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Taj Mahal
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ArchitectEmperor Shah Jahan
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LocationAgra, India map
Date1630 to 1653 timeline
Building TypeIslamic tom
Construction System earing masonr!, inlaid marle
Climatedesert
Contextpar" setting
StyleIslamic
Notes
#nion$shape domes, %lan"ing to&ers, uilt %or &i%e
'umat( 'ahal)
Images

Photo, %rom a distance Photo, close in loo"ing up
GreatBuildings Images
Google Images
Google *ideos
Panoramio Images
Photo, e+terior o,er,ie&
More Images
Aerial ,ie& o% -a. 'ahal
Poster Image - Taj Mahal, Classic Overview
Poster Image - Taj Mahal Rendering, Overview in Historical Context
Drawings

Ele,ation /ra&ing
Plan /ra&ing
Site Plan /ra&ing
Engra,ing Engra,ing
More drawings available on The GBC CD-ROM) Contributions appreciated)
3D Model
3/ 'assing 'odel 0/esign1or"shop 3dm%2
Model Viewing Instructions

DiscussionTaj Mahal Commentary
3A &hite marle tom uilt in 1631$45 in Agra, seat o% the 'ugal Empire, ! Shah Jehan %or his &i%e, Ar.uman Banu
Begum, the monument sums up man! o% the %ormal themes that ha,e pla!ed through Islamic architecture) Its re%ined
elegance is a conspicuous contrast oth to the 6indu architecture o% pre$Islamic India, &ith its thic" &alls, coreled arches,
and hea,! lintels, and to the Indo$Islamic st!les, in &hich 6indu elements are comined &ith an eclectic assortment o%
moti%s %rom Persian and -ur"ish sources)3
7'ar,in -rachtenerg and Isaelle 6!man) Architecture8 %rom Prehistor! to Post$'odernism) p993)
3-he 'ausoleum o% the -a. 'ahal at Agra stands in a %ormall! laid$out &alled garden entered through a pa,ilion on the
main a+is) -he tom, raised on a terrace and %irst seen re%lected in the central canal, is entirel! sheathed in marle, ut the
mos:ue and counter$mos:ue on the trans,erse a+is are uilt in red sandstone) -he %our minarets, set s!mmetricall! aout the
tom, are scaled do&n to heighten the e%%ect o% the dominant, slightl! ulous dome) -he mos:ues, uilt onl! to alance the
composition are set su%%icientl! %ar a&a! to do no more than %rame the mausoleum) In essence, the &hole ri,erside plat%orm
is a mos:ue court!ard &ith a tom at its centre) -he great entrance gate &ith its domed central chamer, set at the end o% the
long &atercourse, &ould in an! other setting e monumental in its o&n right)3
3-he interior o% the uilding is diml! lit through pierced marle lattices and contains a ,irtuoso displa! o% car,ed marle)
E+ternall! the uilding gains an ethereal :ualit! %rom its marle %acings, &hich respond &ith e+traordinar! sutlet! to
changing light and &eather)3
7Sir Banister ;letcher) A 6istor! o% Architecture) p694, 630)
Details
#n a plat%orm 99< high and 313< s:uare)
=orner minarets 13>< tall) 'ain structure 156< on a side, dome to 15><)
-he mausoleum is 5> m 01?0 %t2 s:uare in plan) 3-he central inner dome is 94)5 m 051 %t2 high and 1>)> m 055 %t2 in
diameter, ut is surmounted ! an outer shell nearl! 61 m 0900 %t2 in height)3
7Sir Banister ;letcher) A 6istor! o% Architecture) p630)
Speci%ic design credit is uncertain, and is gi,en ! di%%erent sources to Istad @sa, @stad Ahmad Aahori, Isa 'uhammad
E%%endi, or Geronimo *eroneo)