Indian city of Agra Taj Mahal
Rises near the Indian city of Agra Taj Mahal mausoleum is the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in the world. The complex was built by Emperor Shah Jahan, the River Yamuna, to perpetuate his love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.Even as a young Prince Khurram, son of Emperor Jahangir, married a beautiful princess Arjumand Banu Begum, who for 19 years of marriage she bore him 14 children. In 1628. Khurram occupies the imperial throne under the name of Shah Jahan (ruler of the world) and his wife is called Mumtaz Mahal (Heights in the palace of Taj Mahal).
They were very close together and even take decisions on the future of the empire. Mumtaz Mahal accompanying her husband in all his military campaigns, but died at birth of 39 years of age during the military campaign in 1631g. On his deathbed, she asked him to build something to celebrate Taj Mahal.
After the death of the empress, the country has declared a two-year mourning period (1631-1633g.), After which begins the construction of magnificent marble tomb in Taj Mahal. The place of construction is chosen large garden on the banks of river Yamuna. The choice is dictated both by the magical views, which are revealed then, and the fact that the site be seen from the palace in the Red Fort.
The mausoleum was built over 17 years in its construction involved 20,000 people, including the best masons, sculptors, craftsmen and krasnopistsi from all over India, Iran and Turkey. Legend states that after completion of the Taj Mahal masters were blind or kill, not to re-create such beauty.
Construction of Taj Mahal costs of the grand mausoleum proved a heavy burden of empire and led to serious financial crisis. In 1658g. Shah Jahan fell ill seriously and four of his sons began to dispute the throne.Taj Mahal Although the emperor recovered, Aurangzeb usurped power and shut his father in the Red Fort, where he spent the last eight years of his life contemplating the Taj Mahal. After his death, Aurangzeb buried him in a mausoleum, although Shah Jahan wanted to build for themselves a separate tomb in black, lying opposite the white.
The whole complex Taj Mahal is 580 meters long. and width of 300m. and there are 4 separate buildings - the main gate, the mausoleum with the tombs, mosque and rest house and large garden, long and wide by 300m. In creating their garden was divided by water channels into 4 parts with 16 flower beds in each area, with 400 different plants in each bed. It was planted as cypress (symbol of death) and fruit trees (symbol of life). In the channel, which it is divided, colorful fish swim and the trees were placed at various birds.The museum has a square shape with each side is 56.6 m long. and has a large central arch in the middle and lower arches of both sides. It lies on a pedestal, high 6.7m. and 95 m in size. in the square whose corners are four minarets rise, 41.6 meters high. The mausoleum is made of white marble, and its facade is decorated with carving and inlaid colored stones (agates Yemeni Arabic, coral, onyx and amethyst Persian).
The interior of the mausoleum Taj Mahal is composed of central hall and four smaller octagonal halls. In the central room are copies of the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, and it has a crypt below, which are real graves. Copies are decorated with semiprecious stones and burn them over a lamp whose flame should never be off. Initially, they were surrounded by a silver coin, which was subsequently replaced by Aurangzeb in marble.The gate of the complex Taj Mahal, completed in 1684. Is high 30m. With the objective of the mausoleum could not see before you go through it. The original door of the gate of Hindu troops in the 18th century, was of solid silver. Calligraphic inscriptions on the arches of the entrances look the same size, regardless of what level they are. This optical illusion is achieved by increasing their size and the space between spaces located higher inscriptions of Taj Mahal.
The best time to visit the Taj Mahal and Agra, which is located 200 km. south of Delhi is from October to March. The complex is open from Monday to Thursday between 6:00 and 19:00 Taj Mahal attracts annually between 2 and 4 million tourists from around the world.
