The riddle of the Taj Mahal: a monument to love or a throne for Allah? Taj Mahal - a wonder of the world: where is it located and who built the Taj Mahal agra India

Taj Mahal Mausoleum

Inside the mausoleum there are two tombs - the Shah and his wife. In fact, their burial place is located below - strictly under the tombs, underground. The construction time dates back to approximately 1630-1652. The Taj Mahal is a five-domed structure 74 m high on a platform, with 4 minarets at the corners (they are slightly tilted away from the tomb so as not to damage it in case of destruction), which is adjacent to a garden with fountains and a swimming pool.

The walls are made of polished translucent marble (brought 300 km away for construction) with inlaid gems. Turquoise, agate, malachite, carnelian, etc. were used. Marble has such a feature that in bright daylight it looks white, at dawn pink, and on a moonlit night - silver.

Architecture

The mausoleum has numerous symbols hidden in its architecture and layout. For example, on the gate through which visitors of the Taj Mahal enter the park complex surrounding the mausoleum, four final verses from the 89th sura of the Koran “Dawn” (Al-Fajr), addressed to the soul of the righteous, are carved:

“O you, resting soul! Return to your Lord satisfied and having achieved contentment! Come in with My servants. Enter My Paradise!

On the left side of the tomb there is a mosque made of red sandstone. On the right is an exact copy of the mosque. The entire complex has axial symmetry. The tomb has central symmetry relative to the Mumtaz Mahal tomb. This symmetry is broken only by the tomb of Shah Jahan, which was built there after his death.

Present tense

Recently, cracks were discovered in the walls of the Taj Mahal. According to scientists, the appearance of cracks may be due to the shallowing of the nearby Dzhamna River. The disappearance of the river will lead to a change in the soil structure and subsidence of the mausoleum, and perhaps even to its destruction. It also began to lose its legendary whiteness due to polluted air. Despite the expanding parkland around the Taj Mahal and the closure of a number of particularly dirty industries in Agra, the mausoleum is still turning yellow. It has to be cleaned regularly using special white clay.

Tourism

Tens of thousands of people visit the Taj Mahal every day; at the expense of tourists, the “Indian pearl” brings a lot of money to the country’s treasury. During the year, the Taj Mahal receives from 3 to 5 million visitors, of which more than 200,000 are from abroad. Most tourists come during the cooler months of the year - October, November and February. The movement of vehicles with internal combustion engines near the complex is prohibited, so tourists approach the parking lot on foot, or can take an electric bus. The Hawasspuras (north courtyard) has now been restored for use as a new visitor centre. In a small town to the south, known as Taj Ganji or Mumtazabad, caravanserais, bazaars and markets were built to cater to the needs of visitors and workers. The Taj Mahal also appears in several lists as one of the seven wonders of modern world, including in the list of New Seven Wonders of the World compiled in 2007 (after a survey of more than 100 million votes).

For security reasons, only water in clear bottles, small video cameras, cameras, mobile phones and small handbags are allowed inside the Taj Mahal complex.

The name Taj Mahal can be translated as “The Greatest Palace” (where Taj is the crown and mahal is the palace). The name Shah Jahan can be translated as “Ruler of the World” (where Shah is the ruler, Jahan is the world, the universe). The name Mumtaz Mahal can be translated as “Chosen One of the Court” (where Mumtaz is the best, mahal is palace, courtyard). Similar meanings of words are preserved in Arabic, Hindi and some other languages.

Many tourist guides say that after his overthrow, Shah Jahan sadly admired his creation, the Taj Mahal, from the windows of his prison for many years before his death. Usually in these stories the Red Fort is mentioned - the palace of Shah Jahan, built by him at the zenith of his reign, part of the chambers of which the son of Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, Aurangzeb, turned into luxury prison for father. However, here the publications confuse the Delhi Red Fort (hundreds of kilometers from the Taj) and the Red Fort in Agra, also built by the Great Mughals, but earlier, and which is really located next to the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan, according to Indian researchers, was kept in Delhi's Red Fort and could not see the Taj Mahal from there.

