Experts say that never before in India was a 16th century building largely dismantled for repair and conservation. The work is being carried out by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) with co-funding from the German embassy. "The 64 pillars support 25 domes on which 8-inch-thick marble blocks were fixed to the underlying masonry with iron dowels. With water ingress from the roof, the iron dowels began to rust, corrode and expand, causing severe damages to almost each marble piece," said Neetipal Brar, the project architect.