Taj Mahal

The or the Taj Mahal ( German: Taj Mahal, persons Arabic: تاج محل, DMG tāǧ Mahal / Devanagari: ताजमहल Taj Mahal " crown of place" or " Crown Palace ") is a 58 meters high and 56 meters wide mausoleum ( grave Mosque), built in Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on a 100 × 100 -meter marble platform. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his deceased him in 1631 great love Mumtaz Mahal ( Arjumand Bano Begum ) build.

• 5.1 Safety measures
• 5.2 Environmental damage
• 5.3 replicas

Construction

The tombs in the main room are cenotaphs, the actual, simpler tombs are located in the crypt below. The four arranged around the main building minarets are slightly inclined, so that they fall not to the main building in an earthquake. In the west, in the direction of Mecca is a mosque. Symmetrically located in the east a guest house with the same floor plan.

Before the central building, a 18 -acre garden is elongated with a pool of water in the center, a Chahar Bāgh after the pattern of Bagh -e Wafa Jalalabad.

History

The construction of the Taj Mahal was begun shortly after the death of Mumtaz Mahal in 1631 and completed in 1648. It involved over 20,000 artisans from many parts of South and Central Asia, and various architects, including Ahmad Lahori and from Badakhshan (now Afghanistan) originating Persian Abu Fazel. He merged Persian architecture with Indian elements into a work of Indo-Islamic architecture. The building materials were brought from India and other parts of Asia with 1,000 elephants. 28 different types of precious and semi- precious stones were used in the marble.

The Taj Mahal was placed under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904 adopted by the British government under monument protection. The gardens of the Taj Mahal were instructed by Lord Curzon in 1908 " restored " by the Archaeological Survey of India and largely replaced by lawns.

Legends

Allegedly planned British colonial masters under Governor Lord William Bentinck in the 19th century, the much neglected building for sale piecemeal at auction in England. After Bentinck 's biographer John Rosselli this story arose from the fact that an attempt was made part of the Red Fort and other archaeological finds from Agra profitable to sell.

A widespread Another legend says that originally a similar structure made of black marble was planned as a mausoleum for Shah Jahan on the other side of the river Yamuna, which was not realized. On the opposite side of the "white " Taj Mahal a park was a large pool of water. The white Taj Mahal has been mirrored in the basin and the water appeared black. Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb Alamgir Muhammad and spent the rest of his life as a prisoner in the Red Fort in 1666, he was buried next to his wife. His grave destroys the symmetry of the building, which shows that he intended to build a own tomb, especially since he, in order to preserve this symmetry, build a rest house on the east side of the building was that similar to the mosque on the west side is.

The Taj Mahal is not in the center of the garden, as in Persian tombs usual, but on the northern edge, suggesting that another tomb was planned on the opposite shore. The separate building from the river would then in turn been in the center of the now large garden area, such as it corresponds to the Persian understanding of the sky from a Chahar Bāgh. Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, for example, remains faithful to this conception.

Completion

The date of completion is controversial. The critics here are based on three arguments:

• The court chronicler Abdul Hamid Lahori noted that the construction of half a year after the death of Mumtaz Mahal (who died on 17 June 1631) was begun and the construction period had amounted to twelve years. Accordingly, the mausoleum would have been completed in 1644.
• An inscription above the main entrance contains the year 1648 as a completion specification.
• From 1652 a letter from Prince Aurangzeb, son of Shah Jahan, who says that the Taj Mahal is in need of repair exists.

350- year celebration

On 27 September 2004, the government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh celebrated the 350th anniversary of the completion of the Taj Mahal. For six months, the outstanding importance of the building has been recognized in other events. The ceremony took place in order to protect the mausoleum, about two kilometers away instead. Local media speculated that the festivities would be held primarily to revive the tourism. In contrast, the tourism minister claimed that two books had been found which show a completion of the building in 1654, but he did not name their titles.

Today's meaning

The Taj Mahal was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1983. Today, it is because of the harmony of its proportions as one of the finest and most significant examples of the Mughal style. In addition, the Taj Mahal is used as a place of worship of the Muslim citizens.

Rabindranath Tagore described in one of his poems the Taj Mahal as " a teardrop on the cheek of time".

The Taj Mahal is a popular destination freshly wedded Indian spouses, the visit is intended to encourage and mutual love permanently.

In 2007, the Taj Mahal was elected as a private initiative by the organizers as one of the " New Seven Wonders of the World ". Both the UNESCO as the official guardian of the world's cultural heritage as, for example, Egypt ( Ancient Wonders of the World: Great Pyramids of Giza ) distanced themselves from the "private campaign" designated without scientific criteria choice.

Security measures

After bomb threats in 2006, the Indian authorities have stepped up security measures. The grounds of the Taj Mahal can be accessed only by security gates. The carriage of liquids, except water, visitors are not allowed. The monument is guarded by soldiers around the clock. In the surrounding area a flight ban has been imposed.

Environmental damage

The construction works and parts of the garden have been restored over several decades. In December 2002, the marble facade with Multani Mitti, a traditional Indian blend of Earth, grains, milk and lime was treated to remove traces of corrosion. According to a report in the sto / AP on May 16, 2007, the Taj Mahal discolored by industrial air pollution despite all Konservationsbemühungen yellow. Meanwhile, cars and buses allowed to approach only two kilometer; a restoration is contemplated.

Replicas

The Taj Mahal is to, United Arab Emirates are reproduced in their original size as possible and type in the leisure project Falcon City of Wonders in Dubai. A ( less demanding ) Taj Mahal copy can also be found at the initiative of a wealthy private citizen in Bangladesh.