1.  Built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for himself and his principal wife, the Taj Mahal sits on
the south bank of the Yamuna river, approx 2km downstream from the Red Fort at Agra .
 Directly across the river from the Taj, Shah Jahan built a Mahtab Bagh ( "Moonlight
Garden", now largely overgrown), giving it exactly the same dimensions as the Taj itself.
 The Taj is flanked by a pair of large sandstone buildings. The one on the west was a mosque;
its twin (jawab, "duplicate") on the east side was added for reasons of symmetry. The jawab's
practical function is unknown.
TajMahal
 Buried in the Taj Mahal are Shah Jahan and his principal wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who
predeceased him by 35 years.
 (The name "Taj Mahal" is a corruption of "Mumtaz Mahal".) The actual burials are
underneath the main floor. They are marked on the main floor by cenotaphs, as is usual in
Islamic funerary monuments. Thus, the Taj Mahal is, technically, a mausoleum which contains
the two tombs and their cenotaphs.

2.  Two legends have persisted about this monument which it is well to correct. First is the
romantic story that Shah Jahan built the Taj as a memorial to his beloved wife. It is true that
he was fond of his wife, but Shah Jahan planned and built the Taj for himself. Naturally, since
his wife died before him, she was buried there first. (In fact, she died in 1629 and was not
interred there until the building was completed in 1643.)
 The second legend refers to a so-called "Black Taj" which was allegedly to have been built on
the site of the Moonlight Garden as Shah Jahan's own tomb, reserving the Taj Mahal for his
wife.
 The building is part of a complex which included many buildings beside the central tomb and
garden; to the south is a complex known as the 'chauk-i jilau khana', or ceremonial forecourt,
which was flanked by four courtyards (two on each side) containing apartments for the tomb
attendants; directly south of these is a further area divided into four caravanserais by two
intersecting streets, and south of this are two more caravanserais and a bazar built around a
square. A residential area grew up around this complex which was known as Mumtazabad.
The revenue of this village together with that of thirty other villages in the vicinity was
devoted to the upkeep of the building.
 Taj Mahal was incorporated into a formal garden of the Persian char bagh form where a
square garden wall encloses a garden divided equally into four. In the case of the Taj
Mahal, however, a square pool forms the centre of the garden whilst the tomb building was
located at the far end of it, overlooking the river.
 The walls of the garden tomb complex are strengthened by six octagonal towers capped with
domed chatris.

3.  The gate to the complex consists of a large rectangular structure with engaged corner turrets
placed in the middle of a tall wall which effectively screens the Taj Mahal from view until the
visitor has passed through the gate. The effect of this is enhanced by the fact that the outer
buildings of the complex and the gateway are built and faced in red sandstone whereas the
tomb and minarets are faced in white marble.
 The central part of the complex is raised on a rectangular podium decorated with arcades of
blind niches.
 At each corner of the podium is an octagonal base for a minaret whilst the tomb stands in
the centre.
 The gate is directly in line with the centre of the dome on the tomb, a symmetry which is
emphasized by the minarets, two either side of the tomb. Each minaret is a tall (42
m), slightly tapering, cylindrical structure with two intermediate balconies and an open
domed pavilion (chatri) on the top.
 Long pools divide the garden into four parts, one running east-west and the other running
north-south from the gate to the Taj Mahal. At either end of the east-west axis are large
triple-domed buildings with a central iwan. The building on the west side is a mosque whilst
that to the east is known as the 'jawab', or echo, as it has no other function than to balance
the view with the mosque on the other side. The north-south pools further emphasize the
central axis of the gateway and dome11

4.  The central dome of the Taj Mahal is very tall (the finial is 73 m above ground level) and is
raised up above the pishtaqs or the surrounding iwans by a tall circular drum about 15 m
high.
 The dome is composed of two parts, an inner dome and an outer shell. The inner dome is
approximately the same height as the iwans whilst the outer dome towers above. The use of
an inner dome keeps the height of the inner space in proportion whilst the outer dome
makes the height of the building correspond to its mass and with the minarets makes
building stand out visually.
 Directly below the centre of the dome is the cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal and next to it that
of her husband Shah Jahan.
 The actual tombs, however, are in a vault or cave directly beneath the cenotaphs. The
cenotaphs in the main chamber are surrounded by an octagonal pierced screen with two
gates with pietra dura inlay on the posts.
 The walls of the interior are divided into blind arches alternating with arched doorways
which give access to the four circular side chambers. Around each of the arches is a frame of
Quranic inscriptions whilst the marble dadoes are also lavishly decorated with naturalistic
depictions of flowers in low relief.
 The whole arrangement of the tomb, in particular the octagonal screen and the cave
beneath, recalls the arrangement of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