Very similar to the Taj Mahal both in Mughal origin and in appearance is the tomb of Humayun in Delhi. This tomb of the Mughal emperor was also built as a sign of great love - not just a husband for his wife, but a wife for her husband. Despite the fact that Humayun's tomb was built earlier, and Jahan, when constructing his masterpiece, was guided by the architectural experience of Humayun's tomb, it is little known in comparison with the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal has an optical focus. If you move with your back to the exit, facing the Taj Mahal, it will seem that this temple is huge compared to the trees and environment.

Film appearance

• "Deep Impact" - The Taj Mahal is shown with a meteorite exploding in the sky.
• “Life after people” - The Taj Mahal is shown after 1000 years without people - earthquakes will overturn all the minarets, and then the mausoleum itself will collapse.
• "Mars attacks! " - aliens pose against the backdrop of an exploding mausoleum.
• “The Last Dance” - the main character of the film, sentenced to death penalty, dreams of visiting the Taj Mahal. The lawyer, in love with her, but unable to save her from the sentence, visits the mazvoli after her execution.
• "Escape" - main character helps the prison director build a model of the Taj Mahal
• “Fire” is a film, the first part of a trilogy by Deepa Mehta.
• “Slumdog Millionaire” - the main character of the film remembers how he and his brother made money from tourists on illegal excursions.

Gallery

See also

Notes

Links

• Photos and full history of the Taj Mahal on Toptravel.ru
• History of the Mughal family and dynasty against the background of their creations (Taj Mahal, tombs of Humayun, Babur, etc.), Mughal influence on the art of India
• New 7 wonders of the world. Taj Mahal is a symbol of India. (History. Mumtaz. Description of the temple.)

Categories:

• World Heritage in alphabetical order
• World Heritage in India
• Uttar Pradesh
• Temples and mausoleums of Islam
• Mausoleums
• Appeared in 1654
• Monuments of India
• Architecture of the Mughal Empire
• Islamic architecture
• Architecture of India
• Tourism in Uttar Pradesh

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See what "Taj Mahal" is in other dictionaries:

Taj Mahal- a well-known monument Indian architecture Mughal period, built on the banks of the river. Jamna, near Agra. Built around 1630 52 (architects probably Ustad Isa and others) as the mausoleum of Shah Jahan’s wife, which later housed... ... Art encyclopedia

The Taj Mahal is famous all over the world and has attracted many tourists for 350 years. The silhouette, familiar from countless photographs, has become a symbol of India. The Taj Mahal seems to float between heaven and earth: its proportions, symmetry, surrounding gardens and water mirror create an unprecedented impression.

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

History of the Taj Mahal mausoleum

In 1612, Prince Khurram (the future ruler Shah Jahan, whose name means “Lord of the Universe”) took the beautiful Mumtaz Mahal as his wife. According to one version, the future princess was a commoner, but the prince, seeing her eyes, simply could not resist. According to another, more probable 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: local tradition the wedding ceremony could take place only if the stars were favorable, 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 large number wives, but Mumtaz Mahal remained the most beloved. She accompanied him even on long military campaigns and was the only person he completely trusted.

In 1629, after giving birth to her 14th child, the wife of ruler Shah Jahan, known as Mumtaz Mahal (“Chosen by the Palace”), died. This happened in a tent pitched in a camp near Burhanpur

She was 36 years old, of which she was married for 17 years. It should be noted that for a woman in those days it was a respectable age, and frequent childbirth undermined her health. So it was rare for a woman in India to live 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 information that he mourned for her for two years, and his hair turned gray from grief. The Sultan took an oath to build a tombstone worthy of the memory of his wife, completely unusual, with which nothing in the world could compare.

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

Construction began in 1632 and continued for more than 20 years. More than 20,000 workers were employed here. Many skilled masons, stone cutters and jewelers flocked to Agra from all over India and Western India. Ismail Khan designed the magnificent dome. The lines from the Holy Quran on various parts of the mausoleum - for example, on the main entrance to the Taj Mahal - were executed by the famous calligrapher Amanat Khan Shirazi. The main performers 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 the architect was Isa Khan, 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. Whether this is true or not is now unlikely to be established. There is no information in any document about who supervised the construction. All that remains is the inscription on the Taj Mahal itself, which reads: “The builder was not a mere mortal, for the plan of the building was given to him by heaven.”

