Taj Mahal

Written by: Yasser Saad

Location: Agra, India

TAJ MAHAL

Taj Mahal, The Magnificent Monument that stands at the heart of India has a story that has been melting the hearts of millions of listeners since the time Taj has been visible. A story, that although ended back in 1631, continues to live on in the form of Taj and is considered a living example of eternal love. It's the love story of (Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal), two people from the course of history who set an example for the people living in present and the future to come

The Taj Mahal in India was built by a grief-stricken emperor Shah Jahan. His wife Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631 while giving birth to their 14th child. and Her last wish to her husband was "to build a Tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before". Thus emperor Shah Jahan set about building this fairytale like marvel. 

                                                

                                                             shah jahan and mumtaz mahal                                                      

Construction of the Taj Mahal began one year later and it was built to be the final resting place of Mumtaz Mahal. Different types of marble from all over the world were used to build this Burial chamber. Today, millions of people come from all over the world to visit this famous and beautifully designed Islamic tomb in Agra, a city in northern India.  

Taj Mahal was constructed between 1631 A.D and 1654 A.D. The construction is said to have been done by a workforce of 22,000 that contained among others laborers, Naqqashi laborers, painters, stonecutters, garden-layers, gardeners, embroidery artists and masons. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned its construction.  

shah jahan and mumtaz mahal TOMB

The Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that is a subtle blend of elements from Persian, Indian and Turkish architecture. It has achieved special note because of the romance of its inspiration. It is wrongly perceived that only the white domed marble mausoleum is Taj. The Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures that contains gardens, gateways, inns and a mosque.

Interesting Taj Mahal Facts: 

- Taj Mahal means 'crown of places'.  

- Mumtaz Mahal was Shah Jahan's third wife. Her name was originally Arjumand Bano Begum but when she married Shah Jahan she was christened as Mumtaz Mahal which means ‘Jewel of the Palace', or ‘Chosen One of the Palace'.  

- The Taj Mahal took approximately 20 years and approximately 20,000 workers to complete. There were also about 1000 elephants used to transport the materials needed for construction.

- The Taj Mahal complex also has additional Burial chamber, a mosque, a reflecting pool and large garden to add to its beauty.  

- The Material used to build the Taj Mahal is white Marble. The Marble used in construction was brought from many different countries.  

  

- The color of Taj Mahal appears to change color depending on the time of day. The color change also depends on whether there is moonlight at night.  

- There were about 28 different types of precious and semi-precious stones inlaid into the burial tomb of the Taj Mahal. During the Indian Rebellion in 1857, 

- many of the precious stones were stripped from the walls of the tomb.  

- UNESCO has designated the Taj Mahal as a 'World Heritage' Site and it is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.  

- The four pillars around the main dome were built to slant away from the dome slightly. This was done to help protect the tomb if the pillars ever collapsed.  

- The cost to build the Taj Mahal was about 35 million rupees, which would be about 1 million American dollars. In 1632 that would be an enormous amount of 

money to spend on a mausoleum (Burial chamber). 

- It was rumored that Shah Jahan had the hands cut off from the people who worked on the Taj Mahal once it was complete. His reasoning was that nobody would ever be able to build such a beautiful building ever again. Nobody has been able to prove that this story is true.  

- Although the Taj Mahal was built for Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan was also laid to rest in the tomb alongside his late wife.  

- There are 99 names of Allah inscribed calligraphically on the side of Mumtaz Mahal's actual tomb. 

99 Allah's names calligraphy on the Tomb