Architectural Appraisal- Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

INDEX
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1. Introduction
2. Site
3. Riverfront Terrace (Chameli Farsh)
4. Garden (Charbagh)
5. Great Gate (Darwaza-I rauza)
6. Forecourt (Jilaukhana)
7. Bazar & Carvanserai (Taj Ganji)
8. Moonlight Garden (Mahtab Bagh)
9. Construction

INTRODUCTION
The Taj Mahal represents the finest and most sophisticated
example of Mughal 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.

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The distraught Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the

mausoleum upon the death of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Today it is one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in
the world and while the white domed marble mausoleum is the
most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is an
extensive complex of buildings and gardens that extends over
22.44 Hectares and includes subsidiary tombs, waterworks
infrastructure, the small town of 'Taj Ganji' and a 'moonlight
garden' to the north of the river. Construction began in 1632 CE,
(1041 AH), on the south bank of the River Yamuna in Agra, India
and was completed in 1648 CE (1058 AH). The design was
conceived as both an earthly replica of the house of Mumtaz in
paradise and an instrument of propaganda for the emperor.

Precedents :
The erection of Mughal tombs to honor the dead is the subject
of a theological dialogue exemplified by the varied ways in which
they built their funery monuments. Orthodox Islam found tombs
problematic because a number of Hadith forbade the
construction of tombs as irreligious. As a culture also attempting
to accommodate and assimilate the local Hindu populous,
opposition came from their tradition which held dead bodies as
impure, and by extension, the structures over them similarly
impure. However for a majority of Muslims, the spiritual power
(barakat) of visiting the resting places (ziyarat) of those
venerated in Islam was a force by which greater personal sanctity
could be achieved. So for many Muslims, tombs could be
considered legitimate providing they did not strive for pomp and
were seen as a means to provide a reflection of paradise (Jannah)
here on earth. The ebb and flow of this debate can be seen in the
Mughals dynastic mausoleums stretching back to the Tomb of
Timur in Samarkand. Here Timur is buried under a fluted dome

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and a traditional Persian Iwan is employed as an entrance. The

Tomb of Babur in Kabul is a much more modest affair where a
simple cenotaph, exposed to the sky, is laid out in the centre of a
walled garden. Humayun's tomb is seen as one of the most direct
influences on the Taj Mahal's design and was a direct response to
the Tomb of Timur, featuring a central dome of white marble, red
sandstone facings, a plinth, geometric symmetrical planning,
chatris, iwans and a charbagh. Designed by Humayun's son Akbar
it set the precedent for Mughal emperor's children constructing
the mausoleums of their fathers. Akbar's tomb at Sikandra,
retains many of the elements of his father's tomb but possesses
no dome and reverts to a cenotaph open to the sky. The Tomb of
Jahangir at Shahdara (Lahore), begun in 1628 CE (1037 AH), only
4 years before the construction of the Taj and again without a
dome, takes the form of a simple plinth with a minaret at each
corner.

Origin and inspiration

Shah Jahān, who commissioned the monument, was a prolific
builder with effectively limitless resources. He had previously
created the gardens and palaces of Shalimar in honor of his
second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. After her death in childbirth (she
had already borne him fourteen children) Shah Jahan was
reportedly inconsolable; the court chronicler 'Abd al-Hamid
Lahawri tells us that before her death the emperor had but
twenty white hairs in his beard, but thereafter many more. The
contemporary court chroniclers paid an unusual amount of
attention to Mumtaz Mahal's death and Shah Jahan's grief at
her demise, and it may well be that the traditional "love-story"
associated with the construction of the Taj has some basis in
fact. The Taj Mahal was begun not long after Mumtaz's death in
1631. The principal mausoleum was completed seventeen years

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later, and the surrounding buildings and garden five years after
that.

Shahjahan Mumtaz Mahal

SITE
16th–17th Century Agra
Mughal emperors developed both sides of the river including the
rebuilding of Agra Fort, by Akbar, completed in 1573. By the time
Jahan ascended to the throne, Agra's population had grown to
approximately 700,000. Agra became a city centered on its
waterfront and developed partly eastwards but mostly westwards

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from the rich estates that lined the banks. The prime sites
remained those that had access to the river and the Taj Mahal
was built in this context, but uniquely, on both sides of the river.

