What is the Taj Mahal and what city is it in? Taj Mahal: interesting facts, stories, circumstances

A beautiful story about the history of the creation of the Taj Mahal
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For 22 years (1630-1652), more than twenty thousand people, including the best architects and architects of India, Persia, Turkey, Venice and Samarkand, built this airy lace marble monument of love of the Muslim Mogul King Shah Jahan ("Lord of the World") to to his wife Arjumand Bano Begum, who received the name Mumtaz Mahal during the coronation, which means "the chosen one of the court."

They got married when she was 19 years old. He only loved young Mumtaz and did not notice other women. She gave birth to her master 14 children and died giving birth to the last child.

For a long time, the Taj Mahal was the tallest building in India, its height, together with the main dome, is 74 meters.

And yet, this miracle has existed for 355 years.

Taj Mahal- this mosque, combined with a mausoleum, is located in Agra on the banks of the local river Jamna. It is not known for certain who exactly is the architect of this building. This building was built by order of Shah Janakh, who is a direct descendant of the famous Tamerlane. The Padishah of the Mughal Empire erected the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to 14 children. Subsequently, Shah Jahan himself was buried here.

The Taj Mahal (also known simply as "Taj") is the most famous example of a style of architecture that originated in Mongolia. It absorbed elements of Islamic, Indian and Persian styles of architecture, as there are many borrowings in the culture of the Mongols. The Taj Mahal received the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 83rd year of the 20th century. It is considered a universally recognized masterpiece and a pearl of Muslim culture, which is admired by people from different countries of the world.

The Taj Mahal is a structurally integrated complex. Its construction began in 1632, and the work was completed only by 1653, that is, it lasted more than two decades. About twenty thousand craftsmen and ordinary workers worked on the construction of the facility. The construction was also led by the leading architects of that time, but it is not known for certain who exactly made the main contribution to the final result. The creator of this famous building is usually considered Lahauri, but some evidence suggests that the chief architect was a native of Turkey, Muhammad Efendi. In any case, this question is unlikely to be answered.

Inside the mausoleum you can see the tombs of the Shah and his wife. But in fact, they are not buried under the tombs, but a little lower, underground.

The Taj Mahal is a five-domed building with a height of 74 meters. It was built on a platform with four minarets at the corners. Minarets have a slight slope away from the tombs, so as not to damage it in case of collapse.

Nearby is a garden with fountains. The walls are made of translucent marble, which had to be brought here from afar. The masonry is made with inlaid gemstones. Thanks to this, the walls look snow-white in daylight, appear pink at dawn, and have a silver tint on a moonlit night.

The construction of this building took place over a long period of time and more than twenty thousand people from different parts of the country, as well as from other countries of Asia and the Middle East managed to work at the facility. Each of them contributed to the final result.

The Taj Mahal was erected just south of Agra, which was surrounded by a high wall that guarded the city. Shah Jahan was personally involved in the selection of the site and exchanged a huge palace for it, which is located in the very center of Agra. As a result, construction began on a site of approximately 1.2 hectares. To begin with, the earth was dug up and the soil was replaced, and then a platform was built, which rose five meters above the level of the bank of the local river. Later, the construction of the foundation began, which was to become the basis of a massive building, and during its construction, the most modern technologies at that time were used. Even forests were thoroughly built, which were not bamboo, as usual, but brick. They turned out to be so massive that the craftsmen were afraid that after the completion of construction they would have to be dismantled for several years. But everything turned out a little differently. Giving says that Shah Jahan announced that anyone can take as much brick as he wants and the scaffolding was dismantled almost overnight, since in those days it was a popular building material.

Marble was transported using a special ramp built from compressed earth. Thirty bulls dragged each block along it to the construction site. The blocks were raised to the desired level using specially designed mechanisms. The proximity of the river also made it possible to quickly extract water. A special cable system made it possible to fill the tanks as quickly as possible, after which water from the tanks was transported directly to the construction site through specially laid pipes. A lot of work has been done in this regard.

