What is the significance of the Taj Mahal (Figs. 18.20 and 18.21)? In your answer make reference to the material in the Architectural Simulation and the Closer Look sections in MyArtsLab

What will be an ideal response?

The Taj Mahal was commissioned by the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal who died in childbirth. It was constructed between 1632 and 1648 in Agra in North Central India. The pool in the garden of the Taj Mahal is meant to invoke the description of paradise from the Koran. Characteristic of Islamic architecture are the vaulted openings (iwans) on all eight sides of the structure.

The building's exterior is decorated with semiprecious stones and inscriptions from the noted calligrapher of the period Amanat Khan. Inside the Taj Mahal, an octagonal space rises two stories to a domed ceiling. Cenotaphs for Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, surrounded by an octagonal openwork screen, are inlaid in this great room, while Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are buried in crypts beneath this area.

The Taj Mahal sits with its back to a river so that its silhouette can clear be seen against the sky. Its deep cut arches give the overall structure a weightless feel.

The building's white marble facing sets it off from the red sandstone of the surrounding buildings. This marble takes on different hues depending upon the light and the time of day. At close range, the building is embellished with exquisite details: twinning vine images from the garden and intricate Arabic calligraphy work from the Koran recounting the Islamic account of the afterlife.

While the building is slowly deteriorating because of air pollution from nearby oil refineries, its ethereal beauty still continues to attract millions of visitors every year.