The Tomb of Itmad Ud-Daulah : first one made entirely of marbles that needs publicity

 Many  north Indian cities such  Delhi, Agra and near-by Fatehpur Shikari have impressive structures built in Indo- Mogul  style. There are countless historical Muslim buildings across central and in the upper part of south India such as Gol Gumbaz - the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah of Bijapur and Bibi Ka Maqbara - mausoleum of Emperor Aurangzeb's wife, Dilras Banu Begum (made of marbles)  of Aurangabad, etc  are equally impressive, but are not as popular as those in the Delhi region.The reason is you seldom see rich embellished interiors in these structures. With some exceptions, many of the Islamic structure are not made of marble stones; this being due to lack of availability of marbles in southern parts which a have hard granitic rock out crops (intrusive igneous) and Basaltic rocks (of Volcanic origin) as in the Deccan region and its fringes.

 Surprisingly, there is a Mogul monument in Agra itself that has not been given due attention that it deserves. It is the Mausoleum of Itmad Ud-Daulah that needs better  treatment and publicity.  In the chronicles of Mogul history, it was the first tomb in India to be made entirely  of marble. 

Agra: - a Prototype for Taj Mahal TripAdvisorFlicker.com

Agra:Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah:  TripAdvisor

Agra:Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah: Baby Taj TripAdvisor  

Agra: Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah: Baby Taj TripAdviso

Built on the left bank of the Yamuna River between 1622 to 1628, the tomb of Itmad Ud-Daulah was commissioned by the wife of Jahangir, Begum Noor Jahan. It waa a memorial to her father Mir Ghiyas Beg, also the Chief Minister in the court of Jahangir. Later, many of her relatives were buried inside the mausoleum. Spreading across 50 sq.meters in that area

Agra: Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah: Flicker.com 

The tomb of Itmad Ud-Daulah is an interesting one, looking like a  jewel box  surrounded by a lush green garden.  Earlier, ordinary stones were used for building mausoleums. For example  red sandstone with marble decorations, as in Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and Akbar's tomb in Sikandra.

Located in the middle of a  garden with water ways, walkways, etc it appears to be similar to the Taj in design style, as if  it is  a  precursor  to the Taj Mahal. Amazingly, the tomb walls  are embellished with semi-precious stones like jasper and topaz. These stones are beautifully shaped like  trees and wine bottles. Marble Jali screens  are diligently  fixed in such a way, inside the tomb, the inner par gets enough sunlight. Historians call it  “Baby Taj Mahal” or the draft of Taj Mahal as it resembles the Taj mahal which came up later in Agra. .

Tomb of Itmad Ud-Daulah,Agra.alamy.co

Baby Taj,tomb of Itmad Ud-Daulah,Agra alamy.com

Tit-Bits:

01. Begum Noor Jehan also built a tomb for Jehangir at Lahore. 

02. Noor Jehan's mother was also buried here. 

03. Unlike, the Taj or any other Mausoleums, non-muslims are not allowed inside the tomb. Here, the tomb is open to  public.

04. Inside the tomb, unlike other tombs, it is fairly well-lit because of the strategic location of the jali marble windows. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_I%27tim%C4%81d-ud-Daulah