In Section: Taj Mahal, Agra, India. Taj mahal mausoleum in agra. The main elements of the architectural complex of the Taj Mahal

In the history of Muslim architecture, it is difficult to find a building that would gain fame equal to that of the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum in Indian city Agra, where in the XVI-XVII centuries the residence of the Great Mongols (1525-1858) - the padishahs of India and Afghanistan was located.

Enthusiastic travelers called this beautiful building, captivating with its spiritual beauty, "the eighth wonder of the world." Standing at the edge of the Jumna River, embraced by light and air, the white marble Taj Mahal - the Crown of the area, reigns supreme in the surrounding space, crowning the burial garden unfolded at its foot - Ravda, a commonwealth of greenery, water and architecture.

For a Muslim, this is a corner of the earth abounding in water and plants, where the peace of nature fills the human soul with serenity and peace, where true believers who have left the illusory world of the “next life” find peace in anticipation doomsday and Eternal Life in the “abode of the world”, where “ The Lord gladdens them with His mercy and favor, and with gardens where abiding grace for them ” (meaning, Koran 10:24–25; 9:21).

The best and most pure (in the spiritual sense) place in the Gardens of Eden (janna) is called in Arabic ravdat al-jannat, and earthly justice serves as a kind of metaphor for it. Unsurpassed in scope and magnificence, the memorial and cult ensemble of the Taj Mahal was recognized by his contemporaries as the most perfect expression of this metaphor. Muhammad Salih (died after 1660), the court historian of the Great Moghuls, the author of "Shah Jahan Name" - the biography of the Emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1657), characterized the ravda of the Taj Mahal as " a garden that has all the signs of Paradise"and" having no equal on earth in terms of novelty of plan and spaciousness.

The Taj Mahal ensemble has become a true pearl in the crown of magnificent garden and park ensembles created by the Mughal emperors since the time of the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Zahir ad-Din Babur (1526-1530).

A fifth-generation descendant of Emir Timur, a native of Ferghana, where his father owned a small principality, Babur inherited from the Timurids a keen interest in creating magnificent parks with flower beds, groves, green esplanades, palaces and pavilions. Babur's passion for the art of gardening and architecture was passed on to his successors.

The initiator of the creation of the famous memorial in Agra, Emperor Shah Jahan, may have been an architect himself. In his youth, as a prince, he supervised the laying out of gardens in Kashmir for his father, Emperor Jahangir, and in Kabul, the construction of new buildings in the country garden of Bagi Babur, the burial place of Sultan Babur. It is believed that Shah Jahan personally participated in the construction of a small marble mosque in this garden that bears his name.

One way or another, but the idea of ​​​​projecting a grandiose ensemble of the Taj Mahal mausoleum, built between 1632 and 1654, belongs to him, and was caused by the loss of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal - the Light of the Palace, who died in the summer of 1631 at the birth of their fourteenth child. One can only be surprised that the monarch, known for cruelty, turned out to be capable of such sublime love, which inspired him to create a memorial and cult ensemble of truly cosmic proportions.

According to the emperor’s plan, the memorial of unprecedented grandeur with mausoleums, mosques, caravanserai for pilgrims, a palace for guests, servants’ dwellings and a funeral garden was to consist of two complexes separated by a river, but connected by a bridge.

One of them - a magnificent architectural and park complex - unfolded around the majestic mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal, dressed in white marble. Surviving to this day, this complex is known to us as the Taj Mahal. The second part of the project, which was not destined to come true, was to be the Shah Jahan complex with a monumental tomb, completely lined with black marble.

In history islamic architecture The Taj Mahal is the only example of the creation of a ceremonial memorial and cult ensemble not with the aim of honoring the holy grave exuding grace, not in order to consecrate, glorify and perpetuate the name of the Muslim monarch - but in order to embody in an incorruptible image the memory of a beautiful and virtuous beloved .

The territory of the ensemble is a rectangle surrounded by red sandstone walls, stretched from south to north, towards the Jamna River. southern part a rectangle with a gate in the center of the southern wall occupies the front yard with a caravanserai. The middle, square section of the complex is reserved for a regular chakhar-bagh garden, divided into four squares by canals-axes laid crosswise under the central reservoir, framed by tree-lined paths-alleys.

The white marble mausoleum, reflected in the mirror of the reservoir filled to the brim, raised on a high square platform with a side of 95.4 m, stands at the northern end of the central axis opposite the monumental entrance gate.

