BOORIIANPOOR. 
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taste of those times. It is built of a fine dark- 
grey granite, the exterior surface of which, by long 
exposure to the climate, has assumed a hue fast 
approaching to black ; and this, in conjunction with 
the majesty of the design, gives the whole pile a tone 
of solemnity quite overpowering. The plan of the 
structure is quadrangular, presenting a fagade of 
seventeen arches, which are carried through the body 
of the building, five deep ; and at either extremity 
is a handsome octagonal minaret. The faces are 
beautifully carved in arabesque and running border 
patterns of wreathed flowers ; the mouldings are 
particularly delicate, and are covered in some in- 
stances with a profusion of carved tracery ; a grand 
terrace and reservoir occupy the front, and the entire 
edifice is enclosed within a large court. A circum- 
stance which adds not a little to the mystic effect of 
the Jumma Musjid, is the extreme nicety with which 
the blocks of granite are joined ; whence it assumes 
the appearance of having been carved out of one 
solid block : nothing less than a very close inspection 
will discover the truth. Another peculiarity is that 
it is without a single cupola, though these ornaments 
may be regarded as distinctive of the mosque in all 
other parts of India. Upon the base of one of the 
minarets there is an inscription, cut in fine bold 
Persian characters, of a large size, recording in 
triumphant terms the conquest of Boorhanpoor and 
Aseerghur, (in the year a.d. 1599,) by Akbur the 
M 
