Name ____________________________________________ Core __________________ Date ________________________
The Taj Mahal
stones, and for window coverings carved thinly to
allow light to shine through.
Archway leads to the mausoleum, or crypt. A
three-storied gateway with sandstone and inlaid marble
marks the entrance. Pure white marble changes with
the changing light. Soft curves, straight lines, and the
distribution of solids and empty spaces make the Taj
Mahal pleasing to the eye.
A visitor in 1670 said that it was “arches upon
arches.” Another declared that the mind saw “an entire
harmony of parts, a faultless congregation of
architectural beauties on which it could dwell forever
Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight
wonders of the world, and some Western historians
have noted that its architectural beauty has never been
surpassed. Three hundred years after the completion of
the Taj Mahal, the identity of its architect is unknown.
What is known is that the gleaming white marble
structure stands as a monument to a husbands grief. It
is also a symbol of how India blends several ideas
from the many people who settled India. A Muslim
built it using Islamic and Persian styles of architecture.
Only the best artisans of the time were brought
in by Shah Jahan to build the tomb for his wife,
Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to her
fourteenth child.
Stonecutters and masons, engineers and
sculptors, gold inlayers and calligraphers- 37 in allmade up the group of artisans. Work began in 1632.
More than 20,000 people labored 22 years to bring
Shah Jahan’s vision to reality.
Teams of 30 oxen pulled huge marble blocks.
The builders used marble everywhere- for the 58-foot
diameter dome, for the walls inlaid with precious
without fatigue.
The Taj Mahal started out as a wooden model
that was studied and altered until all the changes were
made for construction. Today, tourists from all over
the world visit Agra to make a pilgrimage to Taj
Mahal, India’s most famous architectural wonder, in a
land where magnificent temples remind visitors about
the rich civilization of a country that is slowly but
surely lifting itself into an industrialized society as
well.
Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" the English
poet, Sir Edwin Arnold has described The Taj as "Not
a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the
proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living
stones." It is a romance celebrated in marble and
glorified with precious and semi-precious stones and
that’s the way to appreciate it!
The Taj Mahal attracts from 2 to 4 million
visitors annually, with more than 200,000 from
overseas. Most tourists visit in the cooler months of
October, November and February. Polluting traffic is
not allowed near the complex and tourists must either
walk from parking lots or catch an electric bus.
Name __________________________________________ Core ________________ Date _________________________
Multiple Choice: Circle the letter of the choice the best completes the statement. (2 points each)
1) Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the…
a) Eight Wonders of the World
b) Nine Wonders of the World
c) Sir Edwin Arnold
d) Unknown
4) Taj Mahal means…
c) Five Wonders of the World
a) Faultless Archway
d) Seven Wonders of the World
b) Crown Palace
2) Work began on the Taj Mahal in what year?
a) 1635
b) 1670
c) High Castle
d) Crown Fortress
5) The Taj Mahal attracts how many visitors
c) 1632
annually?
d) 2002
a) 3 to 5 Million
3) The identity of Taj Mahal, architect is...
b) 2 to 3 Million
a) Mumtaz Mahal
c) 2 to 4 Million
b) Shah Jahan
d) 6 to 8 Million
Directions: In the space below draw a picture of the Taj Mahal. (5 points)