At the western end of the transverse axis of the mausoleum, a memorial mosque made of red sandstone with domes made of white marble. The building of the palace for guests is placed symmetrically from the east, similar in shape to a mosque.

The mausoleum, crowned with five domes, strikes with the size of the building and the proportionality of all parts. In the dome of the main dome, crowning the volume in the form of a cube with cut corners, a giant tomb reaches a height of 74 meters. A huge dome, like a closed lotus bud, clinging to it, is surrounded by a crown of four small domes, elevated above the through arched pavilions-arbors and therefore seeming light, almost soaring. The upper corners of the mausoleum are marked with thin, like candles, high turrets with domed caps, which give the building a festive solemnity and elegance. The four minarets at the corners of the platform are topped with lanterns of the same shape as the pavilions on the roof.

The building is absolutely symmetrical, its facades repeat each other without changes: a large vaulted aivan, placed in the center of the main entrance - peshtak, is framed by two-tiered niches, echoing in the niches on the edges cutting the corners of the cube. A large, gracefully curved and pointed arch and a dome with a similar pattern, crowned with a spire, serve both as a leitmotif of decorative decoration and as a building design module that organically combines the features of Islamic architecture with elements of Hindu architecture.

The interior layout of the mausoleum is far from the usual composition of Muslim tombs. Its plan (a square with truncated corners, close in shape to a regular octagon) is more like a mandala - a Hindu geometric diagram of the structure of the Universe. The center of the building is occupied by an octagonal room located under a large dome with cenotaphs standing side by side - front false sarcophagi of Queen Mumtaz Mahal and Emperor Shah Jahan. The same octagonal halls are inscribed in the corner zones under small domes, connected to the tomb by narrow beam corridors.

The passages connecting all four portals with the corner halls and the tomb are precisely arranged on the coordinate axes. In the construction of arches and domes, in the design of the repeating multifaceted domed pavilion-arbor, forms are recognizable that are closer to the traditional art of India than to the architecture of the countries of Islam. Meanwhile, according to some reports, people from the famous artistic centers of the Muslim East - Herat and Shiraz - took part in the design of the mausoleum.

Official documents of that time, respectfully indicating the names and titles of senior officials, do not name the architect of the Taj Mahal. It is believed that he was the famous civil engineer Ustaz Ahmad Lahori (born between 1570 and 1575, died in 1647), mentioned in a forgotten old manuscript, made public only in the 20th century. An astronomer, geometer and mathematician, he was born in a family of Khorasan and grew up in Herat, which kept the traditions of the culture of the Timurid era. During the reign of Padishah Jahangir, Ustaz Ahmad moved to Lahore (hence his nisba - Lahori), where he gained fame as a great architect, who received the honorary name Nadir al-Asr - Rarity of the era as a reward for projects.

One way or another, the creators of the ensemble were excellent mathematicians, constructors and designers, which explains the unique beauty of proportions, harmony and lightness, almost airiness of the architecture of the Taj Mahal. The façades – with an exquisitely strict sequence of straight and curved lines, a classic balance of planes and softly rounded volumes, a changeable play of light and shadow, a lively response of marble to changes in lighting during the day and night, in the sun and in bad weather – did not need lush decor.

The architects limited themselves to introducing into the tympanum portal arches a thin plant arabesque, as if inscribed with a pen, inlaid with gems, framing the niches with straight ribbons of black inscriptions, and finishing the plinth with marble reliefs with the motif of a blooming rose bush placed inside the inlaid patterned border. Interior decoration with images of flowering plants and arabesques, typed in floor plates precious stones(jasper, carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise), looks more diverse and richer thanks to the openwork golden fence around the tombstones and the lattices of the entrance arches and windows. The light seeping through the bars and the reflections of gold magically transform the high marble hall into a kind of ivory palace.

The Taj Mahal not only serves as the crown of the imperial memorial. This beautiful, one-of-a-kind building triumphantly completes the history of the architecture of medieval Muslim mausoleums.

A masterpiece of Mughal art, in its magnificent form, the Taj Mahal mausoleum organically combined the artistic experience of two civilizations - the Islamic world and India.

