Taj Mahal
By Jen Zurek T5
The Taj Mahal
In front of the building there is a big reflecting pool with gardens surrounding the area.
Building The Taj Mahal
Known as one of seven wonders of the world, this beautiful building is not just for tourists, but for the wife of Shah Jahan. In 1631, Shah's wife Taj Mahal died during child birth. His disappointment inspired him to make a burial memorial for her. It took 22 years to build from 1632-1654 with about 20,000 workers building the project. The building is made out of Marble, precious jewels, and stone pushed into the walls. What attracts many people today is the big dome made completely out of white marble. This big project was worth it in the end to both Shah and people and admirers from around the world.
Did you know...
That the Taj Mahal means Crown Plalace in Persian?
The famous large dome is sometimes called the onion dome?
Outside The Building
The Taj Mahal is a total of 561 feet tall (171 meters). It has a long reflecting pool and beautiful garden surrounding it. The height of the dome is 144 feet tall (44 meters). The dome symbolizes perfection and unity. The pillars that are on the sides of the Taj Mahal add to the beauty of this amazing place. They are even slightly leaned to to opposite side of the building in case an earthquake causes them to fall, they wont hit it. The whole property of the Taj Mahal is a total of 42 acres. Behind the Taj Mahal is an area of water and flat land.
Passage Ways In The Building
As you can see in this picture, Many styles of artwork are presented on the walls of the Taj Mahal. Long hallways intersect other ones in this maze of passages.
Inside The Building
Inside the Taj Mahal there are 378 rooms, many passages, and uncountable pieces of artwork. There is an assortment of different carvings on the walls that tell stories and impress many tourists. In the building, since it is a mausoleum, there are graves of Shah himself and one of Taj's relatives, Mumtaz Mahal that are decorated with carvings and jewels. It is a Muslim tradition to make the grave look nice with decorations. On the floor of the Taj Mahal, many geometric shapes and patterns are paved into the ground. You can also find many vases containing assortments of flowers.
Bibliography
Taj Mahal, Agra, India by Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq, 1990-1997, islamicity.com
http://www.islamicity.com/culture/taj/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Taj Mahotsav 2013, journeymart.com, 2001-2013
http://www.journeymart.com/holidays-ideas/festivals/taj-mahotsav.aspx
Official Website of the Taj Mahal, Government, 2013