The Taj Mahal

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We wake up very early (5:45 am!!!) and walk towards the Taj Mahal, certainly the most extravagant monument built for love. The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as an ode of love for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their ninth child in 1631. The death of the Mumtaz left the emperor so heartbroken that he decided to build this monument as a tribute to her. The construction took 22 years to complete. In total, 20,000 people from India and central Asia worked on this masterpiece. Interestingly, this monument (that includes a mosque) built by a Muslim emperor has become the emblem of modern India.

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This Mogul masterpiece itself stands on a raised marble platform on the end of the ornamental gardens. The central structure is made of semi translucent white marble, carved with flowers and inlaid with thousands of semiprecious stones. The guide shows us some amazing optical illusions made by the best architects brought from Persia and Turkey. The black marble pieces were shipped all the way from Belgium. The construction is a model of geometry and symmetry.

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It’s not too crowded yet and we have the possibility to enjoy the monument with enough serenity. We obviously take the shot of the year ( so far…): the Taj with its reflection on the small lake. After a couple of hours, and as more tourists are rushing in, we decide to leave the place, wondering about love and its follies. It is not a happy ending for Emperor Shah though. As he was about to built a second Taj Mahal (the black Taj), on the other side of the river, to be buried there and view his beloved wife for eternity, his son – apparently worried about all the money extravagantly spent on those buildings – had him arrested and sent him to the Red Fort, where he died several years later.

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Walking the Taj

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Rita and the Taj's Mosque

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Taj Mosque's Painted Ceiling

Comments

[mohammad]

Hi
How are you?

i had a look at your website and the pictures programmes are very attractive
i Best wish to you.
see you
mohammad hussein
www.wadirumadventures.com