Taj Mahal: Characteristics, History And Meaning

Introduction

Taj Mahal means “crown of the palaces” and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was built between 1631 and 1653 in Agra, India (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). It is a mausoleum dedicated to the favourite wife of the emperor Shah Jahan, Arjumand Banu Begum called, known as Mumtaz Mahal. Discover its main characteristics, history and meaning (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016).

Figure 1View from the Yamuna River. From left to right: Jabaz, mausoleum and mosque.

Emblematic features of the Taj Mahal

“It is a model of engineering and architecture solutions”

To realise the Taj Mahal, not only was it necessary to achieve a very high level of beauty (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). It was necessary to create an almost eternal structure (Stara, 2017), which would account for Jahan’s love for his favourite wife, and it was necessary to do so quickly. Such was the emperor’s despair! For this reason, they turned to various architects, among them Ustad Ahmad Lahauri and Ustad Isa, in order to develop the different stages of the project. Thus, everyone had to work to find solutions to the emperor’s demands, which were not easy to fulfil (Yoshimura, et al., 2018).

Foundation of the Base

The Taj Mahal limits on one of its sides with the Yamuna River (Stara, 2017). The proximity of the river represented a technical challenge for its builders since the penetration of water into the earth made it unstable. Therefore, the builders had to devise an innovative foundation system.

Figure 2 Foundations of the Taj Mahal.

The solution was applied as follows: they dug wells to find the water level (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). Then, on the wells they placed a base of stones and mortar, except for one that they left open to monitor the water level. On this basis, they created a system of stone columns joined by arches. Finally, these were placed on a large slab of lift, which serves as basis for the great mausoleum.

Structure of the Complex

From the architectural point of view, the Taj Mahal is conceived as a complex of several buildings structured and arranged according to the mausoleum, centre of all the worries of the Mughal Emperor (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). Thus, it is made up of different buildings and architectural elements. Let’s see the image and its legends:

Figure 3 Satellite view of the Tal Mahal.

1. Access cover;
2. Secondary graves of the other wives of Jahan;
3. Exterior patios or esplanade;
4. Strong or Darwaza;
5. Central garden or charbagh;
6. Mausoleum;
7. Mosque;
8. Jabaz;
9. Moonlight Garden;
10. Bazar or Taj Banji.

Within the whole, the fundamental piece is the mausoleum, and, in this, the dome is really the visitor’s centre of attention (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). It is a dome 40 meters wide by 4 meters high, built with stone rings and mortar. The structure has no struts or columns, but distributes its weight evenly over the rest of the structure (Azmee, et al., 2016).

Uses Optical Effects to Generate Impact

Figure 4 Visual effect of the mausoleum from one of the doors of the complex.

The emperor was clear that the beauty of the Taj Mahal should be comparable to that of his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, the chosen of palace, this means that it should be unforgettable and always look perfect from any angle.

The architects thought of a system of optical illusions to create emblematic effects in the memory of visitors (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). The attention was directed to the exteriors of the complex, where two great optical tricks were articulated:

1. Build the entrance door in such a way that, as far as the visitor goes, see the largest mausoleum (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016).
2. Slightly tilt the minarets outward. Four minarets frame the mausoleum and lean to the opposite side (Azmee, et al., 2016). When looking up they always look straight and parallel, enhancing the monumentality of the building. In addition to serving for this, this technique prevents the minarets from falling on the mausoleum in an earthquake.

Mosque of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal has a particularity: it expresses the vocation of the emperor and cosmopolitan atmosphere of cultural openness that existed those years among Muslims hierarchs. By then, like today, Hinduism was the majority religion of India. However, King Shah Jahan had made Islam the second religion. Shah Jahan did not impose Islam, although he promoted it. In effect, the emperor sought a balance by proclaiming religious tolerance (Yoshimura, et al., 2018). Alongside this, the emperor held important relations with the outside world and admired all the elements of other cultures that could be used for the benefit of his own.

Jahan promoted an art that involves both aesthetic values of Islam, such as Persian and Indian art, certain Turkish elements and even Western art techniques (Sharma, et al., 2018).

Influence of Oriental Art

Figure 6 From this angle, iwanes own Persian culture and appreciate the dome.

