Structural details of Taj Mahal:

1. On a platform 22' high and 313' square. Each tower is 133

feet tall
2. Building is 186 feet high and 70 wide.
3. Corner minarets are 137' tall. Main structure 186' on a
side, dome to 187'.
4. The mausoleum is 57 m (190 ft) square in plan.
5. "The central inner dome is 24.5 m (81 ft) high and 17.7 m
(58 ft) in diameter, but is surmounted by an outer shell
nearly 61 m (200).
6. The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186
feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal
octagon.
7. The architectural design uses the interlocking
arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its
own and perfectly integrates with the main structure. It
uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and
symmetry of architectural elements.
8. Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to
a height of 213 feet.
9. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers.

10.

The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet

each.
11.

The entire mausoleum (inside as well as outside) is

decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy

using precious gems such as agate and jasper.
12.

The main archways, chiseled with passages from the

Holy Quran and the bold scroll work of flowery pattern,

give a captivating charm to its beauty.
13.

The central domed chamber and four adjoining

chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic

decoration.

Components:

1. Finial - decorative crowning element of the Taj Mahal

domes
2. Lotus decoration - depiction of lotus flower
sculpted on tops of domes

3. Onion Dome - massive outer dome of the tomb

(also called an amrud or apple dome)
4. Drum - cylindrical base of the onion dome, raising it
from the main building
5. Guldasta decorative spire attached to the edge of
supporting walls
6. Chattri - a domed and columned kiosk
7. Spandrel - upper panels of an archway
8. Calligrpahy - stylised writing of verses from the
Qu'ran framing main arches
9. Arch - also called pishtaq (Persian word for portal
projecting from the facade of a building) and
10. Dado - decorative sculpted panels lining lower
walls

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
In the tomb area, wells were then dug down to the point that
water was encountered. These wells were later filled with stone
and rubble, forming the basis for the footings of the tomb. An
additional well was built to same depth nearby to provide a
visual method to track water level changes over time. The
construction

documents

show

that

its

master

architect

was Ustad Isa, the renowned Islamic architect of his time.

Instead of lashed bamboo, the typical scaffolding method,

workmen constructed a colossal brick scaffold that mirrored the
inner and outer surfaces of the tomb. The scaffold was so
enormous that foremen estimated it would take years to
dismantle. According to legend, Shah Jahan decreed that
anyone could keep bricks taken from the scaffold, and it was
dismantled by peasants overnight.
The buildings are constructed with walls of brick and rubble
inner cores faced with either marble or sandstone locked
together with iron dowels and clamps. Some of the walls of the
mausoleum are several meters thick.
The order of construction was:

The
The
The
The
The

plinth
tomb
four minarets
mosque and jawab
gateway

FOUNDATION:
The foundations represented the biggest technical challenge to
be overcome by the Mughal builders. In order to support the
considerable load resulting from the mausoleum, the sands of
the riverbank needed to be stabilised. To this end, wells were
sunk and then cased in timber and finally filled with rubble, iron
and

mortar

essentially

acting

as augured

piles. After

construction of the terrace was completed, work began

simultaneously on the rest of the complex. Trees were planted
almost

immediately

to

allow

them

to

mature

as

work

progressed.

MATERIALS:
The translucent white marble was brought from Makrana,
Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China.
The turquoise was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from
Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the
carnelian from Arabia. In all, twentyeight types of precious and
semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.