6.  The Taj Mahal complex is organized in a rectangle, measuring approximately 310 x 550
meters. It comprises a number of buildings and structures, all functioning together as the
funerary monument for Mumtaz Mahal.
 From the south, the first part of the complex consists of a (former) bazaar, the forecourt and
entry gates; the second part consists of a large garden and garden pavilions, axially arranged
along a riverfront terrace with the three main structures: the mosque, the mausoleum and
the mihmankhana (literally, "guest house," probably used as an assembly hall).
 The complex was planned on the basis of a unit called a gaz, approximately 32 inches (81.28
cm). Multiples of this "gaz" unit were used throughout the Taj Mahal complex. Overall, the
complex is organized in 3 linearly arranged modular squares, each measuring 374 gaz per
side, or 374 gaz wide by 1,122 gaz long.
 The caravanserai (Taj Ganj) and entry forecourt (jilaukhana) areas are organized on a module
of 17 gaz, whereas in the area from the entry gate (darwaza-i rauza) to the riverfront
terrace, the complex follows a 23-gaz module. This 17-gaz jilaukhana module multiplied by
22= 74 gaz (the width of the complex). The caravanserai measures 416.5 gaz in length, or 17
x 24.5 gaz, and the jilaukhana measures 153 gaz, or 17 x 9 gaz.
 The garden is further divided into 23 x 16 gaz, and the riverfront terrace measures 138 by 23
x 6 gaz. These gaz modules lend themselves to an axial arrangement, with a cascading
hierarchy: each building in the complex is further organized on a smaller grid based on the
gaz module. For example, the mosque, mausoleum and mihmankhana are based on a 7-gaz
grid, while the great gate (darwaza-i rauza) is based on a 3-gaz grid. This grid functions not
only in plan, but also in elevation.

7. Taj Ganj and Entrance Gates
 The Taj Ganj market aligned on axis with the southern entrance gate of the Taj complex
once served as a vital part of the entire complex
 The Taj Ganj area leads to the southern gate (Sidhi or Sirhi Darwaza) into the forecourt
(jilaukhana) of the Taj Mahal complex, although the eastern (Fatehabadi Darwaza) and
western (Fatehpuri Darwaza) gates of the jilaukhana are more frequently used by
tourists.
Exterior views from the southwest of the entrance
gate (darwaza-i rauza) leading to the garden
complex from the forecourt (jilaukhana)
 The latter two gates are identical, with central pointed-arch pishtaqs flanked by octagonal
pilasters crowned with guldastas (ornamental flower pinnacles).
 The red sandstone parapet of the gateways contains multi-cusped crenellations carved in
relief that contrast with the buff sandstone of the spandrels.
 The southern gate is similar to the east and west ones in its verticality. Due to the natural
gradient of the site, which slopes toward the riverbank, this gate lies 2.4 m above the ground
elevation of the jilaukhana itself.
 Two bazaar streets begin at the east and west gates and lead to the jilaukhana. Formerly an
integrated part of the complex, these bazaars contributed financially to the maintenance of
the mausoleum. The bazaars consist of individual rooms (hujra) along an arcaded verandah
of multi-cusped arches that are supported on slender columns. The stone overhangs (chajjas)
projecting from this arcade are supported by voluted brackets.

8. Jilaukhana, Khawasspuras, and Saheli Burj
General view looking east at the
saheli burj and the darwaza-i rauza
in the distance
view from the jilaukhana looking
northwest at the arcaded galleries
View looking southwest at the arcaded
khawaspurras terminating in a three-
story tower
General view of the khawaspurras
and the darwaza-i rauza
overlooking the garden (bagh-i
firdaus a'im) on the left side of the
frame
Exterior view of the double arcaded
khawaspurras
View looking southeast at the three-
story tower with the khawaspurras to
the right side of the frame

