BIBI-KA-MAQBARA

This mausoleum, housing the tomb of Rabia Ul-Darrani, Aurangzeb's first wife, took over 10 years to complete. Many historians attribute the building's construction to Prince Azam Shah, but it would appear that it was actually commissioned by Aurangzeb. Work began in 1651, before the prince was even born... Resembling a miniature version of the Taj Mahal, the monument is the finest example of Mughal architecture in the Deccan Valley. The mausoleum consists of a domed alcove set on a platform framed by four towers at each corner. The architectural ensemble is set in the center of a vast Mughal-inspired garden, criss-crossed by basins and canals in which the numbers 8 and 9 recur regularly. The towers and basins are octagonal, and the paved paths are decorated with 9-pointed stars. The symmetry of the whole was broken by the construction of a mosque added in the ^18th century by the nizam of Hyderabad.

Only the base of the mausoleum is marble, the rest is white plaster. The use of plaster, much less expensive than marble, marks the decline of Aurangzeb's empire and heralds the end of the Mughal Empire.

The mausoleum's openings are decorated with jali, a kind of plaster lacework that casts beautiful shadows on the floor. The tomb, set in an octagonal pit, is covered with a green cloth, the color of Islam. Visitors throw in coins and banknotes as they make a wish.