The name of the mausoleum – Taj Mahal is the short name of Mumtaz Mahal. After the death of the empress, the country has declared a two-year mourning period – from 1661 to 1663. At the end of the period the construction began. For the place of the construction was chosen a large garden on the river, owned by a noble family. The choice of location is dictated by the magical view.
20,000 people work here for 17 years. Architects and craftsmen were collected from all over India, Iran and Turkey.
For the construction are used Yemeni agates, Arabic corals, Persian onyx and amethyst. One legend states that upon completion of Taj Mahal, the master architects were blinded or killed so they can never again create such beauty.
At the beginning of XIX century the British Governor-General plans to destroy the Taj Mahal and sell it to pieces. The monument was saved only because of the lack of potential buyers in England.
Taj Mahal is 580 meters long and 300 meters wide. In the complex, except the tomb and the mosque there are also stables and inns for guests.
The mausoleum has a square base, rounded at the corners, each side is 56.6 m long, with a large central arch in the middle and lower arches on both sides. There is a small dome at each corner and the central dome, 70 meters high, looks like a huge pearl – Mohammed describes the throne of God as white pearl resting on four columns. The facade of the mausoleum is covered with carvings and inlays of colored stones, and the verses from the Quran are combined with floral motifs. The tomb is located on a platform, as the only double staircase leads to the mausoleum. On either side of the platform rise four minarets, 41.6 meters high, which are slightly inclined outwards: during an earthquake minarets had to fall sideways, and not on the tomb. Of each tower is written one letter – R, H, M, N – and together they read the ar-Rahman (Merciful), one of 99 names of Allah.
The interior of the mausoleum consists of a central hall with superb acoustics and four octagonal halls on the side – they have been provided by Shah Jahan as tomb of members of the imperial family, but Aurangzeb ignored the will of his father. A crypt is located under the hall. It hosts the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. There are replicas of the tombs in the central hall, as it was usual to make a private and a public grave. Graves in the hall are decorated with precious stones. They were originally surrounded by a silver screen, but Aurangzeb replaced it with a magnificent one made of marble. Some of the mosaic flowers used to decorate the screen are made up of over 60 pieces and create the illusion of massiveness. There is a lamp over the graves whose flame never had to be turned off (modern lamp was donated by Governor General of India Lord Curzon, as the original was stolen).
Taj Mahal is the most beautiful at sunrise covered with fog, dew and red light.
The city of Agra
Agra was the chosen city of Mugal emperors (one of the largest and most powerful dynasties in world history) in the early years. Here the founder of the dynasty Babur crated the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. Here his grandson raised the towering ramparts of the great Red Fort. Surrounded by his walls, the son built rose-red palaces and gardens. And his son them decorated them with marble mosques, palaces inlaid with white marble.
Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal
Taj Mahal is mausoleum build by the Emperor Shah Jahan for his lovely wife Mumtaz Mahal.
As a young Prince Khurram, the third son of Emperor Jahangir, married the beautiful Princess Arjumand Bano Begum, from which he had 14 children.
In 1628 Khurram occupies the imperial throne under the name of Shah Jahan (ruler of the world) and his wife is called Mumtaz Mahal (the palace’s jewel).
Mumtaz Mahal accompanied her husband in all his military campaigns.
Extremely close in nature, even some historians claim that together they took decisions for the future of the empire.
Mumtaz died during a military campaign in 1631 with the birth of their 14th child at 39 years of age. On the deathbed, she asks him to build something big and great, with which to commemorated her. The Emperor immortalized Mumtaz Mahal with the construction of a magnificent marble tomb.
The construction was long and exhausting. There was severe financial crisis in the empire. At this point one of the greatest sons saw an opportunity finally to ascend the throne. He accused his father and overtook the palace. Shah’s dream was to build a black mausoleum for himself, pposite the white. But that never happened.