9.  The jilaukhana ("in front of the house"), or forecourt, served Mughal ceremonial purposes
and acted as a transition space between the street and the palace or royal building.
 The jilaukhana consists of a large courtyard with 128 hujra rooms opening directly onto the
courtyard. The openings to the rooms are framed by multi-cusped arches and capped by a
chajja overhang.
 The jilaukhana rooms served as accommodation for a long period of time, and later fell into
disrepair until the British colonial period. During their occupation, the British were
responsible for the restoration of the bazaar streets and arcades in the jilaukhana of the Taj
Mahal.
Jilaukhana
 To the northeast and northwest of the jilaukhana are the khawasspuras, two residential
enclosures.
 The north side of the khawasspuras abuts the southern galleries that flank the great gate to
the east and the west.
 The khawasspuras served as living quarters for the caretakers of the tomb and the persons
who performed the funerary services. These enclosures are arranged around rectangular
courtyards surrounded by arcaded verandahs, two of which form the rear side of the
jilaukhana's rooms.
 The khawasspuras were entered through the wall adjoining the main garden to the north of
the southern galleries.
 The outer southern corners of the enclosures in the khawasspuras have rooms giving access
to latrines, and from conjectural reconstruction it has been determined that these latrines
consisted of a long platform with openings and a channel below.
Khawasspuras

10.  The two saheli burj (inner subsidiary tombs) enclosures to the east and west of the jilaukhana
are the tomb complexes of two other wives of Shah Jahan.
 The saheli burj enclosures have gardens arranged in the chahar bagh style, with a pool of
water in the center surrounded by paved walkways.
 The tomb buildings are octagonal, single-story structures, built on a plinth. The walls are
formed of multi-cusped arcades, and each side has a door filled with hexagonal jali work.
Above the arches, brackets support a chajja, and two guldasta columns (per side of the
octagon) stand on the roof behind the parapet.
 The building and its plinth are clad in red sandstone; the structure is topped by a bulbous
white marble dome. Moving inside, the south door of both of the saheli burj tombs leads to
the cenotaph within.
 The colors of the exterior cladding are reversed in the interior: the walls are clad in white
marble, while the jalis and ceiling are sandstone. Eight squinches provide the transition into
the circular base of the double dome.
 The two tombs only differ in the decoration of the cenotaphs; the eastern one is finished in
pietra dura and is more elaborate than its western counterpart, which is finished with relief
mouldings.
 To the northeast and northwest of the two saheli burj was a single-story building that
corresponded to each tomb; only one of the pair, that related to the eastern tomb, now
survives.
 This building has a verandah and two hujra rooms; its external walls are decorated with
shallow chini khana motifs.
Saheli burj

11. Darwaza-i Rauza
 The great gate (darwaza-i rauza) that leads from the north of the jilaukhana to the
garden, and ultimately to the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal, is a large structure with triadic
openings.
 The base of the gate measures nearly 38 meters and its peripheral walls, including the
cupolas, are 30 meters in height. The central pishtaq, also including the cupolas, is 33 meters
in height and 19 meters wide.
 The gate is composed of red sandstone with decorative panels and accents in white marble.
The surface treatment of the pishtaqs is elaborate: it is framed in white marble and inlaid
with precious stones. Its central arch is delineated by a triple rope moulding and surrounded
by a frame containing the Daybreak Sura (Sura al-Fajr) in thuluth script.
 The entry iwan contains muqarnas in red sandstone, which contrast with the white plaster
paint outlining each segment. (The northern elevation of the gate is identical to the southern
one; the lower left corner of its framed inscription also contains the signature of the
calligrapher, Amanat Khan).
 Topping the central pishtaq is a series of eleven arches in red sandstone, capped by a chajja;
eleven white marble chhatris crown the chajja.
 A single column rises from the pishtaq to complete each end of the arcade; this column
terminates in a finial above the chhatris. This same column runs in engaged form along the
height of the pishtaq itself.
 The towers are capped with sandstone chhatris with white marble domes. The pointed arch
on the south elevation of the darwaza-i rauza partially frames the visitors' first glimpse of the
main structure, the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal.

12. Garden (Bagh-i Firdaus-a'in) and Naubat Khanas
 The garden (bagh-i firdaus-a'in) of the Taj complex is laid out as a cross-axial chahar bagh: a
large square divided into four equal quadrants by two large primary intersecting walkways
(khiyaban).
 Each of these quadrants is further divided into four sections by smaller secondary
intersecting walkways.
 The primary cross-axial walkways all terminate at an outer peripheral walkway that frames
the garden as a whole.
 A shallow water canal (nahr) runs along the centre of the primary walkways; a line of
equidistant water fountains runs down the center of the nahr.
 Geometric patterns in red sandstone depicting regular and elongated stars decorate the
edges of the central pathways running on each side of the nahr.
 At the intersection of the primary walkways is a raised platform with a square water tank
(hauz) at its center.
 Five fountains are located within the tank, one at each of its four corners and one in its
center.
 The four corners of the tank have floral edged designs. Four marble benches, all placed at
right angles to one another on each side of the square tank.
 The east-west walkways terminate in two-story pavilions (naubat khanas) that merge into the
outer garden walls

