The Taj Mahal.

Just the mention of the name brings forth notions of exotic, white-marbled opulence.  The name means “crown of palaces” in Arabic and Persian, and most people know there is a story of romance behind the structure.

The Taj was built in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, seen here standing on the dome of the world:

in memory of his third wife, the Persian princess known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child. OMG, poor thing.  Here she is:

The Taj is universally recognized as the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the great masterpieces of the world heritage.  It is one of the seven wonders of the world.

The complex of buildings that creates the vast Taj Mahal is the finest extant example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and Indian architectural styles.

While the white domed mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures as seen in the following CAD design.

Here’s another computerized representation of the complex.

Thousands of artisans were employed to create the vast complex. Typically, Indian architecture used red sandstone as a primary building material, but the Emperor had the Taj constructed in white Indian marble inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones.

The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is the most spectacular feature, and is decorated with a lotus design, which accentuates its height.

The dome and chattris (smaller domed kiosks on the sides) are topped by a gilded finial, which mixes traditional Persian and Hindustani decorative elements.

The finial is topped by a moon, a typical Islamic motif whose horns point upward towards the heavens. When you add the horns of the moon and the finial point of the main spire, you obtain a trident shape, which may be a reference to the traditional Hindu symbols of Shiva.

Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the supporting plinth. The minarets, which are each 130 feet tall, are working minarets used by the muezzin to call the Islamic faithful to prayer.

Each minaret is effectively divided into three equal parts by two working balconies that ring the tower. At the top of the tower is a final balcony surmounted by a chattri that mirrors the design of those on the tomb.

The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of both the princess Mumtaz Mahal, and for her husband, Shah Jahan; their actual graves are at a lower level. I will be showing the interior in Part 3 of these blogs on the Taj.  Stay tuned.

I included many shots of the inlay at the Taj in my post entitled “This is India 4. Let’s look at inlaid tiles and other patterns.”  Please have a look at that post for more Taj details.  Thanks!

In the meantime, feast your eyes on some more views of the exterior.  It is a very photogenic structure to say the least!

Gorgeous, no?