Chini ka Rauza

Chini ka Rauza, the "Porcelain Tomb", is a riverside Mughal funerary monument in Agra, reached down a narrow lane between orchards and houses. It holds the grave of Allama Afzal Khan, a poet and scholar who served at the courts of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, and he designed the building himself in 1639. Its glazed tilework reflects the Mughal taste for Persian decoration and sets it apart from every other monument in the city.

Tiles once covered almost every surface, from balcony brackets to corner arches. Blue Quranic inscriptions sit within yellow and green patterns, floral panels and zigzag borders appear around the arches, and the dome was finished in turquoise and gold. The name comes from the belief that the material was brought from China, though the orange, blue and green work was actually made by Mughal craftsmen in Agra. Much of the colour has faded, and the facade looks best in the light of late afternoon.