Overview Agra

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Plan of TAJ MAHAL

Agra, India, at 27° 10'28.67"N, 78° 2'32.05"E

The Taj Mahal complex can be conveniently divided into five

sections:
1. The riverfront terrace, containing the Mausoleum, Mosque
and Jawab
2. The Charbagh garden containing pavilions.

3. The Jilaukhana containing accommodation for the tomb

attendants and two subsidiary tombs
4. The Taj Ganji, originally a bazaar and caravansarai only
traces of which are still preserved and finally, to the north
of the river Yamuna
5. The moonlight garden

The great gate lies between the Jilaukhana and the garden.
Levels gradually descend in steps from the Taj Ganji towards the
river. Contemporary descriptions of the complex list the elements
in order from the river terrace towards the Taj Ganji
Dimension Table:

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Meters
Element length / width / breadth /
height
diameter depth / side
Overall complex 896.1 300.84
Overall preserved
complex 561.2 300.84
Taj Ganji 334.9 300.84
Jilaukhana 165.1-165.23 123.51
Great gate 41.2 34 23.07
Charbagh 296.31 296.31
Riverfront terrace 300 111.89 8.7
Mausoleum 56.9 56.9 67.97
Minaret 5.65 43.02
Mosque 56.6 23.38 20.3

Riverfront Terrace (Chameli Farsh)

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 Mausoleum (Rauza-I munauwara)

The focus and climax of the Taj Mahal complex is the
symmetrical white marble tomb; a cubic building with chamfered
corners, with arched recesses known as pishtaqs. It is topped by
a large dome and several pillared, roofed chhatris. In plan, it has
a near perfect symmetry about 4 axes and is arranged in the
'hasht bihisht' form found in the tomb of Humayun. It comprises
4 floors; the lower basement storey containing the tombs of
Jahan and Mumtaz, the entrance storey containing identical
cenotaphs of the tombs below in a much more elaborate chamber,
an ambulatory storey and a roof terrace.

Simplified diagram of the Taj Mahal floor plan

The splendid mausoleum is 57 meter square with canted angles to

form an eight sided structure which like facets on a gem stone
catches the light in all directions. It is carried upto 33m in height
and stands on a marble platform ‘chabutara’ 95 meter square and
6.5 m high. The superfine treatment in elevation lies in the
gracefully shaped onion dome 25 m high, 18 m in diameter
supported over a high drum rising to a height of 64 meters above
the ground. The width of the building is almost equal to the
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height and the façade in the centre has the same height as the
dome. Around the central dome there are two storied aisles and
at angles there are four small domes about 39 m above the
ground level. At each corner of the platform is a slender and
graceful minaret in three storeys with cupolas and pinnacles
rising to a height of 42 m.

1. Base: The base structure is a large, multi-chambered

structure. The base is essentially a cube with chamfered
edges and is roughly 55 meter on each side (see floor plan,
right). On the long sides, a massive pishtaq, or vaulted
archway, frames the iwan with a similar arch-shaped
balcony.
2. Dome: The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is its
most spectacular feature. Its height is about the same size

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as the base of the building, about 35 meters and is

accentuated as it sits on a cylindrical "drum" of about 7
meter high. Because of its shape, the dome is often called
an onion dome (also called an amrud or guava dome). The top
is decorated with a lotus design, which serves to accentuate
its height as well. The shape of the dome is emphasised by
four smaller domed chattris (kiosks) placed at its corners.
The chattri domes replicate the onion shape of main dome.
Their columned bases open through the roof of the tomb
and provide light to the interior. Tall decorative spires
(guldastas) extend from edges of base walls, and provide
visual emphasis to the height of the dome. The lotus motif
is repeated on both the chattris and guldastas. The dome
and chattris are topped by a gilded finial, which mixes
traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements.

