The Roof Terrace

The section is not open to the visitors. The rectangular room is simpler than the above. The graves are similar to the upper cenotaphs but decorated with different motifs. The platform of the lower cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal is almost without any decoration. The upper surface is decorated with the inscriptions of Qur’an and the sides of the cenotaph are covered with the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of Allah inside cartouches. The epigraph at the foot end is the same with the upper cenotaph’s.

The same decoration elements such as poppies, lily-like blossoms are also used on the lower cenotaph of Shah Jahan and similar to the decoration of Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb. Again, there is no formal inscription of Qur’an but a more comprehensive and enlarged epitaph which reads;

“This is the illuminated grave and sacred resting place of the emperor, dignified as Rizwan, residing in Eternity, His Majesty, having his abode in Illiyun, Dweller in Paradise, the Second Sahib’l Quiran, Shah Jahan, Padshah Ghazi; may it be sanctified and may Paradise become his abode. He travelled from this world to the banquet hall of eternity on the twenty-sixth of the month of Rajab, in the year 1066 Hijri”.

The Roof Terrace

The outer dome surrounded by four chhatris on the corners dominates the roof terrace. The dome with the shape of hanging flower is topped by a crescent. The stairs on the eastern side reach to the interior dome without light. The dome is above the tomb chamber while the four chhatris are above the octagonal corner rooms.

The chhatris with multi-cusped arches stands on an octagonal platform of red sandstone.

The terrace, with the magnificent view of the garden to the banks through the Agra Fort, is however not open to the visitors, only the ground floor is accessible as the general regulation of the site.

The Minarets

The four minarets standing on the corners of the platform of the Mausoleum expressed as the stairs to the foot of the sky. The use of minarets dates back to the 17th century with probably the influence of the Ottoman architecture. The mosques of the Ottoman sultans were surrounded by minarets and the numbers of minarets were signifying the rank of the mosque. However, the decoration of the minarets of the Taj Mahal is rather unique than the others. The curved marble blocks are lined with black stones. The minarets are finished by a chhatris with a crescent on the top. The three balconies are reached by the rectangular doors. The grilled windows are intended for the light. The minarets are not accessible for the visitors.

The Mosque and Mihman Khana (Assembly Hall)

The mosque on the left side from the garden and Mihman Khana on the right side create mirror-like symmetry. Mihman Khana was used as the guest house during the death anniversaries of Mumtaz Mahal by the visitors then as a banquet hall for the entertainments of Indian princes and British ranked-people during the late 18th and the 19th centuries. The pool in front of the mosque functions as the place for ablution before the prayer.

The grounds of both buildings are the same. Only the octagonal mihrab niches in the mosque differentiates with the rectangular niches instead of mihrabs. Three marble domes over platforms cover both buildings. The main entrances are decorated with multi-cusped blind arches.

The ground level of the buildings is accessible for general visitors