On the instructions of Shah Jahan, only the best was 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 Makrana quarries, located 300 kilometers from Agra. Some of the marble blocks were enormous in size, and for transportation they were loaded into huge wooden carts, which were harnessed to several dozen buffaloes and oxen.

White marble is the basis of the entire Taj Mahal. 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 treatment that the building is not pure white, as it is depicted in many photographs, but shimmers in 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 before it looked even richer. The doors to the Taj Mahal were once made of silver, with hundreds of small silver nails hammered into them. Inside there was a parapet of gold, and a cloth studded with pearls lay on the tomb of the princess, installed at the very spot where she was burned. Unfortunately, all this was stolen. When Lord Lake occupied Agra in 1803, his dragoons carried away 44 thousand tolas of pure gold from the Taj Mahal. British soldiers removed many precious stones from the walls of the mausoleum. As Lord Curzon testifies, “it was common practice for soldiers, armed with chisels and hammers, to pick out precious stones from the tombstones of the emperor and his beloved wife in broad daylight.” Having become the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon introduced laws that saved the Taj Mahal and thousands of other monuments from complete destruction.

When construction came to an end, in 1653, the aging ruler gave the order to begin 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 bridge made of black marble. But the second mausoleum was never built: the people began to grumble - the country was already impoverished from numerous internal wars, and the ruler was spending 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 the Agra Fort, an octagonal tower. From there, Shah Jahan could see the Taj Mahal. Here, at dawn on January 23, 1666, Shah Jahan died, without taking his eyes off his beloved creation until the last moment. After his death, he was reunited with his beloved again - according to his will, he was buried next to him, in the same crypt with Mumtaz Mahal.

Features of the structure of the Taj Mahal mausoleum

The airiness is created by unusual proportions for us - the height is equal to the width of the facade, and the facade itself is cut through with 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. Many more lines can be drawn and a whole series of amazing patterns and correspondences can be discovered in the proportions of the Taj Mahal, which is equal in height to a twenty-story building, but is by no means overwhelming in size.

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

The remains of Mumtaz Mahal are buried underground, 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 is installed at floor level so that visitors can honor the memory of the Empress without disturbing the peace in her tomb.

The entire park is surrounded on three sides by a fence. The stone entrance is decorated with a white patterned “portico”, and the top is “covered” with 11 domes; 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 big gate, symbolizing the entrance to heaven. The park is designed like a road that leads directly to the entrance of the Taj Mahal. In the middle of this “road” there is a large marble pool with an irrigation canal stretched to it. During the time of Shah Jahan, decorative fish swam in the pool, and peacocks and other exotic birds strutted 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 northern side runs along the banks of the Jamna River. On the southern side, a third of the area is occupied by outbuildings and ends with a monumental gate leading into the walled area, which makes up most of the rectangle.

The facades of the mausoleum are decorated with gently sloping pointed arches. In addition, so-called “stalactites” are used here - articulations of small cantilever niches overhanging each other. Stalactites support the projecting forms and are located at the base of the dome, in niches, under cornices and on column capitals. They are made of plaster or terracotta and create an exceptionally subtle play of light and shade.

A wide staircase leads to the very center of the facade. It is customary to leave shoes at its base, as before entering a 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 suras from the Koran - a traditional decoration for Muslim architecture - crown the 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 there is a chamber of the tomb, which has a square plan with beveled corners. The chamber contains the cenotaphs of the Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan, surrounded by an openwork marble fence.

Mausoleum of the Taj Mahal today

The Taj Mahal Mausoleum is the most visited place in India. Thousands of tourists come here from all over the world. There are police officers on all four sides of the mausoleum, 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 - symbolic, because the Taj Mahal is also called the “temple of love”). Police also ensure that tourists do not take photographs 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 warned that the Taj Mahal was leaning and could collapse or settle if authorities in the state of Utar Pradesh, where it is located, famous mausoleum, will not occupy the territory directly adjacent to the architectural monument. Of particular concern is the Jamna, located next to the Taj Mahal. This is due to the drying out of the riverbed. The Indian government has promised to allocate a sufficient amount for special work.