The tomb and platform were built in 12 years, and all other parts of the complex were built for another ten. The construction was divided into stages, and largely due to this, it was possible to achieve the timely delivery of all objects. Forces were not scattered, but accumulated on a specific type of work.

Taj Mahal in 1865

Building materials were brought here from all over India and even from the neighboring powers of Asia, so more than one thousand elephants were used to transport them. The Taj Mahal was indeed built by the whole country, and a huge amount of effort, time and money was spent on its construction.

Taj Mahal in 1890

From the very beginning of its existence, the Taj Mahal has been not only a source of universal admiration, but also an excellent occasion for creating myths and legends based on it. As you know, any beautiful story is surrounded by many accompanying stories, some of which are true, and others are complete nonsense and fiction. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's true and what's fiction. What exactly is true, and the number of legends themselves is incalculable, we will focus on the most remarkable.

The most common myth is that the Taj Mahal was not to be the only mausoleum. According to legend, another mausoleum was supposed to appear opposite it, but this time it was made of black marble. A new building was supposed to grow on the other side of the river, but certain circumstances prevented this. So, they say that Shah Jahan simply did not have time to finish the construction due to the fact that he was overthrown from the throne by his own son and legitimate heir Aurangzeb. This legend was supported by the fact that on the opposite bank of the river, ruins of black marble were indeed discovered over time. But everything fell into place at the end of the twentieth century, when excavations and research made it clear that black marble was actually just white marble blackened from time to time. At the same time, the pond in the Moon Garden (according to the legend, there should have been a second mausoleum there) was reconstructed, it turned out that the reflection of the Taj Mahal in the water of the pond looks black and can be seen without problems. Perhaps the pond was built just for this purpose.

There is no evidence that after the completion of the construction, the hands of the architect were cut off so that he could not recreate such beauty. According to another version, the builders signed a special agreement that they would never build anything like the Taj Mahal. Such legends accompany almost every known building and are pure fantasy.

Another legend concerns that in the mid-nineteenth century, William Bentinck planned to completely destroy the mausoleum and sell its marble at a major auction. Most likely, this myth arose after Bentinck sold marble from the construction of one of the forts in the city of Agra, but he had no such plans for the tomb.

The reality is often embellished by guidebooks, according to which, Shah Jahan, after he was overthrown by his son, admired the Taj Mahal straight from behind the bars of his dungeon. In fact, there was nothing of the kind, since Shah Jahan was kept in more than comfortable conditions in the Red Fort, located in Delhi. From there, the Taj Mahal is, of course, impossible to see. Here, the narrators deliberately replace the Delhi Red Fort with the one located in Agra. You can really see the Taj from the Red Fort in Agra. It turns out that most of the myths and stories about the famous mausoleum are nothing more than the most common fiction, albeit very beautiful.

On July 7, 2007 in Lisbon (Portugal) the new seven wonders of the world were named and the mausoleum-mosque Taj Mahal was included in this list. It is located in Agra (India) near the Jumna River. The easiest way to get to the Taj Mahal is to fly to Delhi and from there take a bus, taxi or train to your destination. The journey by train takes up to 3 hours, by taxi 3-5 hours. It is considered a crime if you visit India and do not see the Taj Mahal.

It is simply impossible to describe the magnificence and beauty of this mosque in words. This is a truly fabulous and beautiful architectural structure that combines elements of Islamic, Persian and Indian architectural style.

The emergence of the Taj Mahal is the story of the tender love of Shah Jahan, the Mughal king, for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Even Prince Shah Jahan married a 19-year-old girl, and his love for her was boundless. Despite the possession of a large harem, he gave all his tenderness and attention to only one Mumtaz. She bore him 14 children, six girls and eight boys. But during the last birth, Jahan's wife died. Shah Jahan's grief was so great that he lost the meaning of life, turned gray, declared 2 years of mourning and even wanted to commit suicide.

Over the grave of his wife, on the orders of Shah Jahan, the most beautiful Taj Mahal palace was built in which, a few years later, he himself was buried near the grave of his wife. Taj Mahal is not just a wonder of the world, it is a symbol of the eternal love of two people. Shah Jahan promised before his wife's death to create a monument that would convey all the beauty of Mumtaz.

