History Of Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is one of the monuments that attracts the most tourists year after year and one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World. Do you know the history of the Taj Mahal and its construction? We tell you!
Taj Mahal history
The history of the Taj Mahal dates back to 1631, the year in which construction began in Agra, India, and would last until 1654. Considered as a palace by many, the Taj Mahal was originally a mausoleum built by the Muslim emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died in the birth of her fourteenth son. Everyone knew that the young woman was his favorite wife, so the emperor decided to honor her with this monumental mausoleum.
The reality of the history of the Taj Mahal is that not only the famous white marble domes constitute the monument, but it actually has 17 hectares in which a mosque, gardens and different houses are also located.
Many legends are associated with this palace, such as the one that Mumtaz Mahal asked to be placed facing the Taj Mahal on his deathbed so that the last thing he saw was the great mausoleum built for his favorite wife he could never forget.
The history of the Taj Mahal dates back to 1631, the year in which construction began in Agra, India, and would last until 1654. Considered as a palace by many, the Taj Mahal was originally a mausoleum built by the Muslim emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died in the birth of her fourteenth son. Everyone knew that the young woman was his favorite wife, so the emperor decided to honor her with this monumental mausoleum.
The reality of the history of the Taj Mahal is that not only the famous white marble domes constitute the monument, but it actually has 17 hectares in which a mosque, gardens and different houses are also located.
Many legends are associated with this palace, such as the one that Mumtaz Mahal asked to be placed facing the Taj Mahal on his deathbed so that the last thing he saw was the great mausoleum built for his favorite wife he could never forget.
Who built the Taj Mahal?
The construction of the Taj Mahal was in charge of 20,000 workers and is located in a privileged location on a bend in the Yamuna River.
The Taj Mahal was built with the best materials using white marble that had to be transported to the area on the back of elephants. It also included precious stones such as sapphire, amethysts, quartz and even diamonds. It is estimated that the total cost of the construction of the Taj Mahal was Rs 50 million, which would be equivalent, also taking into account the change in the price of marble from one time to another, about 500 million dollars.
As for who built the Taj Mahal or who was the architect who designed this spectacular mausoleum, there are only rumors. The legend says that the emperor had the architect's wife murdered so that he felt the same pain he felt and knew how to express it with his work. However, there is notion of who built the Taj Mahal thinking of this as different pieces that fit into a whole. Thus we find that the main dome was in charge of the Ottoman Ismail Kahn, the best in his time in the domain and construction of the domes. It is also known that the palace had mosaics by artists from New Delhi, sculptures by architects of present-day Uzbekistan and dozens of calligraphy experts from Syria and Persia. In total there were 37 main artisans who directed the work of the 20,000 men mentioned above.
The 17 hectares of mausoleum did not seem enough to the emperor to boast about his wife, so at first he had the idea of building a palace in black marble on the other side of the Yamuna River and joining both with a golden bridge. We currently know that this palace was not built but remains of what could have been.
The construction of the Taj Mahal was in charge of 20,000 workers and is located in a privileged location on a bend in the Yamuna River.
The Taj Mahal was built with the best materials using white marble that had to be transported to the area on the back of elephants. It also included precious stones such as sapphire, amethysts, quartz and even diamonds. It is estimated that the total cost of the construction of the Taj Mahal was Rs 50 million, which would be equivalent, also taking into account the change in the price of marble from one time to another, about 500 million dollars.
As for the interior of the Taj Mahal, it is worth noting, of course, the mortuary chamber as the central space of the construction around which the others were organized. This chamber is also built with marble and has ornaments of precious stones that filter the light from the outside as a stained glass window. The cabin was perfectly symmetrical, in the line of the architectural ensemble. But at the death of the emperor, his son decided to bury him next to his beloved, so this room is currently not completely symmetrical.
The palace is composed of a total of 22 domes that symbolize the 22 years that the construction of the Taj Mahal as a whole lasted.
The Taj Mahal today
It is currently one of the seven wonders of the modern world and also the most famous and emblematic monument of India, as well as one of the most recognized in the world. It is recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. This importance means that the Taj Mahal is visited daily by more than 70,000 people from all over the world, this large influx of tourists causes, as in many other major attractions, an excess of dirt.
It is currently one of the seven wonders of the modern world and also the most famous and emblematic monument of India, as well as one of the most recognized in the world. It is recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. This importance means that the Taj Mahal is visited daily by more than 70,000 people from all over the world, this large influx of tourists causes, as in many other major attractions, an excess of dirt.
But this is not the most worrisome, but the Palace is gradually losing its natural white and moving to a yellowish tone with certain black spots due to overexposure, lack of cleanliness and the proximity of up to 1,100 polluting industries in a radius of 10,400 square kilometers. This, together with the fact that the Yamuna river that accompanies it has been biologically dead for years and attracting annoying mosquitoes, can cause a close closure to the public of the monument for restoration work. However, some measures have already begun to be proposed to prevent deterioration. For some time, cars and electric buses can only be accessed within a radius of 60 kilometers.
Not only its history and the legends that surround it are exciting. The Taj Mahal also has some odd curiosity that will surely surprise you.
During the construction of the Taj Mahal 20,000 people worked and more than 1,000 elephants. Unprocessed figures to make Emperor Sha Jahan's dream come true in just 22 years.
The legends tell that the emperor had the hands of the architects who had participated cut once the construction of the Taj Mahal was finished, in addition to sending them blind. They say that he did this so that they could never replicate this work of art anywhere else.
In the early nineteenth century, the English wanted to tear down the Taj Mahal to sell the marble from its facade in London. Luckily, this was not done, and now the monument is one of the 7 wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal is a fusion of styles. We can find elements of Persian style, in addition to the Islamic and Indian style.
The building was built for the third wife of Emperor Sha Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal, whom he buried inside. The previous two wives are also buried in the Taj Mahal, but not in such a privileged place as the last one.
The emperor was a complete obsessed with symmetry, so after his death, his grave (next to his wife's) is the only thing that breaks this symmetry in the Taj Mahal.
Did you know that the architects managed to perform an optical effect with the Taj Mahal? When you start moving towards the building, it becomes small. As you move away, the opposite effect occurs: the Taj Mahal grows in size.
The Taj Majal has a "small replica". It is the Bibi Ka Maqbara, a small copy that is located in another area of India. The architect was the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, principal architect of the Taj Mahal.
The legends tell that the emperor had the hands of the architects who had participated cut once the construction of the Taj Mahal was finished, in addition to sending them blind. They say that he did this so that they could never replicate this work of art anywhere else.
In the early nineteenth century, the English wanted to tear down the Taj Mahal to sell the marble from its facade in London. Luckily, this was not done, and now the monument is one of the 7 wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal is a fusion of styles. We can find elements of Persian style, in addition to the Islamic and Indian style.
The building was built for the third wife of Emperor Sha Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal, whom he buried inside. The previous two wives are also buried in the Taj Mahal, but not in such a privileged place as the last one.
The emperor was a complete obsessed with symmetry, so after his death, his grave (next to his wife's) is the only thing that breaks this symmetry in the Taj Mahal.
Did you know that the architects managed to perform an optical effect with the Taj Mahal? When you start moving towards the building, it becomes small. As you move away, the opposite effect occurs: the Taj Mahal grows in size.
The Taj Majal has a "small replica". It is the Bibi Ka Maqbara, a small copy that is located in another area of India. The architect was the son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, principal architect of the Taj Mahal.
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