Chausath Khamba

Chausath Khamba, whose name means 64 pillars, stands in the Nizamuddin precinct of Delhi, close to the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya. It was built in 1623–24, during Jahangir's reign, as his own mausoleum by Mirza Aziz Koka, whose father was Ataga Khan. He served Jahangir several times as Governor of Gujarat and died at Sarkhej, where he was first buried before his remains were brought here.

First conceived as a hall and later turned into a tomb, the square building is made wholly of white marble. Its 64 columns carry 25 bays, each topped by an inverted dome hidden under a flat roof, and marble lattice screens fill the arches. Besides Mirza Aziz Koka's grave there are several unidentified tombs inside. The Aga Khan Trust landscaped its forecourt, and the Urs Mahal assembly hall and the tomb of the poet Mirza Ghalib stand alongside.