Located
centrally in the square plan, at the junction of four causeways dividing
the garden into four quarters, the main tomb building has five storeys
built in the shape of a truncated pyramid. It stands on a high stone
platform. There are massive iwans in the centre of all sides that are as
high as the tomb and have beautiful panels adorned with inlaid mosaic
work. Inlaid arabesque work graces its spandrels, semi-soffits boast of
paintings and turrets have chevron designs. They are crowned by white
marble chhaparkhat with eight pillars. The mortuary chambers are on the
ground floor. The vestibule leading to the Akbar's tomb is decorated
with floresque, arabesque and calligraphic designs. The chamber itself
is simple and paved with stone.
The other chambers entomb graves of Aram Banu and Shukru-n-nisa
(daughters of Akbar), Zebu-n-nisa (daughter of Aurangzeb) and Sulaiman
Shikoh (son of Shah Alam). The first storey houses a large platform and
corridors roofed by stone arches in each façade. The second
storey is built of red sandstone and has arched verandah with
twenty-three bays. These bays are crowned by cupolas and white marble
pyramidal roofs decorated with glazed tiles arranged in geometrical
designs. The third and fourth storeys follow similar plans, though they
reduce in size with the ascending storeys. The fifth and the top most
storey is entirely in white marble and has no roof. It has delicate
marble screens as its walls.
The tomb of Akbar is located at
Sikandra/Sikandara near Agra.