to the north, while the face is turned sideways towards Mecca. The real burial chamber of the Emperor, however, lies in an underground chamber, exactly beneath the upper cenotaph, accessible through a separate passage outside the main structure, which remains mostly closed to visiting public. This burial technique along with pietra dura, a marble and even stone inlay ornamentation in numerous geometrical and arabesque patterns, seen all around the facade is an important legacy of Indo-Islamic architecture, and flourished in many later mausolea of the Mughal Empire, like the Taj Mahal, which also features twin cenotaphs and exquisite pietra dura craftsmanship. The main chamber also carries the symbolic element, a mihrab design over the central marble lattice or jaali, facing Mecca in the West. Instead of the traditional Surah 24, An-Noor of Quran being inscribed on the mihrabs, this one is just an outline allowing light to enter directly into the chamber, from Qibla or the direction of Mecca, thus elevating the status of the Emperor above his rivals and closer to divinity. This chamber with its high ceiling is encompassed by four main octagonal chambers on two floors, set at the diagonals with arched lobbies leading to them also connecting them. There are four auxiliary chambers in between, suggesting that the tomb was built as a dynastic mausoleum. Collectively the concept of eight side chambers not only offers passage for circumambulation of the main cenotaph, a practice common in Sufism and also visible in many Mughal imperial mausoleums, it also reflects the concept of Paradise in Islamic cosmology. Each of the main chambers has, in turn, eight more, smaller chambers radiating from them, and thus the symmetrical ground plan reveals itself to contain 124 vaulted chambers in all. Many smaller chambers too, contain cenotaphs of other members of the Mughal royal family and nobility, all within main walls of the tomb. Prominent among them cenotaphs of Hamida Begum herself are there alongside Dara Shikoh. In all there are over 100 graves within the entire complex, including many on the first level terrace, earning it the name "Dormitory of the Mughals". Since the graves are not inscribed their identification remains uncertain. The building was the first to use its unique combination of red sandstone and white marble, and includes several elements of Indian architecture, like the small canopies or chhatris surrounding the central dome, popular in Rajasthani architecture and which