The Mahabat Maqbara is the mausoleum of the Nawab of Junagadh, completed in 1892, and it is one of the most extraordinary buildings in Gujarat. The structure mixes European Neo-Classical architecture with Islamic ornament and Indian craftsmanship in a way that shouldn't work but somehow does. The main facade has arched loggias with elaborately carved stonework, Venetian Gothic windows with blue Belgian glass, and four minarets with external spiral staircases that guests can climb for views over the city.
The compound contains a smaller, earlier tomb — the Bahauddin Maqbara — that is more conventionally Indo-Islamic but equally fine in its stonework. Both are surrounded by gardens and are freely accessible during daylight hours. This is one of those buildings you have to see twice: once to take in the overall effect, and again to notice the specific detail — the sea-creature carvings on the columns, the ornate lamp brackets, the patterned tilework. Photography is excellent in the early morning light.