Base, dome, and Finial Main iwan and side pishtaq

minaret

3. Finial: The main dome is crowned by a gilded spire or

finial. The finial, made of gold until the early 1800s, is now
made of bronze. The finial provides a clear example of
integration of traditional Persian and Hindu decorative
elements. The finial is topped by a moon, a typical Islamic
motif, whose horns point heavenward. Because of its
placement on the main spire, the horns of moon and finial

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point combine to create a trident shape, reminiscent of

traditional Hindu symbols of Shiva.

4. Interior: The interior chamber of Taj Mahal steps far

beyond traditional decorative elements. Here the inlay work
is not pietra dura, but lapidary of precious and semiprecious
gemstones. The inner chamber is an octagon with the design
allowing for entry from each face, though, only the south
garden-facing door is used. The interior walls are about 25
meter high and topped by a "false" interior dome decorated
with a sun motif. Eight pishtaq arches define the space at
ground level. As with the exterior, each lower pishtaq is
crowned by a second pishtaq about midway up the wall. The
four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas
and each balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen
or jali cut from marble. In addition to the light from the
balcony screens, light enters through roof openings covered
by chattris at the corners. Each chamber wall has been
highly decorated with dado bas relief, intricate lapidary
inlay and refined calligraphy panels, reflecting in miniature
detail of the design elements seen throughout the exterior
of the complex. The octagonal marble screen or jali which
borders the cenotaphs is made from eight marble panels.
Each panel has been carved through with intricate pierce
work. The remaining surfaces have been inlaid with
semiprecious stones in extremely delicate detail, forming
twining vines, fruits and flowers.

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Jali screen Tombs of Shah Jahan and Cenotaphs, interior of

surrounding the Mumtaz Mahal Taj Mahal
cenotaphs

The hierarchical ordering of the entire complex reaches its

crescendo in the main chamber housing the cenotaphs of Shah
Jahan and Mumtaz. Mumtaz's cenotaph sits at the geometric
centre of the building; Jahan was buried at a later date by her
side to the west - an arrangement seen in other Mughal tombs of
the period. Marble is used exclusively as the base material for
increasingly dense, expensive and complex parchin kari floral
decoration as one approaches the screen and cenotaphs which are
inlaid with semi-precious stones The ordering of this decoration
simultaneously emphasizes the cardinal points and the centre of
the chamber with dissipating concentric octagons. The chamber is
an abundant evocation of the garden of paradise with
representations of flowers, plants and arabesques and the
calligraphic inscriptions.

Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves and

hence Mumtaz and Shah Jahan are laid in a relatively plain crypt
beneath the inner chamber with faces turned right and towards
Mecca. Mumtaz Mahal's cenotaph is placed at the precise center
of the inner chamber with a rectangular marble base of 1.5
meters by 2.5 meters. Both the base and casket are elaborately
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inlaid with precious and semiprecious gems. Calligraphic

inscriptions on the casket identify and praise Mumtaz. On the lid
of the casket is a raised rectangular lozenge meant to suggest a
writing tablet. Shah Jahan's cenotaph is beside Mumtaz's to the
western side. It is the only visible asymmetric element in the
entire complex. His cenotaph is bigger than his wife's, but
reflects the same elements: A larger casket on slightly taller
base, again decorated with astonishing precision with lapidary and
calligraphy that identifies Shah Jahan. On the lid of this casket
is a traditional sculpture of a small pen box. The pen box and
writing tablet were traditional Mughal funerary icons decorating
men's and women's caskets respectively. Ninety Nine Names of
God are to be found as calligraphic inscriptions on the sides of
the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal in the crypt.

Arch of Jali Delicate Inlay detail Detail of Jali

pierce work

5. Exterior Decoration: The exterior decorations of

Taj Mahal are among the finest to be found in Mughal
architecture. As the surface area changes, a large pishtaq
has more area than a smaller, the decorations are refined
proportionally. The decorative elements were created by
applying paint or stucco, or by stone inlays or by carvings. In

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line with the Islamic prohibition of the use of

anthropomorphic forms, the decorative elements can be
grouped into:
• Calligraphy
• Abstract Geometric Elements
• Vegetative Motifs

Calligraphy: The calligraphy found in Taj Mahal is of florid

thuluth script, created by Persian calligrapher, Amanat Khan, who
signed several of the panels. The calligraphy is made by jasper
inlaid in white marble panels and the work found on the marble
cenotaphs in the tomb is extremely detailed and delicate. Higher
panels are written slightly larger to reduce skewing effect from
viewing below. Throughout the complex, passages from the
Qur'an are used as decorative elements. Recent scholarship
suggests that Amanat Khan chose the passages as well. The texts
refer to themes of judgment.

