Search results
Mausoleum of the Taj Mahal complex at Agra, India. The Taj Mahal represents the finest and most sophisticated example of Indo-Islamic architecture. Its origins lie in the moving circumstances of its commission and the culture and history of an Islamic Mughal empire's rule of large parts of India.
Jun 7, 2024 · Taj Mahal, mausoleum complex in Uttar Pradesh in northern India, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. The complex houses the tombs of Shah Jahan and one of his wives, known as Mumtaz Mahal. Its stunning architecture has made it one of the most iconic monuments in the world today.
Jun 13, 2011 · The Taj Mahal is an enormous mausoleum complex commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the remains of his beloved wife.
According to Ebba Koch, art historian and international expert in the understanding and interpretation of Mughal architecture and the Taj Mahal, the planning of the entire compound symbolises earthly life and the afterlife, a subset of the symbolisation of the divine.
The Taj Mahal is considered to be the greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture. Its recognised architectonic beauty has a rhythmic combination of solids and voids, concave and convex and light shadow; such as arches and domes further increases the aesthetic aspect.
The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian architecture and earlier Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including; the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), Humayun's Tomb and Shah Jahan's own Jama Masjid in Delhi.
Learn how the Taj Mahal complex reflects the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's artistic and religious vision, as well as the synthesis of Islamic and Indian influences. Explore the elements, symmetry, composition and design of the white marble mausoleum and its subsidiary buildings.
