An artwork from a love story

Taj Mahal, one of the most outstanding architectural monuments in the world, is located in Agra, India. The Taj Mahal, built right next to the Jumna River, is a work in the UNESCO World Heritage List and fascinates those who see it. The story is just as impressive.

In addition to its magnificent architecture, the building, which is a masterpiece with a heart-touching construction story, is shown among the most important works of Turkish-Islamic Architecture. The Taj Mahal, which was built by the 5th ruler of the Mughal Empire Shah Cihan for his wife Ercümend Bânû Begüm, who died at a young age on June 17, 1631, in Agra, the capital of the empire at that time, houses the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and the emperor Shah Cihan, who died in 1666. This magnificent work is described as a symbol of the love between Shah Cihan and his wife Ercümend Bânû Begüm as well as the power and might of the dynasty. According to the rumors; Ercümend Banu, who took the name Mumtaz Mahal after Shah Cihan ascended the throne, died while giving birth to his fourteenth child.

The ruler also tries to find solace in art and architecture by having a magnificent mausoleum built in memory of his love for his wife. The mausoleum is comprised of a mosque and a guest house built as symmetrical structures on both sides, as well as structures from the monumental entrance gate. The ruler, who established a delegation of architects and masters for the construction of the tomb, assigned local Indian masters along with Ottoman, Iranian, Syrian masters and artisans. He brought a calligrapher from Baghdad, an inlay master from Bukhara, a dome master from Istanbul, a minaret builder from Samarkand, a stonemason from Kandahar, and a drawing master from Shiraz.

Shiny white marble with fine blue veins was used in the construction of the Taj Mahal. The dome, which is made of the same marble and has a height of 82 meters from the ground, was built by Architect İsmail Efendi and was completed in 1648. The tomb, which has a golden realm on its dome, has 4 minarets made of white marble. The entire chapter of Yasin was written by Calligrapher Settar Efendi on all four sides of the monument. In addition to many masters, the Taj Mahal, which is estimated to employ 20 thousand workers a day, has 42 emeralds, 142 rubies, 625 diamonds and 50 very large pearls on its walls, which are buried with hundreds of thousands of agate, mother-of-pearl and turquoise.

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