Calligraphy on large pishtaq

Abstract Geometric Elements: Abstract forms are

used especially in plinth, minarets, gateway, mosque, jawab, and to
a lesser extent, on the surfaces of the tomb. The domes and
vaults of sandstone buildings are worked with tracery of incised
painting to create elaborate geometric forms. On most joining

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areas, herringbone inlays define the space between adjoining

elements. White inlays are used in sandstone buildings and dark
or black inlays on the white marbles. Mortared areas of marble
buildings have been stained or painted dark and thus creating
geometric patterns of considerable complexity. Floors and
walkways use contrasting tiles or blocks in tessellation patterns.

Herringbone Plant motifs Spandrel detail Incised painting

Vegetative Motifs: Vegetative motifs are found at the

lower walls of the tomb. They are white marble dados that have
been sculpted with realistic bas relief depictions of flowers and
vines. The marble has been polished to emphasize exquisite
detailing of these carvings. The dado frames and archway
spandrels have been decorated with pietra dura inlays of highly
stylized, almost geometric vines, flowers and fruits. The inlay
stones are yellow marble, jasper and jade, leveled and polished to
the surface of the walls.

 Jawab & Mosque

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The mausoleum is flanked by two almost identical buildings on

either side of the platform. To the west is the Mosque, to the
east is Jawab. The Jawab, meaning 'answer' balances the
bilateral symmetry of the composition and was originally used as a
place for entertaining and accommodation for important visitors.
It differs from the mosque in that it lacks a mihrab, a niche in a
mosque's wall facing Mecca, and the floors have a geometric
design, while the mosque floor was laid out with the outlines of
569 prayer rugs in black marble.
The mosque's basic tripartite design is similar to others built by
Shah Jahan, particularly the Masjid-i-Jahan Numa in Delhi — a
long hall surmounted by three domes. Mughal mosques of this
period divide the sanctuary hall into three areas: a main
sanctuary with slightly smaller sanctuaries to either side. At the
Taj Mahal, each sanctuary opens onto an enormous vaulting dome.

Interior of the Jawab Mosque

Garden (Charbagh)

History of Charbagh:
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Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, created the first

Mughal garden known as Ram Bagh in Agra in 1526. Thereafter,
gardens became important Mughal symbols of power, changing the
emphasis from pre-Mughal symbols such as forts. The shift can
be explained in terms of the introduction of a new ordered
aesthetic, an artistic expression with religious and finery aspects
and as a metaphor for Babur's ability to control the arid Indian
planes and hence the country at large. Babur rejected much of
the indigenous and Lodhi built forms on the opposite bank and
attempted to create new ones inspired by Persian gardens and
royal encampments. Ram Bagh was followed by an extensive,
regular and integrated complex of gardens and palaces stretching
for more than a kilometer along the river. A high continuous stone
plinth bounded the transition between gardens and river and
established the framework for future development in the city.

360° panoramic view of the Char Bagh gardens

The large charbagh (a formal Mughal garden divided into four

parts) provides the foreground for the classic view of the Taj
Mahal. The garden's strict and formal planning employs raised
pathways which divide each quarter of the garden into 16 sunken
parterres or flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank at the
center of the garden, halfway between the tomb and gateway,
with a reflecting pool on North-South axis reflect the image of
Taj Mahal. Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees

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and fountains.[6] The raised marble water tank is called al Hawd

al-Kawthar, in reference to "Tank of Abundance" promised to
Muhammad.[7] The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian
gardens, was introduced to India by the first Mughal emperor
Babur. It symbolizes four flowing rivers of Paradise and reflects
the gardens of Paradise and derived from the Persian paridaeza,
meaning 'a walled garden'. In mystic Islamic texts of Mughal
period, paradise is described as an ideal garden of abundance with
four rivers source from a central spring or mountain and separate
the garden into north, west, south and east.