Construction and architecture of the Taj Mahal

History does not answer the question of who built this mosque. The fact is that in the Islamic world of that period, all the ideas of the building were attributed not to the architect, but to the customer. A group of architects worked on the mosque, but the main idea belongs to Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The construction of the palace began in 1631 in December. The construction of the central mausoleum was completed in 1648, and 5 years later the construction of the entire complex was completed. Over 22 years, about 20 thousand people took part in the construction of the Taj Mahal. More than a thousand elephants were used to transport materials from India and Asia. Blocks of marble were dragged by bulls along a specially built 15-kilometer ramp made of rammed earth. Sculptors from Bukhara, masons from Balochistan, inlay masters from South India, calligraphers from Persia and Syria, as well as specialists and craftsmen in cutting marble ornaments and erecting towers worked at the construction site.

The Taj Mahal is considered "the pearl of Muslim art in India". The most famous component of the palace is its white marble dome, also known as the onion dome because of its appearance. Its height is 35 meters. His crown is in the Islamic style (horns of the month pointing upwards) and was originally made of gold, but in the 19th century it was replaced with a bronze copy.

The height of the mosque itself is 74 meters and is represented by a five-domed structure with four minarets at the corners. The minarets are slightly tilted in the opposite direction from the tomb, so as not to damage it during the destruction. A garden with a swimming pool and fountains adjoins the building. Inside the mausoleum there are two tombs, which are located strictly above the burial place of the shah and his wife. The walls of the palace are made of marble inlaid with gems (carnelian, agate, malachite, turquoise, etc.). And in the rays of light, the walls are simply mesmerizing. In sunny weather, marble looks white, on a moonlit night it becomes silvery, and at dawn - pink.

The exterior of the Taj Mahal is considered one of the finest examples of architecture. Various plasters, paints, carvings and stone inlays were used to create the decorative elements of the mosque. Also, excerpts from the Koran were used for the decorative and artistic design of the complex. On the gates of the Taj Mahal is inscribed: “O you, the soul of rest! Return to your Lord contented and satisfied! Enter with My servants. Enter My Paradise!"

The interior of the palace used a huge amount of semi-precious and precious stones. The inner hall of the Taj Mahal is a perfect octagon. The height of the walls is 25 meters, and the ceiling is decorated in the form of the sun and is represented by an inner dome.

The only asymmetric element of the complex is the cenotaph of Shah Jahan, which is located near the grave of his wife. It was completed later and is larger than the cenotaph of Mumtaz, but decorated with the same decorative elements. On the gravestone of Mumtaz, calligraphic inscriptions are made that praise her, and on the grave of Jahan it is written: "He went on a journey from this world to the abode of Eternity on the night of the twenty-sixth day, the month of Rajab, 1076."

The architectural complex is adjoined by a magnificent garden, which stretches for 300 meters in length. In the center of the park there is a water channel lined with marble and there is a pond in the middle of it. It reflects the image of the tomb. Initially, the garden struck with its abundance of vegetation, but over time, the landscaping of the garden has changed.

Myths and legends

There is a legend that Shah Jahan wanted to build an exact copy of the black marble palace on the opposite bank of the river, but did not have time. There is also a myth that the emperor brutally killed architects and craftsmen who took part in the construction of the palace, and all the builders signed an agreement in which they pledged not to take part in the construction of such a structure. But to date, such information has not been confirmed by anything and remains just a fiction and a legend.

Tourism

Every year the Taj Mahal mosque is visited by millions of tourists from different countries. Tourists are interested in the fact about its optical focus. If you move backwards towards the exit, respectively, facing the palace, then there is a feeling that the mausoleum is simply huge against the backdrop of trees and the environment. And by the way, planes are not allowed to fly over the Taj Mahal. The mosque is open to the public from 6 am to 7 pm on weekdays, except Friday, when prayers are held there. Also, the Taj Mahal is open for night viewing on the day of the full moon, including two days before and after the full moon, except for Friday and the month of Ramadan.

