Whether you've studied it in history, seen it a movie or just are a general citizen of India, you know about the Taj Mahal. With its beautiful structure, and intricate designs, its an architectural delight to view. Today we'll speak about the story behind this monument and why it's one of the seven wonders of the world.
Located in Agra, the Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and is the finest example of Mughal architecture , a style which combines elements from Persian, Ottoman, Turkish and Indian architecture. It was built in the memory of Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of the emperor. After Mumtaz died, during the birth of their 14th child, the emperor was grief-stricken and depressed out of his mind. It is for her, one woman, that such a colossal monument was built.
A labor force of twenty thousand workers was recruited across northern India. Sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, in-layers from southern India, stone-cutters from Baluchistan, a specialist in building turrets, another who carved only marble flowers were part of the thirty-seven men who formed the creative unit. Soon after the Taj Mahal's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him in the mausoleum next to his wife. By the late 19th century, parts of the buildings had fallen badly into disrepair. During the time of the Indian rebellion of 1857, the Taj Mahal was defaced by British soldiers and government officials, who chiseled out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. At the end of the 19th century, British viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a sweeping restoration project, which was completed in 1908. He also commissioned the large lamp in the interior chamber, modeled after one in a Cairo mosque. During this time the garden was remodeled with British-style lawns that are still in place today.
When you study about this in school, be sure to tell your classmates this story about the great emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz.
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