Architecture and Urban Sociology

Project
DT110
Stage 4
B.Sc. in Property Economics
Muhammad Shahryar
C11471152
Lloyd Scott

DECLARATION
I hereby certify that all the material in this report which is not my own has been identified with
appropriate acknowledgement and referencing.

__________________
Muhammad Shahryar

Table of Contents
Abbreviations........................................................................................................... 4
Introduction.............................................................................................................. 4
The Mughal Dynasty................................................................................................. 6
Mughal Wealth.................................................................................................... 6
Shah Jahan......................................................................................................... 7
Location................................................................................................................. 7
Architecture and Design............................................................................................. 9
Materials........................................................................................................... 10
Economic Value of Taj Mahal.................................................................................... 12
Agra..................................................................................................................... 13
References............................................................................................................ 16

Abbreviations
UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

Introduction

The Taj Mahal is the best-known monument of India, and the most magnificent in a
series of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Mughal dynasty. No other culture
of the mediaeval or early modern period produced mausoleums in such numbers
and of such vast proportions: even the tombs of the Mamluks in Egypt, and of the
Mongols and Timurids in Iran and Central Asia, are not on such a monumental scale
(Koch, 2006).
The Taj Mahal was conceived as such from the very beginning (fig. 1). In the words
of Shah Jahans early historian Muhammad Amin Qazwini, writing in the 1630s:
And a dome of high foundation and a building of great magnificence was founded a similar and equal to it the
eye of the Age has not seen under these nine vaults of the enamel-blue sky, and of anything resembling it the ear
of Time has not heard in any of the past agesit will be the masterpiece of the days to come, and that which
adds to the astonishment of humanity at large

What is even more remarkable is that the Emperor Shah Jahan 1 raised this grandest
of all Mughal mausoleums for a woman; his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the
Chosen One of the Palace. This romantic aspect which defies all general ideas
about the position of women in a Muslim society has long appealed to visitors,
beginning with British travellers in the late 18 th and early 19th centuries who came to
India in the wake of colonial conquest and in search of the picturesque. They carried
the fame of the Taj Mahal to the West, and the tomb became known as a monument
of conjugal love, its perfect aesthetics reflecting the pure sentiment to which it owed
its existence.
Today it is one of the most visited tourist places in the world, because of not only the
grandeur and beautiful architecture, but also for the legacy, which adds a real
meaning to the relationship between man and woman. Every year millions of tourists
come to see the Taj Mahal. Perhaps they pay tribute to the couple and their intense
love, which now rests in peace forever (Khan, 2014).

1 Mirza Shahabuddin Baig Muhammad Khan Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal
Emperor of India from 1628 to 1658.

The Mughal Dynasty

The Mughals in India were the most glamorous of the three Muslim superpowers of the early
modern period, the two others being the Safavids in Iran and the Ottomans in the near and
Middle East and the Balkans.
In India, the Mughals were the most important politically, the most influential culturally, and
the last in a series of Muslim dynasties which established themselves from the 12 th century
onwards. Their Universalist approach and integrative power brought large parts of South
Asia together under a single government (Koch, 2006).
The British presented themselves as successors to the Mughals, to legitimate their colonial
rule in India, and from 1877 Queen Victoria was styled Kaisar-i-Hind, Empress of India.
Even today, the president of republican India addresses the nation from the Red Fort of the
Mughal emperors at Delhi.

Mughal Wealth
The Mughal were fantastically wealthy. With each region they conquered, they
acquired more treasure. With each new village under their control, more tax
monies were added to the royal treasury.
Shah Jahan was known as the wealthiest Mughal emperor in the world at that
time. One of Shah Jahans treasure houses contained 750 pounds of pearls, 275
pounds of emeralds, 5,000 gems from Cathay, corals, topazes, and other less
precious stones in almost infinite number, 200 daggers, 1,000 gold studded
saddles with jewels, 2 golden thrones, 3 silver thrones, 100 silver chairs, 5
golden chairs, 200 most precious mirrors, 100,000 precious silver plates and
utensils, 50,000 pounds of gold plate, wrought gold and silver, Chinese vessels,
worked necklaces, cups, discs, candelabra, tubs of uncut diamonds, gold images
of elephants, golden bridles, porcelain vessels (Dutemple, 2003).
This describes only a portion of his wealth. The treasure house in Lahore,
Pakistan, was said to contain three times as much. Mughal emperors covered
themselves in jewels and passed out trays of rubies and diamonds during court
festivities.

Shah Jahan
The reign of Shah Jahan, was the golden age of Mughal Empire and Architecture. Under his
patronage, the Mughal Empire experienced its period of greatest prosperity and stability.
Shah Jahan brought the centralisation of the administration to its peak and systematised
court life and the arts for his self-representation (See Figure 1).
He erected several huge monuments, the best known of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra, as
well as the Moti Masjid, Agra, the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, Delhi and the Lahore Fort
(Richard, 1993).