Tomb of the Taj Mahal Taj Mahal Mausoleum), Agra, northern India.
A unique monument to the love of a man and a woman, which millions of people come to see every year. The love story of Shah Jahan, the ruler of the Mughal Empire, and his beloved wife, Mumtas Mahal, is romantic in the extreme and tragic at the same time. In all likelihood, the Sultan had special feelings for this woman, despite the fact that about 1000 concubines and slaves were kept in his harem, and there were also several more wives. The marital idyll lasted almost 20 years and Mumtas Mahal gave birth to 14 children, and the last birth in 1631 ended tragically - the woman died. The Sultan, grieving for the loss and fulfilling the request of his wife, decides to erect the Taj Mahal mausoleum, which will symbolize the earthly embodiment of heavenly paradise and will have no equal in the world. For 22 years the best master Central Asia and the Middle East erected a majestic building, which years later will become a symbol of India, as well as a pearl of Islamic architecture.

The Taj Mahal is a symmetrical structure with one main and four secondary domes. Along the edges rise 4 decorative minarets, which are not used for their intended purpose, because. The Taj Mahal is not a mosque. The height of the mausoleum is 64 meters, minarets - 50 meters. The façade of the complex is complemented by a luxurious garden, characteristic of the culture of Islam, typically in their layout there are pools, canals, fountains, neat and symmetrical vegetation. Photo copyright belongs to photographer Louis Vest

The walls of the mausoleum are lined with polished marble, when the sun is low on the horizon, the structure changes color from white to golden pink. The platform on which the Taj Mahal stands has dimensions of 56 by 56 meters and almost 7 meters in height. The photo is copyrighted by photographer Francisco Martins. Published with the permission of the author. I recommend checking out his work.

The mausoleum was built in accordance with the canons of Islam, all the walls and vaults are covered with drawings of flowers, patterns of precious stones and Arabic calligraphy (images of people and animals are prohibited). The architecture contains large vaulted halls, characteristic of Muslim buildings, called iwan (iwan) with a characteristic upper part in the form of a dome. They can be through (reminiscent of a gate) or closed (reminiscent of a niche). The photo is copyrighted by the diver photographer

During the reign of the Great Mughals, Agra, along with Delhi, was considered the capital of the empire, which had reached its peak by that time. According to tradition, in the suburbs, on the banks of the Jamna, it was decided to erect a building. The place was chosen surprisingly well, not a single earthquake has yet caused serious damage to the mausoleum.

At the burial site, the construction of the mausoleum began, which lasted about 22 years.

The construction of the tomb was completed in 1648 (although finishing work continued until 1653) and cost the ruler 32 million rupees. To carry out such a grandiose plan in just over 20 years is a remarkable achievement, but this became possible because Shah Jahan used all the resources of his empire: about 20,000 workers worked on the construction, more than 1,000 elephants delivered marble from a unique Rajputan quarry 320 km from Agra . Malachite was brought from Russia, carnelian - from Baghdad, turquoise - from Persia and Tibet. The walls of the mausoleum are made of polished translucent marble inlaid with gems. Marble has such a feature that in bright daylight it looks white, but at dawn it becomes pink, and on a moonlit night - silver. Judging by the written sources that have come down to us, the chief architect of the Taj Mahal was a certain Ustad-Isa, the most famous Agrian architect of that time. In addition to him, many craftsmen from Delhi, Lahore, Multan, as well as from Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara were involved in the construction. There is an opinion that architects and artists from Italy and France were also involved in the construction, but the architecture of the Taj Mahal most clearly shows the continuity of the monumental ancient Indian art in combination with elements of the medieval architecture of Iran and Central Asia.

It is believed that even Shah Jahan could have had a hand in the construction of the tomb, at least the very idea, the concept of the building definitely belongs to him. The emperor had a deep knowledge of art and was a good artist, besides, he was inspired to create the Taj Mahal by a huge, all-consuming love for Mumtaz. Shah Jahan embodied in the mausoleum his vision of the world, a harmonious, elegant and pure world. The Taj Mahal has become not only the material embodiment of love, but also a symbol of a great era.

