Jilaukhana (Forecourt)

The Jilaukhana consists of a broad, paved courtyard flanked by low, red sandstone buildings. This rectangular space functioned as the transition point between the chaotic town of Tajganj and the inner sanctum of the Taj Mahal. Before reaching the main gate, petitioners and travelers left their heavy baggage here. In sixteen forty-eight, the scholar and merchant Mulla Shah stayed in these quarters, where he spent his days debating theology with visiting pilgrims while watching the laborers finalize the marble inlay on the central mausoleum.