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A love story kept in one of the most beautiful mausoleums in the world UNESCO site and patrimony of humanity and included in 2007 among the new seven wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous monuments in the world, symbol of India and the largest monument in the world dedicated to love.
The beauty of Muslim architecture in India is a destination for millions of visitors who are enchanted not only by the impressive visual impact but also by the mystical aura that surrounds it.
Built in Agra by Emperor Shah Jajan to honor the memory of Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal, his third wife who died giving birth to their fourteenth child after 30 hours of labor. Emperor Shah Jajan ordered the construction of the mausoleum to keep one of the four promises made to his wife when she was still alive.
The construction of the mausoleum, which began in 1632, lasted 22 years and ended in 1654. Among the 20,000 people who took part in it, there are also numerous craftsmen from Europe and Central Asia. Among them there was also an Italian artist: Geronimo Veroneo.
Immediately after the construction of the Taj Mahal was over, Emperor Shah Jahan was deposed by his son and imprisoned. During the same period the capital of the empire was moved from Agra to Delhi, significantly decreasing the importance of this city.
A period of neglect and disinterest followed, which ended with the appointment as viceroy of India of the Englishman Lord George Nathaniel Curzon who in 1899 started a restoration of the entire structure completed in 1908.
The tomb complex was built in such a way as to be accessible from all four cardinal points, across the Yamuna river. The design of the gardens and the watercourse in front of the Taj Mahal represent the ideal essence of “paradise“. In those years, in fact, Islamic texts described paradise as consisting of four channels that meet in the center and that divide everything into the four cardinal points.
Editor: Marcello Pitardi
Photographer: Jola Mokrzycka. Leica 114, 32,2 mm, f/5, 1/1600 sec, Iso 125
The photo are owned by © Jola Mokrzycka
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