Figure 1 - Scheme of the Taj Mahal

The tomb of Mumtaz was built in the strict canons of Islamic architecture. To the left and to the right of the mausoleum are two graceful mosques made of red sandstone, shading the whiteness of its walls with their color. (In fact, only one of them is a real mosque - the one that faces east, and the second building is known as Jawab). The whole complex is a park closed on three sides. The entrance to it, similar to a red stone palace, is decorated with a white patterned "portico", with 11 domes on top, and two towers on the sides, also topped with white domes. The fence is high galleries made of red sandstone, stretching to the minarets and the mausoleum. The park harmoniously complements the entire ensemble, since it is planned as a road leading to the main shrine, its axis is an irrigation canal, divided in the middle of the path by a marble pool. Paths lead from it to four minarets. As mentioned above, when creating the Taj Mahal, a whimsical Arabic style was used, in which each element is unique, and at the same time fits perfectly into the overall architectural composition. In addition, all buildings of the complex are subject to strict symmetry.

The central dome of the mausoleum is 58 feet in diameter and rises 213 feet (74 meters) high. It is surrounded by four smaller domes, and a little further there are four graceful thin minarets, which, like sentries, guard the chambers of Mumtaz from intruders. It is noteworthy that the towers were erected at an angle, they are slightly tilted back - this is not a flaw in the design at all, but a well-thought-out detail. This position of the minarets would save the tomb from destruction during an earthquake. By the way, isn't it a miracle that the Taj Mahal has never been severely damaged due to the strong tremors that are so frequent in this seismically active zone?

From the side of the river there is nothing so that nothing obscures the mausoleum itself. Jamna is not very calm here, so it is almost impossible to see a perfect reflection, which emphasizes the illusion of unreality. Many people specially come to the opposite bank early in the morning to see with their own eyes how this majestic building soars in the predawn fog, and with the first rays of the sun, the play of color on its walls begins. Perhaps this airiness is created by proportions that are unusual for us, when the height is equal to the width of the facade, and the facade itself is cut through by huge semicircular niches and seems weightless. Or maybe it is the main dome that carries the rest of the structure up with it - four small domes and four minarets.

A staircase leads to the very heart, shoes are left at its beginning, as in front of a temple ... The white marble foam of the walls is decorated with the most skillful mosaics of thousands of precious and semi-precious stones. Stems of plants woven into an exquisite ornament and a ligature of Arabic letters lined with black marble. Fourteen suras from the Koran - a traditional decoration for Muslim architecture - are crowned with arches above the windows. Recently, scientists released information that an ambitious ruler, competing with Heaven, wanted to build a paradise on earth, where the throne of Allah would be. Here is a sura from the Koran on the gate, ending with the words “enter my paradise!”. In the center is a carved marble screen, behind which two false tombs, or cenotaphs, are visible, the crypts themselves are under the floor. It's very quiet, the sun's rays fall through the windswept windows. On the walls are garlands of unfading stone flowers, covering the floor and walls with an eternal carpet.

In the center of the mausoleum lie the remains of the Empress and Shah Jahan. The cenotaphs are surrounded by a marble fence, which is skillfully decorated with openwork ornaments and gems. In those tombs that are located in the burial chamber, in fact, there are no bodies, they are buried in crypts below them. Being inside the tomb, it is so easy to imagine how the once heartbroken ruler shed tears over the grave of his wife. And in those distant times, the rays of the sun, just as now, illuminated the sarcophagus of Mumtaz, and the outgoing light caressed the face and hands of the grieving husband, like the gentle touch of the fingers of his beloved princess. Only the voice of the mullah, reading suras from the Koran, echoing loudly, cut through the silence, silence and peace of the “moon-faced maiden” who found here the last refuge ...

Figure 2- Construction of the Taj Mahal

The mausoleum of the Taj Mahal is part of a huge complex consisting of the main gate leading to a magnificent, skillfully laid out garden, this also includes a mosque, a guest house (reception hall) and several other luxurious buildings. The mosque, built of red sandstone, also attracts the attention of pilgrims and tourists. Particularly interesting are the beautiful gates, decorated with 22 domes, symbolizing the number of years spent on the construction of the Taj Mahal.

A worthy frame for the Taj Mahal is a magnificent decorative park with lakes, fountains and canals, covering a total of 18 hectares, with a clear layout. Unlike other structures that were usually placed in the center of the garden, the Taj Mahal is located at its end, being its crown. Perhaps it was here that invited European masters applied their skills. In the center of a huge garden is a swimming pool that divides the complex into four parts, which, in turn, are also divided into equal sections. The entire complex is divided into two halves by an irrigation canal that stretches across the entire territory of the garden. Tiled paths lead to the minarets of the Taj Mahal. Cypress trees are planted along the artificial canal with fountains, the outlines of the crowns of which echo the domes of four minarets. Thus, the garden repeats the whimsical style of the Taj Mahal itself, where every detail is unusual and harmonious, but at the same time obeys the general symmetry.

