The city of Agra (India) is home to one of the most famous buildings in the world – Taj Mahal. This is probably the main reason that the city has become a major tourist attraction. My first trip to India included Agra, the former capital of the Mughal empire.
The 30m high gateway in red sandstone
The first view through the gateway
Emperor Shah Jahan built the mousoleum in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. She died 39 years old when she gave birth to their 14th child. The emperor was devastated with greief and started right away to built the monument in honor of her. In 1648 it was completed. It took him 22 years and he did spend most of the royal treasury to build this memorial to eternal love.
Taj Mahal is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements in islamic art. A masterpiece admired not only in India, but by the whole world. It incorporates traditions of both early Mughal architecture and Persian influence. The ornamentation is exquisite. Floral decorations are carved on the white marble and with inlaid semi-precious stones. In the early Mughal period the buildings were mostly built in red sandstone, but Shah Jahan was the one who introduced the use of white marble.
These photos were taken from the red sandstone building that is believed to have been a guest house. On the western side a mosque, which is identical in order to create symmetry.
The chamber with the genotaph
The mausoleum itself stands on a marble platform with slender, white minarettes in each corner of the platform. The cenotaph of both Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan is placed in the center of the complex, but their bodies were burried somewhere in the foundation.
I find it hard to sum up it's beauty in a few words, but it surpassed all my expectations and felt just as magical as I had expected.
source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal#Inspiration
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