The Taj Mahal is known all over the world and has been attracting many tourists for 350 years. The silhouette, familiar from countless photographs, has become a symbol of India. It seems that the Taj Mahal is floating between heaven and earth: its proportions, symmetry, surrounding gardens and a mirror of waters make an unprecedented impression.

The monument erected by the Sultan in honor of his beloved wife is not only striking in its appearance, but also in the history that accompanied the construction of the mausoleum.

History of the Taj Mahal mausoleum

In 1612, Prince Khurram (the future ruler of Shah Jahan, whose name means "Lord of the Universe"), married the beautiful Mumtaz Mahal. According to one version, the future princess was a commoner, but the prince, seeing her eyes, simply could not resist. According to another, more likely version, Mumtaz Mahal was the niece of Jahan's mother and the daughter of the first vizier.

The lovers could not get married right away: according to local tradition, the wedding ceremony could take place only with a favorable arrangement of the stars, so Shah Jahan and his beloved had to wait for a happy day for five whole years, during which they never saw each other.

Shah Jahan ascended the throne in 1628. As befits a ruler, he had a large number of wives, but Mumtaz Mahal remained the most beloved. She accompanied him even on distant military campaigns, was the only person whom he completely trusted.

In 1629, having given birth to the 14th child, the wife of the ruler of Shah Jahan, known as Mumtaz Mahal ("Chosen by the Palace"), died. It happened in a tent pitched in a camp near Burkhanpur

She was 36 years old, of which 17 she was married. It should be noted that for a woman in those days it was a respectable age, and frequent childbirth undermined health. So a rare woman in India lived to be forty.

Sultan Shah Jahan was very sad, because he lost not only his beloved wife, but also a wise adviser who helped him in the most difficult political situations. There is evidence that he wore mourning for her for two years, and his hair turned gray from grief. The Sultan took an oath to build a grave monument worthy of the memory of his wife, completely unusual, with which nothing in the world can compare.

The city of Agra, which in the 17th century was considered the capital on a par with Delhi, was chosen as the place for the future mausoleum. The place was chosen surprisingly well: no one has yet caused serious damage to the mausoleum.

In 1632, construction began, which lasted more than 20 years. More than 20,000 workers were employed here. Many skilled masons, stone cutters and jewelers rushed to Agra from all over India and Western. Ismail Khan from designed the magnificent dome. Lines from the Holy Koran on various parts of the mausoleum - for example, at the main entrance to the Taj Mahal, were made by the famous calligrapher Amanat Khan Shirazi. The main executors of the mosaic work were five Hindus.

The chief architect Ustad (meaning "master") Isa Khan was given unlimited powers. It should be noted that not everyone agrees that it was Isa Khan who was the architect, assuring that she was not so technically advanced as to be able to independently build such a perfect temple. Supporters of this version say that most likely some invited Venetian master supervised the construction. Like it or not, now it is unlikely to be established. There is no information about who supervised the construction in any document. Only the inscription on the Taj Mahal itself remained, which reads: "The builder was not a mere mortal, for the construction plan was given to him by heaven."

At the direction of Shah Jahan, only the best were selected for the memorial in honor of his beloved wife. All materials for the mausoleum were delivered from afar. Sandstone was delivered to Agra from Sikri, semi-precious stones - from the mines of India, Persia and Central Asia. Jade was brought from, amethyst from, malachite from Russia, carnelian from Baghdad, turquoise from Persia and Tibet.

The white marble from which the Taj Mahal is made was delivered from the quarries of Makrana, located 300 kilometers from Agra. Some of the marble blocks were huge, and for transportation they were loaded into huge wooden carts, which were harnessed by several dozen buffaloes and oxen.

White marble is the basis of the entire Taj Mahal. From above, the walls were covered with thousands of precious and semi-precious stones, and black marble was used for calligraphic ornaments. It is thanks to this processing that the building is not pure white, as it is depicted in many photographs, but shimmers with many shades, depending on how the light falls on it.