The Mughal dynasty, of which Jahan was the representative at that time, had its beginnings in Babur, a descendant of the Gengiskanids and the Timurids, who settled in India around 1526 (Stara, 2017). His grandson, Akbar, affirmed the Mughal sovereignty over India and already had eclectic tastes that were expressed in the art of his empire (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016).

Figure 7 Left: Tomb of Akbar the Great. Right: Jahangir’s mausoleum.

Jahan is inspired by at least two previous buildings available in his environment: the mausoleum of his father, Jahangir, from where he takes the idea of making minarets, and the mausoleum of his grandfather, Akbar, from where he gets the idea of construction of turrets around the central core and the four portals (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). The Mughal tombs had inherited from the Persians the symmetry (Stara, 2017), the dome and the iwan. Iwán means a rectangular vaulted space, closed on three sides and opened by one thanks to an arch, such as the main entrance to the mausoleum of the king’s beloved.

Figure 8 Decorative elements of the facade of the mausoleum

Decorative Elements of the Facade of the Mausoleum

The central garden of the complex is also, in fact, of Persian inspiration, as well as some poems that decorate the building (Kumar, 2018). The word Taj itself is of Persian origin, and means ‘crown’ (Yoshimura, et al., 2018). The colonnade of arches that complete the interior walls are typical of Hindu architecture. You can also see different symbolic and decorative elements that fuse Hindu culture with Muslim culture (Sharma, et al., 2018). The mausoleum thus becomes an image of the heavenly abode, the spirituality and faith of Mumtaz Mahal and the emperor. It was made with Makrana marble from India.

The entire interior, therefore, is conceived as an image of the eight paradises described in the Koran. In the centre of the mausoleum is the Sancta Sanctorum, the tomb of the beloved Mumtaz Mahal (Azmee, et al., 2016).

Brief History of the Taj Mahal: A Promise of Love

Figure 9 Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.

Arjumand Banu Begum came from a Persian noble family and was born in the city of Agra, where is located the mausoleum (Yoshimura, et al., 2018). The young people had married when Arjumand Banu Begum was 19 years old, and they loved each other from the first moment they met. When making his wife, Jahan gave him the title of Mumtaz Mahal, which means ‘the chosen one of the palace’. The Empress was not Jahan’s only wife, since it was typical of the Muslim culture that the patriarch had a harem. However, Mumtaz Mahal was the favourite. Jahan’s beloved wife was also his counsellor, and accompanied him to all the expeditions that he carried out, since the emperor did not conceive the possibility of separating from her. Together they had thirteen children and Mumtaz Mahal managed to get pregnant for the fourteenth time (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016).

While pregnant, the Empress accompanied her husband on a military expedition in Decan to quell a rebellion. But at the time of delivery, Mumtaz Mahal did not resist and died. Shortly before she died, she asked her husband to build a mausoleum where she could rest for eternity. Shah Jahan, blinded by the pain, decided to fulfil this promise and, since then, lived submerged in the memory of his beloved (Stara, 2017).

Ribbed Slab around the World: The Pyramid of the Louvre

On our last trip we met the incredible Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The renowned architect IM Pei’s project abuses right angles in the outer contours of the museum in Qatar while revealing circular lines in its ribbed slabs (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). In this edition of the series, we continue to explore Pei’s work in one of the greatest architectural works of the 20th century: the pyramid of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France (Yoshimura, et al., 2018).

Figure 10 Louvre Museum in Paris, France

The History of the Louvre

To understand the construction of the pyramid of the Louvre and all its recent restoration project, it is only fair to know a little of the history of the museum (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). The Palais du Louvre, or Palais du Louvre, was built in 1190, in the reign of Philip II as a fortress to protect the French from the Viking invasions. In the following centuries, the building underwent modifications to be used as royal palace. Only at the end of the 18th century, in 1791, during the French Revolution, the palace was defined by the Revolutionary Assembly as a repository of monuments of sciences and arts. According to information from the advisory itself, the Louvre had 7.4 million visitors in 2016 (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016).

