The Taj Mahal Mosque - Facing West to Pray

Photo: Jakub Halun, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Taj Mahal and Agra: A Self-Guided Visit, a free self-guided tour.

Step off the marble platform to the west and you reach the mosque, a red sandstone building with three white marble domes. Every great Mughal tomb had a mosque beside it, and this one faces west, toward Mecca, as all mosques in India do.

The red stone was chosen on purpose. Next to the white mausoleum, the warm sandstone makes the tomb look even brighter, while the marble trim ties the two together. Inside the prayer hall, look at the floor: outlines of individual prayer mats are set into the stone, so worshippers know where to stand in neat rows.

This is still a working mosque. Friday prayers are held here, which is why the Taj Mahal closes to sightseers on Fridays. Please be respectful: dress modestly, keep your voice low and do not climb on the platform or walls. Walk to the edge of the terrace and look back at the tomb from the side - a view many visitors miss.

Getting here: From the tomb's main door, walk west across the marble platform and down to the red sandstone terrace; the mosque is the building on your left as you face the river.

Did you know?: The Taj Mahal is closed to visitors every Friday so that local worshippers can use this mosque for Friday prayers.

Photo op: Stand at the mosque's front arches and frame the side of the white tomb, with a minaret in the foreground.

Nearby: Shoes come off on the mosque terrace; carry them or leave them where indicated. There are no food or water stalls inside the complex.

The Taj Mahal Mosque - Facing West to Pray

Stops on this tour