Even in our time, the building of the mausoleum creates a feeling of unprecedented luxury, although earlier it looked even richer. Once the doors to the Taj Mahal were made of silver, with hundreds of small silver studs hammered into them. Inside there was a parapet of gold, and a cloth studded with pearls lay on the tomb of the princess, set on the very site of her burning. Unfortunately, it was all stolen. When Lord Lake occupied Agra in 1803, his dragoons carried 44,000 "tol" of pure gold from the Taj Mahal. British soldiers took out a lot of precious stones from the walls of the mausoleum. As Lord Curzon testifies, "It was customary for soldiers, armed with a chisel and hammer, to pick out precious stones from the tombstone of the emperor and his beloved wife in broad daylight." After becoming Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon introduced laws that saved the Taj Mahal and thousands of other monuments from total destruction.

When 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. The second mausoleum was supposed to be an exact copy of the first, but made of marble, and between the two mausoleums there was to be a black marble bridge. But the second mausoleum was never erected: the people began to grumble - the country was already impoverished from numerous internal wars, and the ruler spends a lot of money on such buildings.

In 1658, Aurangzeb's son seized power and kept his father under house arrest for nine years in Agra Fort, an octagonal tower. From there, Shah Jahan could see the Taj Mahal. Here, at dawn on January 23, 1666, Shah Jahan died, not taking his eyes off his beloved creation until the last moment. After his death, he was reunited with his beloved again - according to the will, he was buried next to, in the same crypt with Mumtaz Mahal.

Features of the structure of the Taj Mahal mausoleum

Airiness is created by proportions unusual for us - the height is equal to the width of the facade, and the facade itself is cut through by huge semicircular niches and seems weightless. The width of the building is equal to its total height - 75 meters, and the distance from the floor level to the parapet above the arched portals is half the entire height. You can draw many more lines and discover a number of amazing patterns and correspondences in the proportions of the Taj Mahal, equal in height to a twenty-story building, but by no means overwhelming in size.

This absolutely symmetrical octagonal building is 57 meters in perimeter, it is topped by a central dome 24.5 meters high and 17 meters in diameter. When the giant dome was being erected, for more convenient delivery of the necessary materials to a greater height, a sloping earth embankment 3.6 kilometers long was built according to the project of Ismail Khan.

The remains of Mumtaz Mahal are buried in a dungeon, just under the very center of a large white dome, shaped like a flower bud. The Mughals were followers of Islam, and in Islamic art, the dome points the way to heaven. An exact copy of the sarcophagus has been installed at the floor level so that visitors can honor the memory of the Empress without disturbing the peace in her tomb.

The entire park is surrounded by a fence on three sides. The entrance made of stone is decorated with a white patterned "portico", and "covered" with 11 domes on top, on the sides there are two towers, also crowned with white domes.

The Taj Mahal is located in the middle of a park (its area is almost 300 sq. m), which can be accessed through a large gate, symbolizing the entrance to paradise. The park is arranged in the form of a road that leads directly to the entrance to the Taj Mahal. In the middle of this "road" is a large marble pool, with an irrigation canal stretched to it. During the time of Shah Jahan, ornamental fish swam in the pool, and peacocks and other exotic birds strode solemnly along the paths. Guards, dressed in white clothes and armed with blowguns, guarded the garden from birds of prey.

The mausoleum is located in the center of a vast rectangular area (length 600 m, width 300 m). The short north side runs along the banks of the Jumna River. On the south side, a third of the territory is occupied by outbuildings and ends with a monumental gate leading into the walled area that makes up most of the rectangle.

The facades of the mausoleum are decorated with sloping lancet arches. In addition, the so-called "stalactites" are used here - joints of small cantilever niches hanging over each other. Stalactites support projecting forms and are located at the base of the dome, in niches, under the cornices and on the capitals of the columns. They are made of plaster or terracotta and create an exceptionally subtle play of chiaroscuro.

A wide staircase leads to the very center of the facade. It is customary to leave shoes at its base, as before entering the temple.

The inside of the building is no less beautiful than the outside. The snow-white walls are decorated with stones and intricate patterns. Fourteen surahs from the Koran - a traditional decoration for Muslim architecture - are crowned with arches above the windows. On the walls are garlands of unfading stone flowers. In the center is a carved marble screen, behind which two false tombs are visible. In the very middle is placed the chamber of the tomb, which has a square with beveled corners in plan. The chamber contains the cenotaphs of the Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan, surrounded by an openwork marble fence.

