In architecture the first great Mughal monument
was the mausoleum to Humayun,
erected during the reign of Akbar (1556–1605).
The tomb, which was built in the 1560s,
was designed by a Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas.
Set in a garden at Delhi, it has an intricate ground plan
with central octagonal chambers, joined by an archway
with an elegant facade and surmounted by
cupolas, kiosks, and pinnacles.
At the same time Akbar was building his fortress-palace
in his capital, Agra.
Native red sandstone was inlaid with white marble,
and all the surfaces were ornately carved on the outsideand sumptuously painted inside.