Gol Gumbaz, Badami

Architecture

The structure is composed of a cube, 47.5 m (156 ft) on each side, capped by a roof 44 m (144 ft) in external diameter. Eight intersecting arches created by two rotated squares that create interlocking pendentives support the dome. At each of the four corners of the cube, is a dome-capped octagonal tower seven storeys high with a staircase inside. The upper floor of each tower opens on to a round gallery which surrounds the dome. The dome is one of the largest domes constructed before the modern era and was the largest in existence when it was constructed.Inside the mausoleum hall is a polygonal podium, with steps on each side. In the middle of the podium, a cenotaph slab on the ground marks the actual grave below, "the only instance of this practice" in the architecture of the Deccan sultanates. In the middle of the north side, "a large semi-octagonal bay" protrudes out. With an area of 1,700 m2 (18,000 sq ft), the mausoleum has one of the biggest single chamber spaces in the world. Running around the inside of the dome is the whispering gallery where even the softest sound can be heard on the other side of the mausoleum due to the acoustics of the space.There is a museum within the complex. The museum was established during British rule in 1892.