Page 206 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

204 ASIA Taj Mahal, Agra

One of the world's most famous buildings, the T aj Mahal
was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of
his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. Its
perfect proportions and exquisite craftsmanship have been
described as "a vision, a dream, a poem, a wonder." This
sublime garden-tomb, an image of the Islamic garden of Dome
paradise, cost nearly 41 million rupees and 1,100 lb (500 kg)
of gold. About 20,000 workers labored for 12 years to
complete it in 1643.

A View of the Taj Mahal Four Minarets
The Taj Mahal complex is bounded on three sides by Each 131 ft (40 m) high and
red sandstone walls. At the far ends of the complex, crowned by an open octagonal
there are two grand buildings, the western one is pavilion, or chhatri, the minarets
the Taj Mahal mosque (above righQ . frame the tomb, highlighting the
perfect symmetry of the comple x. _____ _j

~ Dome ------------~~~~~~~4-~~
The 144-ft (44-m)
high double dome is
capped with a finial.

Marble Screen
The filigree screen, daintily carved from a
single bloc!< of marble, was meant to veil
the area around the rOfal tombs.

~ Pietra Dura ------------~~-----:;-/-~--t~~ti~--i~~
Inspired by the paradise
garden, intricately carved
floral designs, inlaid with
precious stones, embellish
the austere white marble
surface to give it the look
of a jeweled casket.

~ Tomb Chamber
Mumtaz Mahal's cenotaph,
raised on a platform, is placed
next to Shah Jahan's. The actual
graves, in a darl< crypt belcm, are
dosed to the public.
......., Yamuna pjver
'-.....----
"'---~-....... -----~~

KEY DATES ~Calligraphic Panels
The size of the Koranic
16?.2 164?. 1666 198?. 2001 verses increases as the arch
gets higher, creating the
Work on the lllj begins, The thousands of artists S hah Jahan dies and The Taj Mahal is declared The lllj Mahal Conser-
following the death of and craftsmen complete is laid to rest beside a UNESCO World vation Collaborative statts subtle optical illusion of a
Mumtaz Mahal. the work on the Taj. his queen. Heritage S ite. to restore the grounds. uniformly flowing script.