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When it comes to architectural magnificence, the Taj Mahal has yet to be surpassed.
No skyscraper, bridge, cathedral, or other work of man has ever equaled the beauty and
elegance of this famed monument.
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built at the request of Emperor Shah Jahan (d.1666; for-
merly Prince Khurram, formerly Shahab-ud-din) to hold the body of his wife Mumtaz Mahal
(Arjumand Banu Begam before she was married.) The building is constructed entirely of white
marble, and was once set far away from the main city, though suburban encroachment is be-
coming more noticeable.
It is this combination of factors that helps give the Taj Mahal some of its mystique. There
are no nearby structures to interfere with the play of light. At dawn it turns pink, infusing itself
with the colors of the rising sun. At sunset its shadows dance in a bath of blood red fire. At
night, especially during a full moon, the building seems to glow from some inner blue flame.
And when there's a low fog from the Jamuma (Yamuna) River, the entire affair can appear as a
mirage floating on a cloud.
In reality, the building sits on a base of marble 186 feet by 186 feet. The corners of this
square are cut off, forming an unequal octagon. Its dome is 213 feet high, and is surrounded by
four smaller domes. The minarets are 162 and half feet tall. The Taj Mahal is amazing in its de-
sign. The most recognizable geometric element is the use of symmetry; and replicating forms
are abundant.
Seen from the front, the central portico is flanked by half-sized reproductions of itself. These
are then flanked by another set of angled porticos. Placing the smaller elements on the out-
side helps give the illusion that the building is much larger than it actually is, and that the
sides are trailing far off into the distance.
The technique is called "forced perspective" and has been used in a number of buildings,
including the Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World in Florida, USA. Inside, the entire affair
is decorated with designs made from precious gems. Some are flower patterns, others are Is-
lamic script.
The tomb itself is protected by a marble screen more than six feet tall. This was originally
made of gold, but replaced with marble to dissuade vandals. In keeping with Islamic tradition,
the bodies are lying north to south with their faces turned toward Mecca. As amazing as the Taj
Mahal is, it is only one part of a much larger complex.
There is also a mosque, a guesthouse, two formal gardens flanking a reflecting pool, and
other buildings behind an immense detached gateway. The gardens illustrate a detailed knowl-
edge of hydrology. Throughout the gardens is a system of gravity-powered fountains. Ordinar-
ily, running a pipe with a number of holes in it would result in each subsequent fountain having
a smaller and smaller plume.
The designers got around this limitation by building bulbs into the pipes under the foun-
tains. These bulbs fill with water before the fountain can spring, and help provide uniform wa-
ter pressure along their entire length. Nine hundred feet from the tomb is the main gateway. It is
100 feet high, 150 feet wide, and made of red sandstone. Its main feature is the massive central
arch, but also worth noting are the flanking octagonal towers and the marble copula at the top
of the gate.
The door is made from eight different metals and studded with a number of knobs. Like the
interior of the mausoleum, the gateway features white marble inlaid with precious gems. There
are inscriptions from the Koran in black marble, which form an optical illusion.
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