Mausoleum Taj Mahal today

The Taj Mahal mausoleum is the most visited place in India. Thousands of tourists come here from all over the world. From all four sides of the mausoleum, police officers are on duty, who vigilantly monitor all visitors. They guard the entrance to the upper platforms of the mausoleum (before this passage was closed, dozens of suicides jumped from the minarets, most often the reason was unrequited love - symbolically, because the Taj Mahal is also called the "temple of love"). The police also make sure that tourists do not take pictures of the building up close, since the Taj Mahal is recognized as a national shrine.

It should be noted that scientists are seriously concerned about the future of the mausoleum. In October 2004, two Indian historians issued a warning that the Taj Mahal was tilting and could collapse or subside if the authorities in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the famous mausoleum is located, did not occupy the area immediately adjacent to the monument of architecture. Of particular concern is the Jumna, located next to the Taj Mahal. This is due to the drying up of the riverbed. The Government of India has promised to allocate a sufficient amount for special works.

It is undeniably necessary to protect this architectural monument. After all, this is not only the most famous mausoleum, but also one of the most beautiful buildings on earth. traveler Edward Lear, who visited India in the middle of the 19th century, wrote in his diary: "All people in the world are divided into two groups - those who have seen the Taj Mahal, and those who have not been honored with this happiness."

Taj Mahal and interesting facts about it attract the attention of many tourists. In 2014, about 6.5 million people visited it. More than 53 events, circumstances and stories about the construction and architecture, about the past and present day of the monument are collected and summarized for you in this article.

Tamerlane and his descendant Jahan in love

1. On the territory of modern Uzbekistan in the 14th century lived the commander Tamerlane or Timur, the founder of the Timurid Empire (modern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq). His descendant, the ruler of the Mughal Empire (the Timurid state on the territory of modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, southeastern Afghanistan) in 1627-1658 - padishah Shah Jahan I, immortalized his name with the construction of the Taj Mahal.
2. Taj Mahal is a mausoleum-mosque located in Agra (India).
3. In order to convey the beauty of his beloved wife, who died during the 14th birth, with the help of architecture, the padishah exchanged the palace in the center of the capital for land (a little more than a hectare) 7 km from the city on the banks of the sacred river Yamuna (Jamuna).
4. Soon after the construction of the mausoleum, the son of the padishah began to rule the state, and his father continued to live comfortably in the Delhi fort. After his death, he was buried next to his wife. This fact is presented as the overthrow of the father and his imprisonment. The opinion of Indian historians can be found in the publication "Taj Mahal, Tamerlane and love at first sight" on the channel Zen Architecture.

6 interesting facts about how the Taj Mahal was built

1. 22,000 craftsmen from Central Asia, Persia, and the Middle East were involved in the work. 37 specialists were responsible for the artistic appearance of the complex:
   • sculptors from Bukhara
   • calligraphers from Syria and Persia;
   • inlay craftsmen from South India;
   • stonemasons from Balochistan.
2. For the transport of building materials, a special 15-kilometer ramp was created, along which 30 bulls dragged blocks of marble in specially designed carts.
3. More than 1000 elephants brought materials from different parts of the Great Mogolia.
4. Water for construction was delivered from the river using a rope-bucket system.
5. The construction of the tomb took about 12 years. A little less was required for the rest of the complex: the minarets, the mosque, the Great Gate, the garden. But in terms of time, the complex was built twice as long as the new capital of Mongolia (on the territory of present-day Delhi).
6. The construction site was raised 5o meters above the river level with soil replacement.