23 years have passed since Mumtaz Mahal passed away. The powerful Shah Jahan tried to forget himself both in the caresses of the harem and in military campaigns, but he could not. He often came to Agra, and for a long time, without looking up, looked at majestic monument his Love. He named it in tune with the name of his lost wife - Taj Mahal. When the construction came to an end, in 1653, the aging ruler gave the order to proceed with the construction of a second building - a mausoleum for himself, an exact copy of the first, but made of black marble on the opposite bank of the Jamna, connecting the two mausoleums with a bridge, symbolizing love that will survive death itself. . This was already recklessness: the country was devastated by numerous wars and an expensive project, the people grumbled. In 1658, Shah Jahan became very ill. Between his children from the Persian princess and from Mumtaz Mahal, a struggle for the throne began. Not the eldest, but supported by the powerful Muslim clans of India, Prince Aurangzeb seized power. However, his father's illness receded. And then Aurangzeb was forced to imprison his parent in the fortress of Agra, arguing that the parent's crazy projects were ruining the country. History repeats itself, because once Jahan himself came to power through fratricide. But, contrary to legend, Shah Jahan did not look at the Taj Mahal through the bars for many years. He was a prisoner and did not leave the fortress. But there he was given all the honors. In addition, his youngest beloved daughter Jahanara was constantly with him. It was she who insisted that his father be buried next to the stand, whom he loved so much.

Not everyone knows, but the world-famous mausoleum-mosque, located in the Indian city of Agra, has a “sibling”, only poorer and smaller. Moreover, Bibi-Ka-Makbara (Bibi ka Maqbara Mausoleum) is called the Taj Mahal for the poor.

This mausoleum is located on the outskirts of the city of Aurangabad, in eastern India. This copy of the Taj Mahal was built in the middle of the 17th century. If the Taj Mahal is lined entirely with marble, then the Bibi-Ka-Makbara contains marble only on the front part. The rest of the finish is made of white sandstone. According to conditional estimates for the construction of these two mausoleums, the construction of Bibi-Ka-Makbar cost Padishah Aurangzeb fifty times cheaper than the construction of the Taj Mahal for Padishah Shah Jahan.

Let's find out more about his story...

Photo 1.

Bibi-Ka-Makbara was built between 1651 and 1661 by Prince Azam Shah in honor of his mother, modeled on the Taj Mahal, but significantly inferior to the latter in size and pomp of decoration. The mausoleum is located in the city of Aurangabad (Maharashtra).

Azam Shah, starting construction, wanted to compete with his grandfather, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Azam Shah did not have enough opportunities: the treasury was empty, and there was nothing to hire skilled craftsmen. So Bibi-Ka-Makbara turned out to be a rather modest “copy”, however, here you can see beautiful wall paintings, carved decoration, in a word, everything that is typical for architectural style Mughals.

Photo 2.

The mausoleum looks picturesque against the backdrop of a wonderful garden. artificial ponds, fountains, wide alleys and an abundance of greenery - all this captivates numerous tourists. The garden is fenced off by a high stone wall, and on three sides you can see open pavilions. The mausoleum is built on a high square pedestal with minarets in the corners. True, the dimensions of the towers and domes are inferior to the Taj Mahal.

Photo 3.

Another significant drawback of Bibi-Ka-Makbar is that its walls are not completely lined with white marble, part is covered with light sandstone. Of course, appearance the buildings are not as shining as those of the Taj Mahal. For comparison, the construction of Bibi-Ka-Makbar was allocated about 700 thousand rupees, while the famous predecessor was built for 32 million rupees.

Photo 4.

The mausoleum stands in the center of a spacious park, measuring 458 meters by 275 meters, with axial ponds, fountains and water channels, along which wide roads are laid. The garden is surrounded by high battlements with open pavilions on three sides. The mausoleum was erected on a high square platform with four minarets at the corners, just like the Taj Mahal. The main dome of Makbar, however, is smaller and its minarets are shorter.

Photo 5.

