Taha-Khana of Shah Shuja, Mughal palace in Firozpur, Bangladesh.

The Taha-Khana of Shah Shuja is a three-story brick palace in Firozpur, Bangladesh, beside the pond Dafe-ul-Balah. Its black stone thresholds and wooden beams support flat roofs, and two staircases descend into the water. The complex includes a three-domed mosque, a single-domed tomb with a veranda, a hammam fed by an octagonal reservoir, and an octagonal tower.

Shah Shuja, son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, had this palace built between 1619 and 1658 to honor his spiritual mentor Murshed Shah Syed Niyamatullah. It was erected during a period when Mughal construction activity across the subcontinent was at its height.

The name Tahakhana comes from Persian, meaning cold building or palace, and refers to the building's role as a temperature-controlled retreat. Inside the complex are several unmarked graves, believed to hold Shah Syed Niyamatullah's companions or khadems. The octagonal tower behind the family mosque is thought to have served for contemplation.

The site sits beside a large pond and takes time to explore properly, especially if you want to walk through the hammam, mosque, and tower. Comfortable shoes are a good idea since the ground slopes and the different parts of the complex are spread across several levels.

When approached from the west, the building looks like a single-story structure, but walking around to the east reveals a full second story with rooms that open directly toward the pond. The sloping ground hides the true height of the building from one side entirely.