<p align="center"><a href="http://www.alltop10list.com/top-10-list-of-most-tourists-attractive-place-in-asia/">http://www.alltop10list.com/top-10-list-of-most-tourists-attractive-place-in-asia/</a></p>
The Taj Mahal, also known as Tadj
Mahall(Encyclopedia Britannica), is a symbol of love that was built by the
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal during the 17<sup>th</sup>
century. The Taj which means crown (Bartholet, Jeffrey), was built in order to
immortalize the emperors beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal(“Chosen of the palace”)
that died at child birth(Encyclopedia Britannica). The Taj Mahal must be
preserved for future generations in order to remember the symbol of love
represented by monumental artistic architecture.

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The Mughal Empire was at the height
of its dominion when Shah Jahan became the emperor. Shah Jahan grandfather,
Akbar, had brought wealth and dominion to northern India.
“Akbar defeated the Afghans and firmly established Mughal supremacy in northern
India, bringing
the empire to the height of its power and wealth. He was the Grand Mughal,
renowned even in the most distant corners of the civilized world.” (www.pbs.org)
The Mughal empire was able to succeed due to Akbar, because with the wealth
came the interest of arts and progress in architecture. It was Shah Jahan
father, Jahangir, who brought the interest in arts and inspired a golden age in
the Mughal Empire. With the immense power and wealth, it became tradition for
Mughal emperors to demonstrate their power with palaces and art. It is from
this era that the English word mogul was created, as someone that has much
power and wealth. (www.pbs.org) The Taj Mahal took over 20,000 workers under
the chief architect Ahmad Lahawri. Construction started in 1632 and was
finalized by 1647(Encyclopedia Britannica). “Stone carvers and brick layers,
calligrapher and masters of gemstones inlay lapis lazuli came from Afghanistan,
jade from China,
coral from Arabia and rubies from Sri
Lanka.”( Bartholet, Jeffrey)

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The Mughal period marked a time of enrichment
for architectures and art, implementing various styles. “Under the patronage of
Mughal emperors, Persian, Indian, and various provincial styles were fused to
produce works of unusual quality and refinement.”( Swati Chattopadhyay) The
first of its style was the tomb of emperor Humayun at Delhi
which showed strong Persian influence. Then, under emperor Akbar, came the
monumental Victory Gate “one of the finest mosques of the Mughal period.”(Swati
Chattopadhyay) The height of its era came under Shah Jahan with the magnificent
Taj Mahal which had Persian influence like the tomb of Humayun. “The use of the
double dome, a recessed archway inside a rectangular fronton, and park like
surrounding are all typical of Shah Jahan period buildings. Symmetry and
balance between the parts of a building were always stressed, while the
delicacy of detail in Shah Jahan decorative work has seldom been surpassed.”(
Swati Chattopadhyay) The Taj Mahal is a monument of love that has not been surpassed
by any other palace of its origin; it is unique for the period, and original in
detail to its style.

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Although the Taj is beautiful, it
was never completed, as Shah Jahan intended to build another palace across the
river connecting it by a bridge to the Taj Mahal. The idea was that the Taj
Mahal would be the tomb of his wife and the second building would be the tomb
of Shah Jahan. But, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzed, and was
imprisoned in the Agra fort (Encyclopedia
Britannica). “According to legend, Shad Jahan spent the last eight years of his
life starring at the Taj Mahal through a window at the fort. On January 22, 1666, he died and joined
his beloved queen, Mumtaz Mahal, at the Taj Mahal.”(Myers, Alice)
During the time of Shah Jahan’s son, Aurengzed, the arts and architecture
decline in the Mughal Empire due to Aurangzed Muslim believe that “Islam in India
was in danger of being spiritually diluted by heresy and heterodoxy.” (Hambly,
Gavin R. G.)