Viewed separately, Bibi-Ka-Makbara - beautiful miracle architecture. But it pales in comparison to its more famous predecessor. While the monument at Agra is made entirely of pure white marble, the mausoleum at Aurangabad is encased in marble only up to the level of the pedestal. The walls of Makbar are also a little darker and look more dull. According to reports, the construction cost approximately 700,000 rupees. For comparison, the Taj was built for 32 million rupees. This is another reason why Bibi Ka Makbara is often referred to as the Taj Mahal for the poor.

Photo 6.

The secondary status of the structure is a consequence of Aurangzeb's lack of interest in architecture. Initially, he generally opposed the construction of a monument as lavish as the Taj, and interfered with its construction by blocking the delivery of marble from Rajasthan and other parts of the Mughal Empire. But his son Azam Shah was determined to build a monument to his mother. Somehow, Alam Shah convinced his father, who eventually relented.

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According to legend, in 1803 Nizam Sikander Jahan was so enamored with Maqbar that he planned to move him to his capital, Hyderabad. He even ordered the structure to be dismantled, slab by slab. But in the end it was not possible to fulfill this plan.

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Aurangabad is a large industrial center 400 km from Mumbai, in which there are almost no traces of its turbulent thousand years of history. Meanwhile, the two most despotic rulers medieval India: Sultan Mohammed Tughlaq in the 14th century and Emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century (the city is named after him) wanted to move the capital here from Delhi.

Not far from Aurangabad is the Daulatabad fortress - the most powerful and impregnable fortress in India. Also close to the city are cave temples Ellora and Ajanta.

The only monument in the city itself is the mausoleum of Aurangzeb's wife, which resembles the Taj Mahal, but in fact it is only a pale copy famous building in Agra.

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Taj Mahal is probably the most famous and most attractive tourist attraction in India. And it is clear why - he is stunningly beautiful. He is a miracle. Many people want to see it, and from 3 to 5 million tourists visit it every year. Although from a formal point of view, the Taj Mahal represents not Indian, but Persian architecture. But it was he who calling card India.

As you know, the Taj Mahal was built at the behest of the king of the Mughal empire Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in her 14th childbirth.

Yes, by today's standards I would not give birth to this child, there are already more than enough children. And they would live happily ever after.

But then who would have known about the 3rd wife of the fifth Mughal padishah. And so the inconsolable Shah Jahan (which means "lord of the world") ordered to build a tomb for his beloved. Which was built over 20 years (from 1630 to 1652) by about 20,000 workers under the guidance of architects from all over the Muslim world. Up to a thousand elephants and many horses and oxen were used to transport goods in construction.

Snow-white marble was brought for construction over 300 km, and other materials for the construction of the tomb were delivered not only from all over India, but also from abroad.

When the Taj Mahal was built, the problem of dismantling scaffolding and auxiliary structures was solved, as after the construction of our Winter Palace. Namely, they allowed the surrounding residents to pick up these materials for free. Which was done in a very short time (according to legend - in one night).

The names of the architects who led the creation of the miracle are known. These are Deshenov-Anu, Makramat Khan and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The Persian Lakhauri is usually considered the main author of the project. According to another version, the Turk Isa Mohammed Efendi was the chief architect.

There is a legend that the masters who performed the miracle were blinded and their hands were cut off so that nothing like this could be done. But it seems to be just a legend, there is no evidence for it.

So much was spent on the construction of the Taj Mahal that the treasury was practically empty, and the huge and richest state of the Mughals began to decline. I doubt it. Painfully rich country India.

However, after the completion of the construction, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned. The construction of the same, but black mausoleum, symmetrical to the white one, on the other side of the Janma River, was stopped. About the black mausoleum, many researchers say that this is just a legend. But agree, beautiful. And judging by the obsession of the creators of the mausoleum with the idea of ​​symmetry, and plausible.

Aurangzeb, although he kept his father in prison for 20 years, nevertheless buried him next to Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved wife and his mother. And Shah Jahan's tombstone, which is larger than Mumtaz Mahal's tombstone, is the only thing not symmetrical in the fully symmetrical Taj Mahal.

But the pitiful story that Shah Jahan spent 20 years in captivity in the Red Fort, looking out of the window at the mausoleum of his beloved, is just a legend. Yes, he was imprisoned in the Red Fort, but not in Agra, but in, 250 km from Agra.

The Taj Mahal, as the Mughal state declined, also began to slowly fall into disrepair.