13.  The two naubat khanas (drum houses) project into the garden where the main east-west
garden pathway meets the garden walls (approximately halfway between the darwaza
and the mausoleum).
 The naubat khanas are constructed on raised platforms and have two floors.
 On each level, the naubat khanas have a triple archway in the center of the east and west
elevations, respectively.
 On the ground level, the arches are closed with a jali screen; on the upper level, they
remain open.
 The floor slab of the upper story projects beyond the wall above and below to form a
balcony as long as the building; carved red sandstone handrails run along its length, and
carved sandstone brackets help support it from below.
 The roof of the pavilion is accessed from an internal staircase that emerges externally on
the upper level, overlooking the garden, and continues to the roof.
 In the center of the rooftop is a large chhatri capped with a marble dome.
Riverfront Terrace
 In historic accounts of the Taj Mahal complex, the riverfront terrace supporting the
mausoleum has been referred to as the kursi, or throne. This terrace, and the marble plinth
upon it, supports the mosque, mausoleum and the mihmankhana

14. Mausoleum
 At the north end of the garden is the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal (rauza-i munauwara,
rauza-i muqqadas, rauza-i mutahhara), the central element of the Taj Mahal complex.
 The plan of the mausoleum is based on the nine-fold hasht-bihisht (eight paradises) plan
often employed by the Mughals for tomb and pavilion design in the 16th and early 17th
centuries. In this system, a square plan is divided into nine spaces: a central chamber with
four additional spaces in the center of each elevation and four rooms at each corner.
 In the mausoleum of the Taj Mahal complex, the central chamber is double-height and
octagonal in plan. At its center rest the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.
 The chamber is capped by a shallow dome and decorated with niches on each two-story
wall. These niches on the cardinal axes have jali screens, fitted on the external faces of the
walls, which allow light into the room.
 The niches on the diagonal axes hold rectangular doors. The niches are separated into lower
and upper stories by an inscription band that runs around the interior. The upper and lower
niches are identical but for the frames on the lower niches.
 On the upper level, these frames are replaced by muqarnas that begin to transform the
octagonal plan into a circular ring for the dome. The shallow dome, which is the lower
portion of the double dome used for construction, thus appears as decorated with an
extended pattern of the muqarnas that support its base.

15.  The walls and ceilings of the shish mahal rooms are composed of of glass-filled decorative
patterns. These rooms are not accessible to visitors.
 The floor of the tomb chamber is tiled with octagonal marble stars in alternating
cruciform modules, each outlined with inlaid black stone.
 The delicate marble screen that currently surrounds the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and
Mumtaz was set up in 1643 in place of the original gold-enameled one that was made in
1633 on the second anniversary (urs) of Mumtaz's death.
 Each side of this marble octagonal screen is divided into three panels; only one opens to
access the cenotaph.
 The screen replicates the outer structure of the tomb and echoes its architectural
forms, including its engaged shafts and inlay work. Pietra dura work in precious stones
fills the opaque surfaces of the screen.
 The lower tomb chamber, which is now closed to the public, can be reached by a pointed
barrel vault staircase that lies to the south of the cenotaph. This chamber is completely clad
in marble with an undecorated ceiling and contains Mumtaz's cenotaph, on a lightly
decorated platform, placed beside Shah Jahan's cenotaph, which is also more simply
decorated than its counterpart on the upper story.
 On the roof of the mausoleum is a high drum, topped with a bulbous dome measuring 25.6
meters high by 17.6 meters wide. Four diagonally placed chhatris flank the drum. The
terrace provides a view of the garden below; it is accessed by staircases from the ground
floor that lie on either side of the entrance to the mausoleum.

16.  The four elevations reflect the symmetry of the mausoleum's plan. Each major (N,E,S,W)
elevation is similar; each is divided into three frames, with a central pishtaq measuring 32.6
meters in height.
 The two frames flanking the central pishtaq contain blind arched niches on the upper and
lower levels. Each corner of the building presents a chamfered elevation (to the
northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest).
Minarets
 Four marble-clad minarets flank the mausoleum, one at each corner of the mausoleum
plinth. The minarets were still not detached from the main structures.
 Each minaret at the Taj Mahal mausoleum contains an internal winding staircase made of
rough sandstone that accesses its roof.
 Each of the minarets also has three projecting balconies accessible by a door on each
level, and is topped with a chhatri supported by slender columns and multi-cusped arches.
 Each chhatri is capped with a kalasa finial.

