Taj Mahal amazing building facts

There are some amazing building facts behind the construction of the Taj Mahal some of which i have listed here from memory.

1. The foundation is made of timber and is used widely today called pile foundation.

2. Unlike concrete foundations that are done these days, timber foundation is not supposed to be long lasting. Hence in all probability the wood should weaken overtime and crumble owing to rot and ruin, but we do not see that happening. This is because the wood is kept strong and moist by the waters of the Yamuna river. Depleting quality and quantity of the waters of the Yamuna indirectly influence the strength of one of the 7 wonders of the world.

3. The great entrance to the Taj, Darwaza-e-rauza, has been designed in such a way that on looking from a distance the entire Taj seems to fit into the seemingly small opening through which the monument is to be accessed. By walking closer to the opening the Monument seems to grow larger and larger within the opening untill the walls of the opening finally disappear and gives the grand monumental view of mausoleum of the mughal emperor and his queen. It makes one wonder whether the ever-expanding dome is being inflated slowly as one approaches it.

4.Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal & Comelian from Arabia and Diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal.

5. The garden in front of the Taj is called the Charbagh literally translating into four gardens, which is a standard design for any islamic garden as it depicts the design of Jannat (paradise) as per the Quran.

6. The four minars of the Taj are tilted slightly outwards so that in case of an erthquake or any other natural disaster, the minars may fall outwards keeping the main tomb safe from any damage.

7. The massive dome was built but piling high clay bricks of excellent quality within the structure and using it as a suppot while the dome sets in place. Later the bricks were removed.

 

Shah Jahan presented Maharajah Jai Singh with a large palace in the center of Agra in exchange for the land. (A land where Taj is presently built)

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, and employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The Persian architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.

In 1631, when Mumtaj died during the childbirth.

After the death of Mumtaj, the emperor Shah Jahan brought the most skilled craftsmen to Agra  from all Asia and even Europe, to build the white marble mausoleum that is the Taj Mahal.

He intended to build a black marble mausoleum for himself, and the link between the two was to be a silver bridge.But his dream could not turn into reality as he was thrown out by his son Aurangzeb before it could happen.