Two pavilions occupy the east and west ends of the cross axis,
one the mirror of the other. In the classic charbargh design,
gates would have been located in this location. In the Taj they
provide punctuation and access to the long enclosing wall with its
decorative crenellations. Built of sandstone, they are given a
tripartite form and over two storeys and are capped with a white
marble chhatris supported from 8 columns.

The original planting of the garden is one of the Taj Mahal's

remaining mysteries. The contemporary accounts mostly deal just
with the architecture and only mention 'various kinds of fruit-
bearing trees and rare aromatic herbs' in relation to the garden.
Cypress trees are almost certainly to have been planted being
popular similes in Persian poetry for the slender elegant stature
of the beloved. By the end of the 18th century, Thomas Twining
noted orange trees and a large plan of the complex suggests beds
of various other fruits such as pineapples, pomegranates,
bananas, limes and apples. The British, at the end of the 19th
century thinned out a lot of the increasingly forested trees,
replanted the cypresses and laid the gardens to lawns in their
own taste.
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The layout of the garden and its architectural features such as

its fountains, brick and marble walkways, and geometric brick-
lined flowerbeds are similar to Shalimar's, and suggest that the
garden may have been designed by the same engineer, Ali Mardan.

Early accounts of the garden describe its profusion of vegetation,

including roses, daffodils, and fruit trees in abundance. As the
Mughal Empire declined, the tending of the garden declined as
well. When the British took over management of the Taj Mahal,
they changed the landscaping to resemble the formal lawns of
London.

Walkways besides reflecting pool

Great Gate (Darwaza-I rauza)

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The great gate stands at the north of entrance forecourt

(Jilaukhana) and provides a transition between the worldly realm
of bazaars and caravanserai and the spiritual realm of the
paradise garden, mosque and the mausoleum. Its rectangular plan
is a variation of the 9-part hasht bihisht plan found in the
mausoleum. The corners are articulated with octagonal towers
giving the structure a defensive appearance. External domes were
reserved for tombs and mosques of the time and so the large
central space does not receive any outward expression of its
internal dome. From the space the Mausoleum is framed along its
major axis by the pointed arch of the portal. Inscriptions from
the Qu'ran are inlaid around the two northern and southern
pishtaqs, the southern one 'Daybreak' invites believers to enter
the garden of paradise.

Southern galleries (Iwan Dar Iwan)

Running the length of the northern side of the southern garden
wall to the east and west of the great gate are galleried arcades.
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A raised platform with geometric paving provides their base and

between the columns are cusped arches typical of the Mughal
architecture of the period. The galleries were used during the
rainy season to admit the poor and distribute alms. The galleries
terminate at each end with a transversely placed room with
tripartite divisions.

Forecourt (Jilaukhana)

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The Jilaukhana (literally meaning 'in front of house') was a

courtyard feature introduced to Mughal architecture by Shah
Jahan. It provided an area where visitors would dismount from
their horses or elephants and assemble in style before entering
the main tomb complex. The rectangular area divides north-south
and east-west with an entry to the tomb complex through the
main gate to the north and entrance gates leading to the outside
provided in the eastern, western and southern walls. The
southern gate leads to the Taj Ganji quarter.
Bazaar streets: Two identical streets lead from the east
and west gates to the centre of the courtyard. They are lined by
verandahed colonnades articulated with cusped arches behind
which cellular rooms were used to sell goods from when the Taj
was built until 1996. The tax revenue from this trade was used
for the upkeep of the Taj complex. The eastern bazaar streets
were essentially ruined by the end of the 19th century and were
restored by Lord Curzon restored 1900 and 1908.
Northern courtyards (Khawasspuras): A pair of
courtyards is found in the northern corners of the Jilaukhana
which provided quarters (Khawasspuras) for the tombs
attendants and the Hafiz. This residential element provided a
transition between the outside world and the other-worldly
delights of the tomb complex. The Khawasspurs had fallen into a
state of disrepair by the late 18th century but the institution of
the Khadim continued into the 20th century. The Khawasspuras
were restored by Lord Curzon as part of his repairs between
1900 and 1908, after which the western courtyard was used as a
nursery for the garden and the western courtyard was used as a
cattle stable until 2003.