Location

The ivory-white marble mausoleum is located on the south bank of the Yamuna River in the
Indian city of Agra.
Muslim invaders first conquered City of Agra, in the eleventh century and under Shah
Jahans patronage from 1628, city was transformed into a flourish area of trade.
Banks of the Yamuna River allowed for easy access to water, and Agra soon earned the
reputation as a riverfront garden city on account of its meticulously planned garden, lush
with flowering bushes and fruit-bearing trees in the sixteenth century (Kapadia, 2014).

History of Construction
The distraught Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the mausoleum upon
the death of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal (Fazio, 2013).
An area of roughly 1.2 hectares (3 acres) was excavated, filled with dirt to reduce
seepage, and levelled at 50 metres above riverbank.
In the tomb area, wells were dug and fitted with stone and rubble to form the footings
of the tomb. Instead of lashed bamboo, workers constructed a colossal brick scaffold
that mirrored the tomb. The scaffold was so enormous that foremen estimated it
would take years to dismantle (Koch, Ebba, 1997).
In order to transport materials, a ten-mile-long ramp of tamped earth was built
through Agra, and on it trudged an unending parade of elephants and bullock carts
dragging blocks of marble to the building site (Carroll, 1973).
An elaborate post-and-beam pulley system was used to raise the blocks into desired
position. Water was drawn from the Yamuna River, by a series of purs, an animal
powered rope and bucked mechanism, into a large storage tank and raised to a
large distribution tank.
The plinth and tomb took roughly 12 years to complete. The remaining parts of the
complex took an additional 10 years and were complete in order of minarets,
mosque and jawab, and gateway. Since the complex was built in stages,
discrepancies exist in completion dates due to differing opinions on completion.
Construction of the mausoleum itself was essentially completed by 1643.

Architecture and Design

Upon her grave- may it be illumined until the Day of Resurrection! The King of Kings constructed such an
edifice, that since Destiny drew the plan of creation, it has not seen such an exalted building. Abu Talib Kalim,
Padshahnama, 1630s-40s

The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal
architecture. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings
building the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand,
Humayuns Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulhs Tomb, and Shah Jahans own Jama Masjid in Delhi.
While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red standstone, Shah Jahan
promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Buildings under his
patronage reached new levels of refinement.
The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated,
forming an unequal octagon. 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 a symmetry of architectural
elements.
Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by
four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each.
The entire mausoleum (inside and well as outside) is decotred with inlaid design of flowers
and calligraphy using precious gems such as agate and jasper. The main archways, chilsed
with passage from the Holy Quran and the bold scroll work of flowery pattern, give a
captivating charm to its beauty. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers
include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.
The mausoleuim is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate
garden, a mosque, a guest house, and several oter palatial builngs. The Taj is a the farthest
end of the complex, with the River Yamuna behind it. The large garden contrains four
reflecting pools dividing it at the centre. Each of these sections is further subdivided into four
sections and then each into yet another four sections.

Other Monuments within Taj Complex

1.
2.
3.
4.

Rauza Saheli
The tomb of Sirhindi Begum
Fatehpuri Masjid
Mumtazabad ( Taj Ganj)

http://www.chios.aegean.gr/tourism/VOLUME_6_No2_art08.pdf

Materials
The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia and
main construction materials are brick, red sandstone and white marble. Polish
plaster was used as a surface finish.
It is believed over 1,000 elephants were used to transport

Threats
Since its completion in 1654, the Taj Mahal has endured many attacks from all sides.

In 1942, the government erected a scaffolding to disguise the building in anticipation of air
attacks by the Japanese Air Force. During the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971,
scaffoldings were again erected to mislead bomber pilots.
More threats that are recent have come from environmental pollution on the bank of Yamuna
River including acid rain due to Mathura Oil Refinery, which was opposed by Supreme Court
of India directives. The pollution has been turning the Taj Mahal yellow. To help control
pollution, the Indian government has set up the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), a 10,400-squarekilometre (4,000 sq. mi) area around the monument where strict emissions standards are in
place (Rajalakshmi, 2008).
Concerns for the tombs structural integrity have recently been raised because of a decline in
the groundwater level in Yamuna river basin, which is falling at a rate of around 1.5m per
year. In 2010, cracks appeared in parts of the tomb, and the minarets, which surround the
monument, were showing signs of tilting, as the wooden foundation of the tomb may be
rotting due to lack of water.
Although it has been pointed out by politicians, that the minarets are designed to tilt slightly
outwards, to prevent them crashing on top of the tomb in the event of an earthquake. In
2011, it was reported that some predictions indicated that the tomb could collapse within five
years (James Tapper, 2011).
There is also the threat of war and human destruction on Taj Mahal and it could potentially
be targeted because it is such a significant site in India.
Other potential threats out of anybodys control are natural disasters e.g., earthquakes,
flooding, fire, storms etc. Natural disasters are sudden events that cause widespread
destruction and collateral damage and are brought on by forces other than human acts
(Shanley, 2016).
The water of the Yamuna, which flows alongside the 17 th-century structure, is polluted due to
discharge of industrial effluents and garbage clogging the water around the monument
(Kumar, 2016).
The river has been reduced to a stream at many places across Uttar Pradesh, mostly
carrying sewage, industrial effluents and dirt.
Swarms of insects breeding in the polluted Yamuna are threatening the intricate marble inlay
work of the monument by leaving green and black patches of waste on its walls
(TheGuardian, 2016).