26 facts about the architecture of the mausoleum

1. Taj Mahal (or Taj) is recognized as the best example Mughal architectural style - "the pearl of Muslim architecture in India." He (style) arose on the synthesis Indian, Persian and Arabic architectural styles.
2. Inside there are 2 tombs: the shah and his wife Arjuman Banu Begum, which are in the ground under the cenotaphs.
3. Inspired by a poem by Bibadal Khan, the court jeweler and poet, Shah Jahan conceived the complex as a replica of the home of dear Mumtaz (the title of the padishah's wife) in paradise. This is the purpose of most of the burial architectural structures of the Mughals.
4. Taj architecture has a mystical effect: the interaction of decor, geometry, materials, acoustics affects the mind, feelings and spirit of a person. The mausoleum is unique in its combination of simplicity and magnificence. Jahan's boundless generosity, combined with the exquisite work of the finest craftsmen, is mesmerizing. About this in Illusions and secrets of the Taj Mahal on Zen Architecture channel.
5. The inner hall of the Taj Mahal has the shape of a perfect octagon and surrounded by eight rooms with passages. This technique creates an aura of solemn serenity.
6. Its symbolism is multifaceted, from combinations of materials and colors that communicate belonging to the upper classes of society, to metaphors of plants that court chroniclers used to praise the virtues of the personality of the padishah and his family. For example, in the cenotaph of the padishah is an inkwell, and the wives are a surface for writing. These details symbolize that a man writes his desires on a woman's heart.
7. The interior of the mausoleum has a reverberation time (the time it takes to extinguish the echo) - 28 seconds. This was done specifically so that the words of the prayer for the soul of the beloved Mumtaz,lingered in the air.
8. The complex has axial symmetry with respect to the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. Only the tomb of Shah Jahan himself violates it.
9. On all sides of the Taj Mahal there are reservoirs in which, at a certain angle, the building is completely reflected.
10. During the construction, white marble from Rajasthan was used, which has a dazzling white color in the daytime sun, milky white or pink at sunrise, and silvery in the moonlight. According to its qualities, this marble is considered the best in the world. Shah Jahan forbade using it for the construction of any other objects.

Taj Mahal in the morning light

11. 4 minaret towers are slightly tilted to the side in case of an earthquake. The sacred verses of the Koran are imprinted on them in Arabic script.
12. The architect of the most impressive main dome is Ismail Afandi from Turkey. Outside, its height is 44.4 meters, and inside - 24.35 m.
13. The domes are crowned with gilded figures in the Persian style. The crown of the main dome was originally made of pure gold, but in the 19th century it was replaced with bronze.
14. All decorative design elements of the existing minarets are gilded.
15. Before the looting of the mausoleum on the cenotaph Mumtaz one of the flowers was encrusted with 35 different gems., including malachite brought from the Urals.
16. Skillfully made marble lattices surround the cenotaphs above the graves.
17. What we don't see now are bowls full of jewels on the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, Persian carpets on the floor, silver doorways and overhanging chandeliers that once made up the interior decor.
18. The ceiling is decorated with floral patterns andgeometric patterns - floor.
19. The most impressive type of decor can be called stone inlay. The flowers are designed to the smallest detail and each dot and alphabet of the Holy Quran is carefully engraved, carved and inlaid to perfection.
20. The dome of the hall inside is decorated in the form of the sun.
21. The complex is surrounded on three sides by battlements of red sandstone. The side along the river was left open.
22. The complex contains additional mausoleums for Jahan's other wives and one for Mumtaz's favorite servant.
23. The main gate repeats the vaulted passages of the tomb, the arches are decorated with the same decor. Initially, they were made of silver and were called "Gate to Paradise".
24. No craftsmen and designers will be able to reproduce this masterpiece today.
    

Paradise

1. The garden around the tomb symbolizes Eden.
2. The sacred Yamuna was included in the design of the garden as one of the rivers of Paradise.
   
3. The raised marble pool in the center, Al Kawthar, represents the source of paradise mentioned in the Qur'an. Wide and shallow canals extend from it in four cardinal directions, dividing the garden into four equal parts.
4. In its original form, the garden struck with a variety of vegetation and was planned according to the example of Persian gardens. It contained exquisite varieties of roses, daffodils, lilies, irises, fruit trees and flowering shrubs. But over time, when the empire weakened, the garden fell into disrepair.
5. Today's landscape design is English style.

