2. INTRODUCTION
The Taj Mahal (Devanagari:, Nastaliq: )ﻣﺤﻞ ﺗﺎﺝ
The Taj Mahal ( Devanagari Nastaliq ﻣﺤﻞ
is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. The
Agra India
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned
it as a mausoleum for his favorite wife,
Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632
Mahal
and was completed in approximately 1648.
Some dispute surrounds the question of who
designed the Taj Mahal; it is clear a team of
designers and craftsmen were responsible
for the design, with Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
considered the most likely candidate as the
principal designer.
principal designer.
3. Contd…
Contd
The Taj Mahal (sometimes called quot;the Tajquot;) is
Taj
generally considered the finest example of
Mughal architecture, a style that combines
elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic
architectural styles. While the white domed
marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of
the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an
integrated complex of structures. In 1983 the Taj
became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and
was cited as quot;the jewel of Muslim art in India and
one of the universally admired masterpieces of
the world's heritage.quot;
the world's heritage.quot;
5. Contd…
Contd
In the tomb area, wells were then dug to the point that water was
In the tomb area, wells were then dug to the point that water wa
encountered. These wells were later filled with stone and rubble,
encountered. These wells were later filled with stone and rubble
forming the basis for the footings of the tomb. [An additional
well was built to same depth nearby to provide a visual method
to track water level changes over time.]
Instead of lashed bamboo, the typical scaffolding method,
workmen constructed a colossal brick scaffold that mirrored the
inner and outer surfaces of the tomb. The scaffold was so
enormous that foremen estimated it would take years to
dismantle. According to legend, Shah Jahan decreed that
anyone could keep bricks taken from the scaffold, and it was
dismantled by peasants overnight.
A fifteenkilometer tampedearth ramp was built to transport
fifteen
tamped
marble and materials to the construction site. According to
contemporary accounts teams of twenty or thirty oxen strained
to pull the blocks on specially constructed wagons.
to pull the blocks on specially constructed wagons.