Figure 11 A Different Angle of Louvre Museum

Getting To Know the Project

The pyramid of the Louvre was the great decoy of the renovation of the museum. The project was proposed by former president François Mitterrand in 1983 (Yoshimura, et al., 2018). Major renovations took place at Cour Carrée and Cour Napoleon, the main courtyards of the Louvre. The goal was to ease the congestion of passers-by. The revitalisation of the areas provided a different experience in the visit to the museum (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). The great highlight in the Cour Carrée could not fail to be the glass pyramid. With 20.6 m of height and square base of 35 meters, it is composed of 603 lozenges and 70 glass triangles (Yoshimura, et al., 2018). The pyramid of the Louvre is surrounded by three smaller ones. And they do not play only aesthetic function.

Figure 12 Glass walls of the Pyramid

The problem of flow of people in the museum generated the need for the new project. The pyramid became the main entrance to the Louvre, leading visitors to the underground lobby where new galleries, warehouses and laboratories were created. The auxiliary pyramids serve as natural light for the underground sections. The new areas allowed the Museum to expand its collection and the number of works on display (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). The pyramid became controversial, mainly for its modern aspect that contrasts with the Renaissance architecture of the palace. However, proponents of the pyramid argue that Pei’s project values the most distinctive cultural traditions, bringing past and present to the experience of artistic contemplation (Stara, 2017).

Later, the Louvre would still gain another pyramid, as controversial as the first. In 1993, La Pyramide Inversée was inaugurated, the inverted pyramid that also “empties” in the subterranean galleries of the museum, marking the second phase of the Grand Louvre project.

Pyramids – the link between past and present (Yoshimura, et al., 2018). The pyramid idealised by Pei was one of the highlights in the work of the architect, who previously used a brutalist approach in the museums he designed. The new entrance to the Louvre created a new framework for taking advantage of natural light during the day and became a separate attraction with the night lighting (Sharma, et al., 2018).

During the day, the sides of the main pyramid reflect the sky, while the water in the surroundings becomes a reflecting pool (Azmee, et al., 2016). This creates a feeling of lightness, even in the face of a structure with such a strong reference – directly inspired by the great pyramid of Giza (Azmee, et al., 2016). The Chinese-American architect’s merit in adapting an ancient structure to pieces of glass and surrounding them with grass and water modernised the common perception of a pyramid, treating it not only as a historical symbol but also as an element of high art and technology (Azmee, et al., 2016). And the ribbed slabs? Pei’s record shows a great appreciation in concrete structures. The museums developed by the architect prior to the Grand Louvre project show the predilection for robust lines, with appreciation of the actual structure present (Azmee, et al., 2016).

This architectural strand is called brutalism , which seeks not to hide structural elements and to value engineering techniques and production systems used (Larceneux, Caro and Krebs 2016). The ribbed slabs are present in the Louvre Museum at the entrance, in the immediate areas of the main stairs. The solution is traditional for the type of application, since the technique is commonly used in underground environments by reducing the weight of the structure, which consequently allows to overcome large gaps. Thus, the number of pillars is reduced, facilitating the movement of people. In an environment of visual contemplation, decreasing the number of visual obstacles on each floor is of utmost importance to the visitor’s experience. Besides the structural role, the ribbed slabs are part of the Louvre’s lighting plan. The bulbs were installed inside each alveolus created by the forms, combining function and style (Azmee, et al., 2016).

References

1. Azmee, N., Yunos, M.Y.M., Mydin, M.A.O., Ismail, S., Ariffin, N.F.M., Isa, N.K.M. and Latiff, Z.A., 2016. ANALYZING THE FEATURES OF MUGHAL GARDEN DESIGN: CASE OF TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA. Jurnal Teknologi, 78(5).
2. Kumar, R., 2018. Unit-6 Describing A Monument: The Taj Mahal. IGNOU.
3. Larceneux, F., Caro, F. and Krebs, A., 2016. The Reaction of Visitors to Contemporary Art in a Classical Art Institution: A Louvre Museum Case Study. International Journal of Arts Management, 18(2).
4. Sharma, A., Yang, J., Parke, M. and Tan, F., 2018. Investigation of construction techniques used for the foundation of the Taj Mahal in India. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Engineering History and Heritage, 171(3), pp.104-113.
5. Stara, A., 2017. The Museum of French Monuments 1795 1816: Killing art to make history. Routledge.
6. Yoshimura, Y., Sinatra, R., Krebs, A. and Ratti, C., 2018. Analysis of visitors’ mobility patterns through random walk in the Louvre museum. arXiv preprint arXiv:1811.02918.