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Taj Mahal

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The Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, built it and it is one example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian and Indian architectural styles. It was built on the south wall of Agra and was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and artisans were summoned from the whole of the empire, Central Asia, and Iran. The translucent white marble was brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, 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, twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble. You can see these inlaid stones on the outside and inside of the Taj Mahal.
The Taj Mahal has symmetry in the way it was built, it has cross-axial and bilateral symmetry. There are arches that are all symmetrically placed to each other. Above the arches there are verses from the Quran were inscribed in calligraphy as well as other areas of the complex. There are minarets all around the corners of the building that are also symmetrically placed, they are 40 meters tall and are cylindrical columns with beveled angles. One prominent motif on the Taj Mahal is the lotus. It is found under the domes in the buildings. The central dome reaches a height of 240’ and is surrounded by four smaller domes. In the Taj Mahal, Mumtaz tomb is located. It is an octagonal chamber filled with semi-precious stones and carvings surround the cenotaph but this is the false tomb. The real remains of Mumtaz lay in the sarcophagus below in the garden level. The rest of the building

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