It’s 1631 in Burhanpur, and Mumtaz Mahal, beloved wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, is giving birth to their 14th child. A healthy girl is born, but not without difficulty. Shah Jahan rushes to Mumtaz’s side, but he cannot save her. Sobbing uncontrollably, the emperor decides to build a tomb worthy of his queen: an earthly replica of Paradise to embody their perfect love and project the power of the Mughal Empire for all time.
Construction of the Taj Mahal began roughly seven months later. Royal architects worked to bring Shah Jahan’s vision to life at a site chosen by the emperor in the bustling imperial city of Agra. The Yamuna riverfront was already dotted with exquisite residences, gardens, and mausoleums. But when complete, the Taj Mahal would be the most magnificent structure of all. In addition to housing Mumtaz’s mausoleum, the plans included a garden, mosque, bazaar, and several caravanserais to house visiting merchants and diplomats. Together, this complex would seamlessly blend Persian, Islamic, Indian, and European styles, establishing the Taj Mahal as the culmination of Mughal architectural achievement.
The entire compound was laid out on a geometric grid, incorporating meticulously planned bilateral symmetry. To further establish an atmosphere of balance and harmony, the architects divided the complex into two spheres, representing the spiritual and earthly domains. Most of the structures were made of brick and red sandstone, with white marble accents. This was a common motif in Mughal architecture, inspired by ancient Indian traditions associating white with spiritual purity and red with warriors and royalty. But the central mausoleum took more inspiration from the Islamic tradition. Framed by four minarets, the structure was covered entirely in white marble from quarries over 400 kilometers away. Its main dome towered above the skyline, and those within the cavernous chamber experienced an otherworldly echo lasting almost 30 seconds. Perfecting the Italian stone-working technique, pietra dura, craftsmen used all manner of semi-precious stones to create intricate floral designs representing the eternal gardens of Paradise. Calligraphers covered the walls with Quranic inscriptions. And because the Islamic depiction of Paradise has eight gates, the mausoleum’s rooms were designed to be octagonal.
The garden in front of the mausoleum was split into four parts in the Persian style, but its flora reflected the Mughals’ nomadic Central Asian heritage. Flowers and trees were carefully selected to add color, sweet scents, and fresh fruit to be sold in the bazaar. Masons built intersecting walkways, pools, and channels of water to weave through the lush greenery. Even before its completion, Shah Jahan used the Taj to host the annual commemoration of Mumtaz’s death, celebrating her reunification with the Divine. Directly across the river, Shah Jahan built another sprawling garden with a central pool that perfectly reflected the mausoleum.
Building this intricate complex took 12 years and employed thousands of skilled craftsmen and artisans, from masons and bricklayers to masters of pietra dura and calligraphy. After the Taj was completed in 1643, Shah Jahan retained some of these craftsmen for routine repairs, and hired Quran reciters, caretakers, and other staff to maintain the complex. He paid these workers by establishing a vast endowment for the Taj— a system which remained in place until the early 19th century. Since its completion, Shah Jahan’s grand memorial has drawn travelers from around the world. And every time a visitor is awed by the mausoleum, the emperor’s goal is achieved anew.
Unfortunately, after 15 years of presiding over Mumtaz’s memorial, Shah Jahan fell ill and a war of succession broke out between his sons. While Shah Jahan eventually recovered, his son, Aurangzeb, had already emerged as the new emperor. For the last eight years of his life, Shah Jahan lived under house arrest in Agra’s Fort, where he could see the Taj glimmering in the distance. When he died in 1666, he was buried next to Mumtaz, his grave breaking the complex’s symmetry, so that his wife could remain at the Taj’s center for all eternity.
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