Who Was The Architect Of The Taj Mahal ?
Taj Mahal was constructed by a team of architects who were supervised by the emperor’s team. The team included Abdul Karim, Makramat Khan and Mamur Khan. However, the main designer of the structure was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. |
To construct the Taj Mahal, 20,000 workers were employed from northern India. Specialized artists, such as calligraphers from Syria, sculptors from Bukhara and stone cutters of Baluchistan were employed. Some people carved the marble flowers and some cut stone is specific shapes. A unit of 37 men was used just to cut the marble flowers.
There were some popular people who were involved in beautifying and building the Taj Mahal.
Ismail Afandi from the Ottoman Empire was a popular Turkish architect, and he designed the main dome of this mausoleum. Ustad Isa and Muhammed Effendi were credited with the main design of the Taj Mahal. They also belonged to the Ottoman Empire. Puru from Persia supervised the architecture. Qazim Khan from Lahore cast the gold finials. Chiranji Lal who belonged to Delhi was the sculptor and supervised the mosaics. A calligrapher called Amaanat Khan was brought in from Iran. Muhammed Hanif supervised the masonry. The finances were handled by Mir Abdul Karim and Mukkarimat Khan who were both Shiraz.
The tomb which is the main feature was a huge marble structure. The tomb has a symmetrical figure with arches on each side. Like most Mughal buildings, the tomb was made based on Persian architecture. The main structure is bordered with four minarets, one on each side. The caskets of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are in the main chamber. The false sarcophagus which is ornate is on the top, but the actual grave of the couple is situated still deeper.
The most attractive and striking feature of Taj Mahal is the main marble dome. It is 35 meters high and is the same size as the base of the structure. The dome's shape is similar to that of an onion. The top portion of the dome has a lotus-like decoration. On its each corner, there are smaller domes called the chatris or kiosks. The columns open at the top, so that light can come into the domed structure. The main finial was made out of gold, but it was replaced by a bronze replica in the early half of the nineteenth century for safety concerns. There are several Hindu influences also on the structure. The minarets which stand over forty meters high accentuate the symmetry of the structure. Taj Mahal is considered to be an architectural beauty and marvel.
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Wikipedia: Taj Mahal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal
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The Taj Mahal is famous throughout the world as the ultimate symbol of love. It is also deemed as one of the Seven Wonders in existence in the world. Its beautiful white marble shines in the moonlight evoking feels of love, adoration and desire. However, there is more to Taj Mahal than its beauty. If you look into the history of Taj Mahal, you will realize that though this structure was built to symbolize eternal love, it also has remorse and loss associated with it.