The mosque is located west of the Taj Mahal’s tomb. Its position is significant both religiously and architecturally: the mosque faces the direction of Mecca from Agra and provides a functional prayer space within the mausoleum complex.
The mosque was built from red sandstone, contrasting with the tomb’s white marble. Its design includes a prayer hall, domes, arches, and a mihrab indicating the direction of prayer. The building stands on the western side of the tomb’s raised platform.
An almost identical structure called the jawab stands on the eastern side. The jawab was created mainly to preserve the complex’s visual symmetry, but it is not a mosque and lacks a mihrab. This paired arrangement is a common source of confusion: the west-side building serves religious purposes, while the east-side building is its architectural counterpart.
The tomb itself sits between these two structures, with the formal garden extending south toward the main gateway and the Yamuna River along the northern side.