Akbar’s Mausoleum

Akbar’s Mausoleum, marble and red sandstone mausoleum of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, located in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Built in 1605–13, it is a notable example of Mughal architecture.

The mausoleum is said to have been begun by Akbar himself, but his son Jahāngīr completed the design and building. It is five stories high, built mostly of red sandstone. The impressive large south gate is the entrance to the mausoleum. It is topped by four white marble minarets. The top story of the pyramidal building is also of marble and contains the false cenotaph, with the 99 attributes of Allah carved from a single block of marble. The true tomb lay beneath the first floor of the mausoleum.

During the reign of Aurangzeb, a Jat rebellion rose up, and in the 17th century Jats ransacked Akbar’s mausoleum, stealing valuables and burning Akbar’s bones. However, in the late 19th century, George Curzon, then viceroy of India, undertook the repair and restoration of Akbar’s Mausoleum.