Taj Mahal: interesting facts of the present

1. The Taj Mahal is included in the list of "7 new wonders of the world", which was compiled in 2007 by a vote of more than 100 million people.
2. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
3. You can enter the tomb only by taking off your shoes or wearing disposable shoe covers.
4. It used to be possible to climb to the top of the minarets to take in the view. But after cases of suicide of lovers, the entrance to the top was closed.

Myths and legends

Love at first sight

The prince was walking through the bazaar of Agra (his capital) when he saw a 19-year-old girl. Love for the beauty at first sight won the heart of the young man. Mumtaz Mahal was as wise as she was beautiful.

Being his main wife, she accompanied her husband in all military campaigns, supported him and gave advice. For 17 years of a happy life, they had 14 children. The last birth took place in the field and the 38-year-old woman died. After 6 months, having returned to Agra, the padishah decided to build a mausoleum in order to fulfill the last wish of his beloved.

Court records say that Arjuman Banu Begum was the niece of the beloved wife of the father of Prince Khurram (the future emperor). At the age of 14, she and the prince were engaged. On the recommendation of court astrologers, the wedding took place 5 years later. So, indeed, the girl was 19 years old at that moment.

Arjuman became his third wife. After the wedding, the husband began to call her Mumtaz Mahal, which means "The Chosen One of the Palace", because. in appearance and character, she became the best for him. Subsequently, Shah Jahan took two more wives, but Mumtaz remained beloved. The history of relations between them was recorded by the court chroniclers, which the padishah personally followed.

Mystery of the Black Taj Mahal

There is a legend that Shah Jahan wanted to build another palace on the opposite bank of the river, but from black marble. These rumors began to spread after the notes of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. He held the European diamond trade with India in his hands and traveled there five times. After traveling to Agra in 1665 (8 years after the completion of construction), he recorded impressions of the mausoleum, including one on the opposite bank of the river. However, his son, who overthrew him, forbade the construction.

Pieces of black marble, lying on the opposite bank, fully corresponded to this hypothesis. But in the 90s of the twentieth century, archaeological excavations discovered that in fact the pieces of "black" marble are blackened white marble. When in 2006 they completed the reconstruction of the Lunar Garden (Agra Park on the opposite bank of the Yamuna), it turned out that the most beautiful view of the Taj opens from here. And the second mausoleum is a complete reflection of the palace in the water.

The generosity of the padishah

Instead of light scaffolding for work around the building, capital brick scaffolding was built. It took many months to completely remove them. They say that to speed up the process, the padishah announced that anyone can take the bricks home in unlimited quantities. And since brick was a valuable building material at that time, it took only one day to clear the scaffolding.

Saving the Taj Mahal

1. At the end of the 19th century, during a civil uprising in India, the complex was looted. The English colonists cut down precious materials from the walls of the building, pulled away the gold and silver details of the buildings. Lord George Nathaniel Curzon, as Viceroy of India, conceived a massive renovation to restore the grandeur of the mosque. In 1908 the work was completed. The garden was remodeled to British landscape style. In place of the stolen silver gates, copper ones were installed. Gold was replaced with bronze.
2. During the wars in 1942, 1965, 1971, the government masked the Taj Mahal with scaffolding. As a result, the building has survived.
3. Recently, cracks have been discovered in the walls of the Taj Mahal. Experts attribute this to the shallowing of the Yamuna River. This leads to a change in the structure of the soil. There is an opinion that the mausoleum sags and may eventually collapse.
4. Marble began to lose its legendary whiteness. This is attributed to air pollution. Therefore, in the city of Agora, where the complex is located, many factories were closed, but not all, and the monument itself can only be reached by electric transport or approached on foot.
5. Marble has to be cleaned regularly with a special clay to keep it white.
6. Due to the pollution of the Yamuna, the population of insects has greatly increased, which leave their green-black excrement on the white marble. To do this, it is necessary to stop the discharge of 52 pipes into the river in order to naturally resolve the issue.
7. South China Morning Post reported that the Indian authorities are going to restrict access to the monument in order to preserve it.

Some more interesting facts about the Taj Mahal in the video

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