleum itself, and the other is a huge gate. A wide paved road connects them. The Buland-Darvaza Gate, or, as they are also called, the Gate of Splendor, is the main entrance to the territory of the mausoleum. They are decorated with snow-white marble minarets located at the four corners of the gate. The mausoleum is made of red sandstone, traditional for buildings of that time, and a fairly new finishing material - marble, in the form of a tetrahedral pyramid. It is divided into several tiers, the uppermost one is built of marble, there are four pointed towers on it. And in the middle of the building is an open courtyard, in the center of which there is a special "tourist version" of the imperial coffin, decorated with bizarre ornaments and inscriptions. While the true burial place of Akbar is located in the catacombs. Both the gate and the mausoleum are lined with multi-colored tiles that fold into beautiful and intricate patterns.
Many monkeys live in the area around the tomb, which can be quite aggressive and even attack tourists.