It is undoubtedly 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 mid-19th century, wrote in his diary: “All people in the world are divided into two groups - those who saw the Taj Mahal, and those who did not deserve this happiness.”

The Taj Mahal is a recognized symbol of eternal love, because it was created for the sake of the woman who won the heart of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Mumtaz Mahal was his third wife and died giving birth to their fourteenth child. To perpetuate the name of his beloved in memory, the padishah conceived grandiose project for the construction of the mausoleum. Construction took 22 years, but today it is an example of harmony in art, which is why tourists from all over the world dream of visiting the wonder of the world.

Taj Mahal and its construction

To build the world's greatest mausoleum, the padishah recruited more than 22,000 people from all over the empire and surrounding states. The best craftsmen worked on the mosque to bring it to perfection, maintaining complete symmetry according to the emperor's plans. Initially, the plot of land on which it was planned to install the tomb belonged to Maharaja Jai ​​Singh. Shah Jahan gave him a palace in the city of Agra in exchange for empty territory.

First, work was carried out to prepare the soil. The area, which exceeds a hectare in area, was dug up and the soil was replaced to ensure the stability of the future building. The foundation was dug wells, which were filled with rubble stone. During construction, white marble was used, which had to be brought not only from different corners countries, but even from neighboring countries. To solve the transportation problem, we had to specially invent carts and construct a lifting ramp.

Only the tomb and its platform took about 12 years to build; the remaining elements of the complex were built over the course of another 10 years. Over the years, the following structures have appeared:

• minarets;
• mosque;
• jawab;
• Big gate.

It is precisely because of this length of time that disputes often arise as to how many years it took to build the Taj Mahal and what year should be considered the moment of completion of the construction of the landmark. Construction began in 1632, and all work was completed by 1653, the mausoleum itself was ready in 1643. But no matter how long the work lasted, the result was a stunning temple in India, 74 meters high, surrounded by gardens with an impressive pool and fountains .

Features of the architecture of the Taj Mahal

Despite the fact that the structure is so culturally significant, there is still no reliable information about who actually was the main architect of the tomb. During the work, the best craftsmen were involved, a Council of Architects was created, and all decisions made came exclusively from the emperor. Many sources believe that the project to create the complex came from Ustad Ahmad Lakhauri. True, when discussing the question of who built the pearl of architectural art, the name of the Turk Isa Muhammad Efendi often comes up.

However, it does not really matter who built the palace, since it is a symbol of the love of the padishah, who sought to create a unique tomb worthy of his faithful life partner. For this reason, white marble was chosen as the material, signifying the purity of the soul of Mumtaz Mahal. The walls of the tomb are decorated with precious stones arranged in intricate patterns to convey the amazing beauty of the emperor's wife.

The architecture intertwines several styles, among which notes from Persia, Islam and Central Asia can be traced. The main advantages of the complex are considered to be the chessboard floor, minarets 40 meters high, and an amazing dome. A special feature of the Taj Mahal is the use of optical illusions. For example, inscriptions from the Koran written along arches appear to be the same size throughout their entire height. In fact, the letters and the distance between them at the top are much greater than at the bottom, but a person going inside does not see this difference.

The illusions do not end there, since you need to observe the attraction at different times of the day. The marble from which it is made is translucent, so it appears white during the day, at sunset it acquires a pinkish tint, and at night under the moonlight it gives off a silvery appearance.

In Islamic architecture it is impossible to do without images of flowers, but how skillfully the mosaic monument was made cannot fail to impress. If you look closely, you can see dozens of precious stones encrusted just a couple of centimeters deep. Such details are found inside and outside, because the entire mausoleum is thought out to the smallest detail.