The British, who captured India after the Mughals, even though they were civilized and educated, were slowly picking out semi-precious stones from the walls of the mausoleum. And with them, his golden spire was replaced with an exact bronze copy.

After Indian independence, the Taj Mahal became the most important museum, and in 1983 was declared an object world heritage UNESCO.

Due to the excess concentration of harmful substances in the air, marble darkens. But every year the Taj Mahal is cleaned, and, to my untrained eye, it looks great. The shallowing of the Janma River and, as a result, the subsidence of soils at the base of the mausoleum causes concern.

And further. Hindu nationalists say that the Taj Mahal is not an Indian work, that it was built on the site of a destroyed Hindu temple and therefore it should be demolished. How serious this is is evidenced by the fact that the Vice Prime Minister of the Indian Republic had to visit the Taj Mahal and after that make a statement that it is very beautiful and, since it was built by the Indians, it is an Indian creation.

Excursion to the Taj Mahal

The morning was somewhat foggy. What was alarming, because they write on the Internet that in winter you can not see the Taj Mahal at all because of the fog. As one tourist wrote: “I could only feel it.”

We were brought on a bus with an electric motor to the box office of the Taj Mahal. Cars with internal combustion engines cannot be used there, so as not to pollute the air.

We bought tickets, for foreigners they cost 1000 rupees, this is the most expensive excursion in the tour "".

We were checked no less strictly than when boarding an airplane, with passing through the frame and feeling.

At the entrance there are huge red gates with 11 small turrets. This is a characteristic feature of Muslim buildings in India: the walled courtyard can be entered through gates with turrets.

After passing through a relatively small arch, you finally come to the Mausoleum. Here is the first miracle: when you go through the arch, the Taj Mahal seems huge and occupies the entire opening, and when you go out, you see that it is far away, and it seems small. This is where the first "ah" comes in.

To the Taj Mahal, you walk along an elongated rectangular pool, the bottom of which is painted blue. That's why the water looks blue. Water, we must pay tribute, is transparent, which is very difficult to achieve in the tropics. But the bottom of the pool is not very clean.

The paths leading to the mausoleum are lined with low cypress trees, and mowed lawns are laid out along them. They say that initially rose flower beds were laid out here, and lawns are already an English innovation. The English do not know anything more beautiful than smooth lawns, but here, I think, roses would be better.

The Taj Mahal is best viewed from a distance. What can I say: a miracle - it is a miracle, it must be seen.

Before you go up to the mausoleum itself, you need to put on the white shoe covers issued when buying a ticket.

When you approach, the seams between the marble blocks become visible, the minarets become like ordinary lighthouses. The Taj Mahal is not perceived in parts, it does not fall apart. It must be seen in its entirety.

From the high platform paved with marble slabs around the mausoleum, the unattractive Dzhamna River with muddy water is visible. The river from the side of the mausoleum and from the opposite bank is fenced with barbed wire. When we were there, a dead cow lay in the water near the shore. They say that now it will not work to admire the Taj Mahal from the other side. “The army lives there,” the guide said.

But the Taj Mahal is also beautiful. Impressive patterns of marble and mosaics of semi-precious stones. Decorate the walls and elegant Arabic inscriptions.

Photography is not allowed inside the mausoleum. But I did not understand this and took several shots until they told me. However, there is nothing special inside. There are 2 tombstones, a larger one - the Shah, a smaller one - Mumtaz Mahal. Light penetrates through the openwork marble gratings, but it is not enough. Inside is darkness.

On the sides of the mausoleum there are 2 more symmetrical buildings. One is a functioning mosque, the other is a caravanserai, or, in Russian, a hotel. They are also not bad, but no comparison with the mausoleum.

After admiring the mausoleum close, we went to the exit, glancing at the receding miracle.

white herons like the mausoleum too

parting glance

The Taj Mahal did not disappoint me at all. It happens that you are waiting for something, and when you see it, it seems that there is nothing special. Here - no. The Taj Mahal is a delight. An ideal to which neither add nor subtract. I wondered if the Italian Andrea Palladio had influenced the architects who created this miracle, the principles were painfully similar. Theoretically, he could, because he lived several decades earlier, and Venetian masters took part in the construction of the mausoleum (at least in the creation of mosaics). In any case, the architects who created the Taj Mahal were obviously aware of the then world trends in architecture, in a trend, so to speak. And they created an undoubted masterpiece.

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