A Brief History

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful building with unique architecture. Shah Jahan, the man behind this masterpiece, fell in love with Mumtaz Mahal, then a 15 year old young lady, while walking through the park. They eventually got married, and had 14 children. Shortly after giving birth to their 14th, Mumtaz Mahal died. Shah Jahan mourned for two years, then ordered the Taj Mahal to be built in her honor.

What has happened to the Taj Mahal over time?

The Taj Mahal was a symbol of the riches and glories of the Moghul Empire. This attracted robbers from the Jats (a military power), and the Marathas including their French advisors. They robbed the tomb, the silver gates, marble and sandstone, wall hangings, and other decorations. These robbers rented out the mosque and guesthouse as honeymoon cottages, and British men used the gardens for drinking sessions. For 200 years after the robberies, the Taj Mahal was disregarded. The gardens became overgrown and the plants grew out of control. All this came to an end when the British entered India. They were going to take the Taj Mahal apart and ship the marble from the walls back to Britain. However, something went wrong in the shipping department, and the Taj Mahal remained untouched. When the British decided it was actually worth something, they restored it and opened it back up to the public.

What do I not know about the Taj Mahal?

There are probably a lot of things you don't know about the Taj Mahal. A few things I have found out are:
1. The building is considered so sacred that you have to remove your shoes before climbing the stairs.
2. To transport water to the water fountains and bathrooms inside the Taj Mahal, it is raised from the river and stored in three overhead tanks where pipes take the water around.
3. The four minarets on the corners of the base are built slanting slightly outward. This was done purposely for the reason that if they fell, they would not destroy the main dome.
4. The famous poet, Edwin Arnold, once wrote:
"Not architecture, as all others are,
But the proud passion of an Emperor's love
Wrought into living stone which gleams and soars
With body of beauty, shining soul and thought."

How big is this Wonder of the World?

Overall, the size of the building is 186 square feet. The main dome rises higher than a 23 story building at 120 feet high with a 70 foot diameter. At the four corners of the base, there are four minarets with a circular viewing room at the top, rise 132 feet into the air. As for the weight of the Taj Mahal, the estimated weight of the actual dome is a total of 12,000 tons (2,000 pounds in a ton). The supports of the dome hold up 750 tons per square foot.

How in the world was it built?

In the very beginning, drainage pipes were laid, and a layer of gravel was packed over the leveled site to facilitate water runoff. The workers then dug many deep shafts. These were lined with bricks and cement, then filled with rubble and more cement. They were then connected to the other shafts with pipes. On top of the filled shafts, there were arched vaults that supported the main structure. Over the vaults, a large "sandstone-faced platform was built," (Diana Preston, pg. 179). It was about 970 feet long, and 364 feet wide. The masons built a huge square plinth, a strong pedestal for a building, on top of this sandstone platform. The plinth's sides measured at about 300 feet long and 19 feet tall. A system of ropes and pulleys were then used to hoist the stones up to where they belonged. The masons trimmed the stones very carefully after they were placed on the scaffolding. To do this, they took wedges and hammered them into the stone, and it cut off a small part. Once measured down to the very last millimeter, the blocks were placed where they belonged using metal crowbars. After being placed where they were needed, some masons inscribed the marble blocks with their initials or special shapes.