The entire structure is axially symmetrical from the outside, so some parts were added just to maintain the overall appearance. The interior is also symmetrical, but narrower in relation to the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. The general harmony is disturbed only by the tombstone of Shah Jahan himself, which after his death was installed next to his beloved. Although for tourists it does not matter what the symmetry looks like inside the room, because it is decorated so exquisitely that the eye is distracted, and this is considering the fact that most of the treasures were looted by vandals.

To build the Taj Mahal, it was necessary to install massive scaffolding, and it was decided to use durable brick rather than the usual bamboo. The craftsmen who worked on the project argued that it would take years to dismantle the created structure. Shah Jahan took a different route and announced that anyone could take as many bricks as they could carry. As a result, the structure was dismantled by city residents in a few days.

The story goes that upon completion of construction, the emperor ordered the eyes and hands of all the craftsmen who performed the miracle to be gouged out, so that they could not reproduce similar elements in other works. And although in those days many actually used such methods, it is believed that this is only a legend, and the padishah limited himself to a written assurance that the architects would not create a similar mausoleum.

On this interesting facts do not end, because opposite the Taj Mahal there should have been the same tomb for the Indian ruler, but made of black marble. This was briefly stated in the documents of the son of the great padishah, but historians are inclined to believe that they were talking about the reflection of the existing tomb, which from the pool appears black, which also confirms the emperor’s passion for illusions.

There is a debate that the museum may collapse due to the Jumna river becoming shallower over the years. Recently, cracks were found on the walls, but this does not mean that the reason lies only in the river. The temple is located in a city where it is influenced by various environmental factors. Once snow-white marble takes on a yellow tint, so it has to be cleaned frequently with white clay.

For those who are interested in how the name of the complex is translated, it is worth saying that from Persian it means “greatest palace.” However, there is an opinion that the secret lies in the name of the chosen one of the Indian prince. The future emperor was in love with his cousin even before marriage and called her Mumtaz Mahal, i.e. Decoration of the Palace, and Taj, in turn, means “crown”.

Note to tourists

There is no need to list what the great mausoleum is famous for, because it is included in the list World Heritage UNESCO and is also considered a New Wonder of the World. During the excursion, they will definitely tell a romantic story about who the temple was built in honor of, and will also give brief description stages of construction and will reveal the secrets of which city has a similar structure.

To visit the Taj Mahal, you will need an address: in the city of Agra, you need to get to State Highway 62, Tajganj, Uttar Pradesh. It is allowed to take photographs on the territory of the temple, but only with ordinary equipment; professional equipment is strictly prohibited here. True, many tourists do beautiful photos outside the complex, you just need to know where it is observation deck, which offers a view from above. The city map usually indicates where you can see the palace and from which side the entrance to the complex is open.

A beautiful story about the history of the creation of the Taj Mahal
http://migranov.ru/agrastory.php

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 to the love of the Muslim Mughal king Shah Jahan ("ruler of the world") to to his wife Arjumand Bano Begum, who received the name Mumtaz Mahal during the coronation, which means “chosen one of the court.”

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

This is the greatest monument of India, which was built in the name of love and extraordinary devotion to a woman of amazing beauty. In its grandeur, it has no analogues in the whole world and reflects a rich period in the history of its state, which captured an entire era.

The building, built of white marble, was the last gift from Emperor Shah Jahan to his deceased wife Mumtaz Mahal. The emperor ordered to find the best craftsmen who would build a mausoleum so beautiful that it would have no analogues in the world.

Today, the Taj Mahal is on the list of the seven most majestic monuments in the world. Built from white marble, decorated with gold and semi-precious stones, the Taj Mahal has become one of the most beautiful buildings in architecture. It is unrecognizable and is the most photographed structure in the world.

The Taj Mahal has become not only the pearl of the entire Muslim culture of India, but also one of the world's recognized masterpieces. For many centuries it has inspired artists, musicians and poets who have tried to translate the invisible magic of this structure into paintings, music and poems.

Since the 17th century, people have crossed entire continents on purpose just to see and enjoy this truly fabulous monument of love. Even after centuries, it still captivates visitors with its architecture that tells the story of mysterious story deep love.

