The Safdarjung Mausoleum, constructed by an Ethiopian architect, is the Mughals' final magnificent garden tomb. Although the tomb was created and built in the manner of the famous historical monument, Humayun's Tomb, it lacked the latter's grandeur and flair. The tomb, built on an elevated platform, is surrounded by a 280-metre-square garden with a courtyard and a three-domed mosque situated within the complex, which is bordered by a wall.
The mausoleum is a sandstone and marble building completed in 1754. The stones used in the mausoleum's construction came from the grave of the famous Mughal poet, Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, who was also one of Akbar's Navratnas. The tomb's architectural design comprises four noteworthy features: a five-part front, a massive platform with a secret stairway, a central mausoleum, and a nine-fold floor plan. The tomb's entrance is two-story high with thick walls. The gates are ornamented with complex architectural motifs in purple tones. On its surface is inscribed a translated version of an Arabic inscription that reads: "When the hero of straightforward courage goes from the transitory, may he become a resident of God's paradise." A library and numerous additional chambers may be found in the tomb's back section. On the right side of the entrance gate, there is a mosque.
The centre mausoleum is Safdarjung's primary tomb and is situated on a terrace. The main mausoleum stands 92 feet tall and is made of red buff stones. Its square-shaped core room contains a cenotaph in the centre and eight partitions. In the mausoleum's ornate interior, Rococo plaster is employed. At each corner of the main tomb, four polygonal towers with kiosks are located. The real tombs or burial chambers of Safadrjung and his wife Amat Jahan Begum are housed in the monument's basement chamber.
The vast garden that surrounds the monument is divided into four squares and surrounded by pathways and water canals in the traditional Mughal charbagh garden style. Each square is then subdivided into four smaller gardens. One of the water canals leads to an elegantly decorated gateway, while the other leads to three pavilions, Jangli Mahal or Palace in the Woods, Badshah Pasand or The Emperor's Favourite, and Moti Mahal or Pearl Palace, in the western, northern, and southern directions. These pavilions, which according to historical records were previously used as dwellings by the Safdarjung family, are now home to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The ASI currently controls the whole mausoleum, as well as the library located above the main gate.
Despite following the architectural style of the Taj Mahal, the tomb lacks correct symmetry since the vertical axis has been stressed. A taller 'Pishtaq' may be seen in the centre of the elongated dome. The four tomb minarets are joined to the main mausoleum, which distinguishes it from the Taj Mahal, whose towers are not tied to the main construction. Historians have praised and condemned Safdarjung's Tomb's architectural style. It was mocked because poor grade materials were employed in its construction.
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