Indian Authorities are looking for a permanent solution to the problem created by the insects,
a type of elongated fly that resemble a mosquito, that are proliferating in the polluted
Yamuna River. The river has staged to the point that it no longer supports fish that once kept
the insects in check, environmentalist Yogesh Sharma said.
According to Hindustan Times, thousands of crores of rupees have been spent to clean the
Yamuna, but its pollution has risen despite of planning and poll promises.

Economic Value of Taj Mahal

Construction of the Taj Mahal cost more than 32 crore rupees, according to Tajmahal.org.uk,
which todays currency is more than $200 million dollars for the building and its surrounding.
More than 20,000 workers contributed, and construction took place over a 22-year period
from 1631 to 1653.
Workers came from India, Persia, European and the Ottoman Empire2.
More than 1,000 elephants were used in the transportation of the construction materials.

Agra
Agra is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India,
citys history is largely recognised with Mughal Empire.
Agra is visited by millions of tourist from all over the city to see the world famous Taj Mahal
and other historical monuments in and around the city.
The city is situated on the west bank of the river Yamuna. City is well connected by rail and
road with most of the principal cities of India.
Agra was the second most self-employed in India in 2007, behind Varanasi, followed by
Bhopal, Indore and Patna (Singh, 2007).
Economically, the solicitation by the Taj Mahal has a strong potential invitation for the tourists
and for the development of tourism as an industry by the competent authorities.
Tourism Contributors to Economies of Agra
Due to the presence of the Taj Mahal and other historic monuments, Agra has a massive
tourism monument.
The term Tourism contributors to economies denotes all the service industries, which are
essential for the domestic and the international tourists. It includes all the transport facilities
like airlines, railways, travel buses, taxies, Accommodation sectors- al star hotels, resorts,
small, restaurants, local shops, different handicraft exhibitions and other local made
products.

Economic Impact of Tourism at Agra

2 The Otooman Empire, also known as the Turkish Empire, was an empire
founded at the end of the thirteenth century in north-western Anatolia in the
vicinity of Bilecik and Sogut by the Oghuz Turkish tribal leader Osman.

1. The World Travel & Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated $120 billion
(6.3% of the nations GDP in 2015).
2. Between 2010 to 2012, the average foreign tourist footfall at the world heritage
building had been increasing at a rate of 10-15% per annum. In 2010, 6.1 lakh
foreigners had visited the Taj Mahal. The number went up to 6.7 lakh in 2011 and
further to 7.9 lakh in 2012. (Dev, 2015).
3. The total revenue generation, from the domestic tourists and international tourists in
Uttar Pradesh was 7510.60 croes in 2004 from 2748.67 crores in 1995 (Srivastava,
2011).
4. According to Uttar Pradesh, tourism department the average stay of foreign tourists
in Uttar Pradesh is 6 days and the average stay of domestic tourists in Uttar Pradesh
is 1.2 to 1.4 days (Srivastava, 2011).

Decline in the number of foreign visitors

According to data compiled by the Archaeological Survey of India through ticket sales at the
17th century monument, there has been a constant fall in the number visitors there in the last
three years (Dev, 2015).
There was 7.9 lakh visitors from abroad to the Taj Mahal in 2012. While the numbers came
down to 7.4 lakh in 2013, this tumbled down to 6.9 lakh in 2014, registering a 6.8 fall against
last years figure.

Reign
Full name
Born
Birthplace
Died
Place of Death
Buried
Predecessor

19 January 1628 31 July 1658 ( 30 years 193 days)

Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Shah Jahan
5 January 1592
Lahore, Mughal Empire (now in Pakistan)
22 January 1666 ( Aged 74)
Agra, India
Taj Mahal
Shahryar

Successor
Spouse

Jahangir
Aurangzeb
Izz un-Nisa Begum
Kandahari Begum

Issue

Mumtaz Mahal
Dara Shikoh
Jahanara Begum
Murad Baksh

Dynasty
Father
Mother
Religious

Shah Shuja
Mughal Empire
Jahangir
Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani
Islam

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