Artist: Designer, probably
Ustad Ahmad; master architect, Abdul al-Karim; chief caligrapher, Amanat
Khan; (one of many) artists, Makramat Khan.
Title: Taj Mahal, Agra.
Material: Marble and semi-precious stones
Site: Agra, India
Current Location: In situ
Period/Date: built 1632 - 1643, Mughal Dynasty under Emperor Shah Jahan
(r.1628-1658, d.1666).
Iconography/Iconology: Mausoleum (tomb) for Mumtaz Mahal, the favorite
wife of the Emperor Shah Jahan. Islamic tombs came to represent an "Eternal
paradise as a reward for the true believer on the day of judgement"
(Cited in Asher, AOMI, 5). Water plays a paticularly important role
in the Koran because it was extremely precious to the Arabs in the desert
birthplace of Islam (Asher, AOMI, 8). It is therefore understood
that the pools in front of the building evoke the abundant waters of paradise
as refered to in the Koran. Believers are said to quence their thirst when
entering paradise. Gardens became standard settings for Mughal mausolea
and also came to be associated with paradisical imagery (Asher, AOMI,
45). The tomb placed in the garden marked by the "rivers of paradise"
was metaphorically understood to be located in the center of the paradise.
Stylistic Comments: The mausoleum is built on the center of a square
marble plinth at the corners of which, are marble minarets. The main building
is square in plan and is surmounted by a bulbous white dome. The corners
of the square plan have been partially truncated to give the impression
of an octagonal structure.
Asher, Catherine B. The New Cambridge History of India Architecture of Mughal India. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.