Bazar & Carvanserai (Taj Ganji)

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The Bazaar and caravanserai were constructed as an integral part

of the complex, initially to provide the construction workers with
accommodation and facilities for their wellbeing, and later as a
place for trade, the revenue of which supplemented the expenses
of the complex. The area became a small town in its own right
during and after the building of the Taj. Originally known as
'Mumtazabad', today it is called Taj Ganji or 'Taj Market'. Its
plan took the characteristic form of a square divided by two
cross axial streets with gates to the four cardinal points. Bazaars
lined each street and the resultant squares to each corner
housed the caravanserais in open courtyards accessed from
internal gates from where the streets intersected (Chauk).
Contemporary sources pay more attention to the north eastern
and western parts of the Taj Ganji (Taj Market) and it is likely
that only this half received imperial funding. Thus, the quality of
the architecture was finer than the southern half.

The distinction between how the sacred part of the complex and
the secular was regarded is most acute in this part of the
complex. Whilst the rest of the complex only received
maintenance after its construction, the Taj Ganji became a
bustling town and the centre of Agra's economic activity where
"different kinds of merchandise from every land, varieties of
goods from every country, all sorts of luxuries of the time, and
various kinds of necessitates of civilization and comfortable living
brought from all parts of the world" were sold. An idea of what
sort of goods might have been traded is found in the names for
the caravanserais; the north western one was known as Katra
Omar Khan (Market of Omar Khan), the north eastern as Katra
Fulel (Perfume Market), the south western as Katra Resham (Silk
Market) and the south-eastern as Katra Jogidas. It has been

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constantly redeveloped ever since its construction, to the extent

that by the 19th century it had become unrecognizable as part of
the Taj Mahal and no longer featured on contemporary plans and
its architecture was largely obliterated. Today, the contrast is
stark between the Taj Mahal's elegant, formal geometric layout
and the narrow streets with organic, random and un-unified
constructions found in the Taj Ganji. Only fragments of the
original constructions remain, most notably the gates.

Moonlight Garden (Mahtab)

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To the north of the Taj Mahal complex, across the river is

another Charbagh garden. It was designed as an integral part of
the complex in the riverfront terrace pattern seen elsewhere in
Agra. Its width is identical to that of the rest of the Taj. The
garden historian Elizabeth Moynihan suggests the large octagonal
pool in the centre of the terrace would reflect the image of the
Mausoleum and thus the garden would provide a setting to view
the Taj Mahal. The garden has been beset by flooding from the
river since Mughal times. As a result, the condition of the
remaining structures is quite ruinous. Four sandstone towers
marked the corners of the garden, only the south-eastward one
remains. The foundations of two structures remain immediately
north and south of the large pool which was probably garden
pavilions. From the northern structure a stepped waterfall would
have fed the pool. The garden to the north has the typical square,
cross-axial plan with a square pool in its centre. To the west an
aqueduct fed the garden.

Construction

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The Taj Mahal was built on a stretch of land to the south of the
walled city of Agra which had belonged to Maharajah Jai Singh:
Shah Jahan presented him with a large palace in the centre of
Agra in exchange. Construction began with setting foundations
for the tomb. An area of roughly three acres was excavated and
filled with dirt to reduce seepage from the river. The entire site
was leveled to a fixed height about 50 m above the riverbank.
The Taj Mahal is 180 feet tall. The dome itself measures 60 feet
in diameter and 80 feet high.

View from the Agra Fort.

In the tomb area, wells were then dug down to the point that
water was encountered. These wells were later filled with stone
and rubble, forming the basis for the footings of the tomb. An
additional well was built to same depth nearby to provide a visual
method to track water level changes over time.

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Instead of lashed bamboo, the typical scaffolding method,

workmen constructed a colossal brick scaffold that mirrored the
inner and outer surfaces of the tomb. The scaffold was so
enormous that foremen estimated it would take years to
dismantle. According to legend, Shah Jahan decreed that anyone
could keep bricks taken from the scaffold, and it was dismantled
by peasants overnight.

