but the interior is built of marble, white, blue, and gray
veined. The courtyard of the mosque is deservedly celebrated. In the
centre is a marble tank for ablutions, and a marble cloister runs around
three of its sides. A flight of steps leads to the roof of the mosque,
from which a fine view is obtained.[3]

[Illustration: _The Pearl Mosque_]

[Illustration: _Akbar's tomb in Sikandra_]

A pleasant excursion across the river led us to the tasteful tomb of
Itimid-ud-Daulah. The entrance gate is fine, and the approach through
spacious, well-kept grounds gives one a wide perspective. The facade is
of marble with considerable inlaid work. Itimid-ud-Daulah was a Persian
High Treasurer, and the grandfather of the Lady of the Taj. The tomb was
built by Shah Jahangir, as was that of King Akbar at Sikandra, five
miles distant from Agra and a delightful excursion to make. It has an
imposing gateway and is situated in the midst of a veritable park. It is
of red sandstone, inlaid with white marble, and is a pyramidal building,
four stories high, the first three being of red sandstone and the fourth
of marble. The base measures three hundred and twenty feet, and the
fourth story one hundred and fifty-seven feet (narrow stairways leading
upward), which indicates a gradual decrease and tapering in size. A
massive cloister runs around the lower story, and the fourth story is
occupied by the marble cenotaph of Akbar, directly over the crypt which
contains his tomb. The cenotaph is engraved with ninety-nine names of
the deity. This story is surrounded by a white marble cloister, and on
the outer side of each arch is an oval-shaped recess, filled with
delicate lacework carving of varied patterns in marble. The effect is
unlike anything elsewhere seen. There are several other historic tombs
in the vicinity, and many points of interest all the way to Akbar's old
capital, Fatehpur-Sikri. This is twenty-two miles distant, a day's
excursion, and easily reached in automobiles; although it took some
faith to trust one's self to the rather indifferent chauffeurs.

* * * * *

FATEHPUR-SIKRI: This royal but long-destroyed city is sacred to the
memory of the Emperor Akbar, who built a gorgeous structure and selected
the site through the advice of the renowned Saint Selim Chisti. He
eventually abandoned it on account of its unhealthy location, and
transferred the capital to Agra, where, as we have seen, he built a