The Taj Mahal, translated as "Palace with a Dome", is today considered the best preserved, architecturally beautiful mausoleum in the world. Some call it “elegy in marble”; for others, the Taj Mahal is an eternal symbol of unfading love.

The Indian poet Rabindanath Tagore called it "a tear on the cheek of eternity", and the English poet Edwin Arnold said - "this is not a work of architecture, like other buildings, but the love pangs of the emperor, embodied in living stones."

Creator of the Taj Mahal

Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal Emperor, and in addition to the Taj Mahal, he left behind many beautiful architectural monuments that are now associated with the face of India. Such as the Pearl Mosque located in Agra, Shahjahanabad (now Old Delhi), Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Am, which is in the citadel of the Red Fort (Delhi). And also, considered the most luxurious throne in the world, the Peacock Throne of the Great Mongols. But the most famous was, of course, the Taj Mahal, which forever immortalized his name.

Shah Jahan had several wives. In 1607, he was engaged to a young girl, Arjumanad Banu Begam, who was only 14 years old at that time, and the wedding took place five years later. During the ceremony, Shah Jahan's father, Jahangir, named his daughter-in-law Mumtaz Mahal, which translated meant "Jewel of the Palace."

According to the chronicles of Qazwani, "the emperor's relations with other wives were merely formal, and all the attention, favor, intimacy and deep affection that Jahan felt for Mumtaz was a thousand times stronger in relation to his other wives."

Shah Jahan, the "Lord of the World", was a great patron of crafts and trade, art and gardens, science and architecture. He took charge of the empire in 1628 after the death of his father and rightfully earned the reputation of a merciless ruler. After a series of successful military campaigns, Emperor Shah Jahan significantly increased the territory of the Mongol Empire. At the height of his reign, he was considered the most powerful man on the planet, and the wealth and splendor of his court amazed all European travelers.

But his personal life was overshadowed in 1631 when his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth. As the legend goes, Jahan promised his dying wife that he would build the most beautiful mausoleum, which cannot be compared with anything in the world. Whether it was so or not, Shah Jahan translated his wealth and all his love for Mumtaz into the creation of the promised monument.

Until the end of his days, Shah Jahan looked at his beautiful creation, but no longer in the role of a ruler, but as a prisoner. He was imprisoned at the Red Fort in Agra by his own son Aurangzeb, who seized the throne in 1658. The only consolation for former emperor I had the opportunity to see the Taj Mahal through the window. And before his death, in 1666, Shah Jahan asked to fulfill his last wish: to be taken to the window overlooking the Taj Mahal, where he whispered the name of his beloved for the last time.

Mumtaz married on 10 May 1612 after five years of engagement. This date was chosen for the couple by court astrologers, claiming that this was the most favorable day for marriage. And they turned out to be right, the marriage turned out to be happy for both Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. During her lifetime, all poets praised the extraordinary beauty, harmony and boundless mercy of Mamtaz Mahal.

Traveling with Shah Jahan throughout the Mughal Empire, she became his reliable life partner. Only war could separate them, but in the future, even war could not separate them. Mumtaz Mahal became a support and consolation for the emperor, as well as her husband’s inseparable companion until her death.

Over the 19 years of her marriage, Mumtaz gave birth to 14 children to the emperor, but the last birth was fatal. Mumtaz dies during childbirth and her body is temporarily buried in Burhanpur.

The chroniclers of the imperial court paid unusually much attention to Shah Jahan's experiences in connection with the death of his wife. The emperor was so inconsolable that after Mumtaz's death, he spent a whole year in seclusion. When he came to his senses, he no longer looked like the old emperor. His hair turned gray, his back bent and his face aged. He did not listen to music for several years, stopped wearing richly decorated clothes and jewelry, and stopped using perfume.

Shah Jahan died eight years after his son Aurangzeb seized the throne. “My father had great affection for my mother, so let his final resting place be with her,” said Aurangzeb and ordered that his father be buried next to Mumtaz Mahal.

There is a legend according to which Shah Jahan was going to build an exact copy of the Taj Mahal on the other side of the Yamuna River, but from black marble. But these plans were not destined to come to fruition.