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If there were ever two reigns that
could be compared for that era it would be Luis XIV and Shah Jahan, as they
both brought arts and culture to their empires. Under their reigns two splendid
palaces were build, the palace of Versailles
and the Taj Mahal. They are both share eloquent gardens and immense use of
space. Versailles palace
demonstrates different themes for each room as it is larger than the Taj Mahal.
There are rooms in the palace of Versailles that are dedicated to past kings
and to victorious wars, but the most luxuries room would be the Galerie Des
Glaces(Hall of Mirrors). The Hall of Mirrors is surrounded with magnificent
“frescos, marble pilasters, and gilded bronze capitals, and furnished with
ornate candelabra and bejeweled trees.”(Fiero) mirrors were used to face the
windows that open into the garden which created a “brilliant counterpoint of
image and reflection.”(Fiero) The gardens at Versailles
feature more geometric shapes, sparkling fountains, artificial lakes, gottoes,
zoos, theaters and outdoor rooms.(Fiero) The Taj Mahal smaller in size is more
complex structures than the palace of
Versailles. “These structures include the Darwaza or main gateway, the
Bageecha or garden, the Masjid or mosque, the Naqqar Khaana or guest house and
the Rauza or mausoleum.”(www.agrahub.com)  The Taj Mahal is made of marble which changes
colors depending of the time of the day (“Marble is of crystalline composition,
allowing light to enter rather deeply before it is reflected”). (Bartholet,
Jeffrey) The Taj also depicts geometric figures but as piedra dura, which is a
style of inlaying precious stones. These stones represent inscriptions from the
Quran and designs of flowers and plants (www.agrahub.com). Both of these palaces
use fountains to mirror images, although, the Taj Mahal uses the tree line pool
to create an illusion that the mausoleum is floating, while the fountains at Versailles
are used to mirror the sculptures (Fiero). These two palaces were exclusive for
its time, even though, they both served different purposes. Versailles
was the king’s palace while the Taj was a burial monument for love.

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During the nineteenth century the
Taj Mahal became a favored picnic site between colonial Englishmen, who though
of the place as a romantic monument rather than a tomb. The iconicity that the
Englishmen gave to the Taj Mahal became popular culture around the world and it
is now seen as a symbol for love and Hindu culture (Swati Chattopadhyay). The
Taj is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World,
and it is now one of the most visited tourist attractions known. “In 1983, the
United Nations Educational, Scientific, And Cultural organization(UNESCO)
designated the Taj Mahal a World Heritage Site, a recognition given to a place
or building of major import to the common heritage of human kind and, thus, worthy
of preservation.”(Myers,Alice)

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I consider this to be one of the
most splendid buildings in the world and would love to have the opportunity to
some day visit the Taj Mahal.  It is
without a doubt one of the most popular sites in the world, everyone has seen
the beautiful mausoleum reflected from the pool on a
picture or on a commercial. This is worth preserving for the future generations
to understand the beauty of love in a different era and to value the Islamic
culture. It is a monument that future generations must conserve and not let it
fall to erosion or deterioration of contaminant as it has happened in the past.
(Bartholet, Jeffrey) Measurements have been taken to conserve the Taj Mahal and
I hope that its beauty will inspire other to conserve it for the future.

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<p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Work Cited </span></p>
<p align="center"></p>

<ul>
	<li>Bartholet,
Jeffrey. "Taj Mahal." Smithonian, Article. vol. 42 Issue 5,
p44-57. sep 2011</li>
</ul>
(This article gave great examples
of the Architecture and helped with some historical facts.)
<p align="center"></p>

<ul>
	<li>Hambly,
Gavin R. G. "Rajut Rebellion." Great Events from History: The
Seventeenth Century 1601-1700. Ed. Larissa Juliet Taylor. 2 vols. Salem
Press, 2006. Salem History
Web.01 Oct 2011</li>
</ul>
(This Article gave great historical
insight)

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<ul>
	<li>Fiero.</li>
</ul>
(Used to compare the palace
ofVersailles to the Taj Mahal)

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<ul>
	<li>Myers,
Alice. "Shah Jahan Builds
the Taj Mahal." Great Events from History: The Seventeenth Century
1601-1700. Ed. Larissa Juliet Taylor. 2 vols. Salem Press 2006. Salem
history web. 01 oct. 2011</li>
</ul>
(This Article was used to fill
historical gaps of the Taj Mahal)

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<ul>
	<li>Swati
Chattopadhyay "Taj Mahal."
The Oxford Encyclopedia
of Modern World. Ed PeterN. Stearns. Oxford
University Press, 2008. Austin
Community College.2 October 2011</li>
</ul>
(Used this Article to show how the
taj was build and its present popularity)

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<ul>
	<li>www.agrahub.com.
"Architecture of the Taj Mahal Agra." 2010. Indian Visit Pvt.
Ltd. 02 oct 2011</li>
</ul>
http://www.agrahub.com/taj-mahal-agra/architecture-of-the-tajmahal.html

(Used this
article to compare the Taj Mahal to the Palace
ofVersailles)

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<ul>
	<li>www.pbs.org.
"...the Mughal dynasty" 1995-2011. PBS Foundation.02 oct 2011.</li>
</ul>
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/taj_nav/tajnav_level_1/1mughal_tajfrm.html">http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/taj_nav/tajnav_level_1/1mughal_tajfrm.html</a>

(Used this Article to describe the
Mughal power)

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