A fifteen-kilometer tamped-earth ramp was built to transport

marble and materials from Agra to the construction site.
According to contemporary accounts teams of twenty or thirty
oxen strained to pull the blocks on specially constructed wagons.

To raise the blocks into position required an elaborate post-and-

beam pulley system. Teams of mules and oxen provided the lifting
power. The order of construction was
• The plinth
• The tomb
• The four minarets
• The mosque and jawab
• The gateway

The plinth and tomb took roughly 12 years to complete. The

remaining parts of the complex took an additional 10 years. (Since
the complex was built in stages, contemporary historical accounts
list different "completion dates"; discrepancies between so-called
completion dates are probably the result of differing opinions
about the definition of "completion". For example, the mausoleum

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itself was essentially complete by 1643, but work continued on

the rest of the complex.)

Water infrastructure: Water for the Taj Mahal was

provided through a complex infrastructure. Water was drawn
from the river by a series of purs - an animal-powered rope and
bucket mechanism. The water flowed into a large storage tank,
where, by thirteen additional purs, it was raised to large
distribution tank above the Taj Mahal ground level.

From this distribution tank, water passed into three subsidiary

tanks, from which it was piped to the complex. A 0.25 m
earthenware pipe lies about 1.5 m below the surface, in line with
the main walkway; this filled the main pools of the complex.
Additional copper pipes supplied the fountains in the north-south
canal. Subsidiary channels were dug to irrigate the entire garden.

The fountain pipes were not connected directly to the feed pipes.
Instead, a copper pot was provided under each fountain pipe:
water filled the pots allowing equal pressure in each fountain.
The purs no longer remain, but the other parts of the
infrastructure have survived.

Craftsmen: The Taj Mahal was not designed by a single

person. The project demanded talent from many people. The
names of many of the builders who participated in the
construction of the Taj Mahal in different capacities have come
down to us through various sources.
• The Persian architect, Ustad Isa and Isa Muhammad
Effendi, trained by the great Ottoman architect Koca
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 Architectural Appraisal- Taj Mahal

Mimar Sinan Agha are frequently credited with a key role in

the architectural design of the complex, but in fact there is
little evidence to support this tradition, and the connection
with Sinan (who died in 1588) is clearly a fairy-tale.
• 'Puru' from Benarus, Persia (Iran), has been mentioned
supervising architect in Persian language texts The main
dome was designed by Ismail Khan from the Ottoman
Empire considered to be the premier designer of
hemispheres and builder of domes of that age.
• Qazim Khan, a native of Lahore, cast the solid gold finial
that crowned the Turkish master's dome.
• Chiranjilal, a lapidary from Delhi, was chosen as the chief
sculptor and mosaicist.
• Amanat Khan from Persian Shiraz, Iran was the chief
calligrapher (this fact is attested on the Taj Mahal gateway
itself, where his name has been inscribed at the end of the
inscription).
• Muhammad Hanif was the supervisor of masons.
• Mir Abdul Karim and Mukkarimat Khan of Shiraz, Iran
handled finances and the management of daily production.

The creative team included sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers

from Syria and Persia, inlayers from southern India, stonecutters
from Baluchistan, a specialist in building turrets, another who
carved only marble flowers — thirty seven men in all formed the
creative nucleus. To this core was added a labor force of twenty
thousand workers recruited from across northern India.

Materials: The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials

from all over India and Asia. Over 1,000 elephants were used to
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 Architectural Appraisal- Taj Mahal

transport building materials during the construction. The

translucent white marble was brought from Rajasthan, the jasper
from Punjab and the jade and crystal from China. The turquoise
was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the
sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. In
all, 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into
the white marble.

Costs: A rough indication of the cost of the construction of the

Taj Mahal can be gained by comparing the price of gold at the
time of building and the price of gold now: The total cost of the
Taj Mahal's construction was about 32 million rupees. At that
time, 1 gram of gold was sold for about 1.4 rupees. Based on the
October 2005 gold price that would translate to more than 300
million US$. Interpretation of such a comparison of the value of
gold must take into account the multifarious differences in the
two different economic eras

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