17. Mosque and Mihmankhana
 The mosque and mihmankhana are located to the west and east (respectively) of the
mausoleum building. Symmetrical and identical in design, it is conjectured from records that
the mosque was built first, followed by the mihmankhana.
 The mihmankhana's function was, speculatively, to accommodate visitors during Mumtaz's
urs, and to balance the architectural composition. In an extended illustration of this
theory, the mosque has an ablution tank, while the mihmankhana also has a corresponding
tank - one with no actual function.
 Both buildings were constructed on the plinth that extends into the riverfront terrace, and
both also follow the central design scheme within the complex.
 A central pishtaq, flanked with blind arched openings on either side, is decorated with red
sandstone and white marble.
 These arched openings are also framed with marble spandrels and rope moldings.
 Green and dark yellow semiprecious stones form the inlay on the marble cladding. Both
buildings are capped with three domes, the central one being largest, which are placed on
drums decorated with an interlocking motif pattern of alternating white marble and red
sandstone. Amalaka and kalasa finials top the domes.
General view looking northwest
at the mosque from the garden
(bagh-i firdaus a'im)

18. Materials and Construction
 The materials most frequently used in the Taj Mahal complex are bricks, sandstone and
white marble. Brick
 The sandstone used in the complex has a color varying from soft red to red with a yellow
tint.
 White marble came from the quarries of Makrana in Rajasthan, approx. 400 kms southeast
of Agra
 The marble used in the complex was a white one with black and grey streaks. Although
difficult to work, it was hard enough for detailed carving, with a translucent appearance. This
translucence is most visible during changes in daylight, when the monument appears to glow.
 A polished plaster coating, locally known as chuna, was applied to brick walls; this chuna was
used as an economical substitute for marble. The chuna was composed of burnt lime, ground
shells, calciferous stones, and plant fibers.
 The greatest technical problem in the construction of the Taj Mahal was securing the
foundations of the heavy superstructures near the riverfront. This was accomplished using
wells cased in wood and filled with rubble and iron, spaced at 3.75 meters on center. These
worked as pile foundations.

19.  The buildings in the Taj Mahal complex are built of brick and faced with sandstone or
marble, using a technique called the "Mughal bond.
 A final piece of sandstone acts as simple cladding, placed on the façade perpendicular to its
bedding plane, held in place by mortar backing and iron dowels or clamps.
 Vaults, such as the inner dome of the mausoleum, were constructed with concentric rings of
brick plastered with thick layers of mortar.
 The surface of the platform, below the white marble plinth which
supports the building, is decorated with ornamental tiling. In the
pattern used here, the repeating stars have paired arms of unequal
width, the adjacent rows and columns being offset by half a unit.
(Tiling is a mathematical term that means any space-
filling, geometric, pattern. The material used on the platform is cut
stone, not ceramic tile.)Platform Tiling
Taj Mahal, Agra
Recessed Arch
Taj Mahal, Agra
 This is one of the lesser (but still quite large) recessed arches that
are stacked along the faces of the building, some surrounding the
great arches and others recessed into a corner face. Lovely pietra
dura inlay occupies the triangular space between the outline of the
curved arch and its enclosing rectangle.

20.  Precious and semi-precious stones are used more extensively in the decoration of the
mausoleum than elsewhere in the complex. These stones include lapis
lazuli, sapphire, cornelian, jasper, chrysolite and heliotrope
 Floral relief carvings are found on the marble and sandstone walls; these carvings are
stylistically related to the pietra dura work, yet are worked according to the material of the
building they adorn.
 Overall, the decoration elements with the Taj Mahal complex work to bind the numerous
buildings together, in keeping with the formal hierarchy of the complex: each
structure, according to its position, uses the established decorative vocabulary realized in the
material assigned to its position.
Muqarnas
Taj Mahal, Agra
 Muqarnas ("stalactites") is the ribbing on the underside of an
Islamic dome. It is seen here at the top of the photo, above the
repeated "cookie cutter" outlines of missing inlay. It is used in
Islamic architecture to smooth the transition between arch and
dome, and has the additional effect of softening the visual texture
of the stone surface.
Marble work
Taj Mahal, Agra
 The cusped arches and panel of flowers are missing their inlay, but
the vegetal band around the flowers survives (or, perhaps, has been
restored; it is not always easy to tell the difference). Also present is a
vertical Koranic inscription. Calligraphy is made larger as the writing
climbs up the building, so that all the letters appear the same size
when seen from the ground.