Construction of the Taj Mahal

Construction of the Taj Mahal began in December 1631. It was the fulfillment of Shah Jahan's promise to Mumtaz Mahal in last minutes of her life, that he would build a monument that could match her beauty. Construction of the central mausoleum was completed in 1648, and the entire complex was completed in 1653, five years later.

Nobody knows who owns the layout of the Taj Mahal. Previously, in the Islamic world, the construction of buildings was attributed not to the architect, but to the customer of the construction. Based on many sources, it can be argued that a team of architects worked on the project.

Just like many other great monuments, the Taj Mahal is a clear testament to the excessive wealth of its creator. For 22 years, 20,000 people worked to realize Shah Jahan's fantasy. Sculptors came from Bukhara, calligraphers from Persia and Syria, inlay was carried out by craftsmen from south india, stonemasons came from Balochistan, and materials were brought from all over Central Asia and India.

Architecture of Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal consists of the following buildings:

• Main entrance (Darwaza)
• Mausoleum (Rauza)
• Gardens (Bageecha)
• Mosque (Masjid)
• Guest House (Naqqar Khana)

The mausoleum is surrounded by a guest house on one side and a mosque on the other. The white marble building is surrounded by four minarets, which are tilted outward so as not to damage the central dome if destroyed. The complex stands in a garden with a huge swimming pool, which reflects a copy of the beauty of the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal Garden

The Taj Mahal is surrounded by a beautiful garden. For the Islamic style, the garden is not just part of the complex. Muhammad's followers lived in vast arid lands, so this walled garden represented Heaven on Earth. The garden area occupies most of the complex, 300x300 m, with a total area of ​​300x580 m.

Since the number 4 is considered a holy number in Islam, the entire structure of the Taj Mahal garden is based on the number 4 and its multiples. A central pond and canals divide the garden into 4 equal parts. In each of these parts there are 16 flower beds, which are separated by pedestrian paths.

The trees in the garden are either fruit trees, which represent life, or the cypress family, which represent death. The Taj Mahal itself is located not in the center of the garden, but on its northern edge. And in the center of the garden there is an artificial reservoir, reflecting the mausoleum in its waters.

History of the Taj Mahal after construction

Somewhere around the mid-19th century, the Taj Mahal became a place for a pleasant holiday. Girls danced on the terrace, and the guest house and mosque were rented out for wedding ceremonies. The British and Indians plundered the semi-precious stones, tapestries, rich carpets and silver doors that once adorned this mausoleum. Many vacationers took a hammer with them in order to make it more convenient to remove pieces of carnelian and agate from stone flowers.

For some time it seemed that the Taj Mahal might disappear, like the Mongols themselves. In 1830, the Governor-General of India, William Bentinck, planned to dismantle the monument and sell its marble. They say that the destruction of the mausoleum was prevented only by the lack of buyers.

The Taj Mahal suffered even more during the Indian Rebellion in 1857, and at the end of the 19th century it completely fell into disrepair. The graves were desecrated by vandals, and the area was completely overgrown without maintenance.

The decline lasted for many years until Lord Kenzon (Governor General of India) organized a large-scale restoration project of the monument, which was completed in 1908. The building has been completely renovated and the garden and canals have been restored. All this helped restore the Taj Mahal to its former glory.

Many people criticize the British for their bad attitude towards the Taj Mahal, but the Indians treated it no better. As the population of Agra increased, the structure began to suffer from pollution. environment acid rain, which discolored its white marble. The future of the monument was under threat until, in the late 1990s, the Supreme Court of India decided to move all particularly hazardous hazardous industries outside the city.

The Taj Mahal is the best example of Mongolian architecture. It combines elements of Islamic, Persian and Indian architectural schools. In 1983, the monument was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been called "the crown jewel of all Muslim art in India and a masterpiece of universally admired world heritage."

The Taj Mahal has become a symbol of India for tourists, attracting about 2.5 million travelers every year. It is considered one of the most recognizable structures in the world, and the history behind its construction gives it the right to be considered greatest monument love ever built in the world.