Mughal architecture developed as a mix of features in the Indian subcontinent. Early Mughal style is distinguished by its synthesis of Delhi Sultanate and other regional traditions with Persian influences associated especially with the architectural styles used in Samarkand under the Turkic conqueror Timur and in Safavid Iran. Its characteristic features include formal symmetry, raised central arches in mosques, bulbous double domes, and plans such as the hasht bihisht (“eight paradises”), in which a central domed chamber is surrounded by eight subsidiary rooms. Many Mughal buildings are set within a geometrically ordered char bagh (“four-part garden”) layout, in which water channels divide the garden into quadrants. The style is further marked by the frequent use of red sandstone and white marble, often in contrasting combinations. With the influx of European diplomatic missions to the Mughal court, decorative techniques such as pietra dura inlay using semiprecious stones were introduced and came to be widely employed in later Mughal monuments.
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