S H A H    JA H A N

        One of the greatest accomplishments of Shah Jahan was the Taj Mahal. In honor of his dear wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the building is a mausolem that holds the grave of Queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. His magnificent structure was constructed over the span of 22 years, employing 20,000 workers. Completed in the year of 1648 C.E., the cost of the Taj Mahal was 32 Million Rupees. The emperor and his architects conceived the Taj Mahal as a vast allegory in stone symbolizing the day when Allah would cause the dead to rise and undergo judgement before his heavenly throne. Its gardens represented the gardens of paradise, and the four water channels running through them symbolized the four rivers of the heavenly kingdom. the domed marble tomb of Mumtaz Mahal represented the throne of Allah, and the four minarets surrounding the structure derived as legs supporting the divine throne. Craftsmen carved verses from the Quran throughout the Taj Mahal. The main gateway to the structure features the entire text of the chapter promising that on the day of judgement, Allah will punish the wicked and gather the faithful into his celestial paradise. Shah Jahan had originally planned to build a similar mausoleum out of black marble for himself, but his son Aurangzeb took his place as emperor before he could carry out the project. Shah Jahan spent his last years confined to a small ell with a tiny window, and only with the aid of a mirror was he able to catch the sight of his beloved wife’s final resting place.