Talk:Taj Mahal
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Removed some quotes[edit]
Hello I've removed some quotes. The authors of these do not seem notable or reliable, merely just writing or a few books or being a journalist doesn't make them so. Lesley A. DuTemple according to her Google Books "has published several natural history books for children and is a regular contributor to "Dolphin Log, " the children's publication of the Cousteau Society, as well as "Calypso Log, " their adult publication." She may have won an award, but I wouldn't say she's someone any famous or noted. Her books especially aren't famous either. Bill Coles is a journalist but I wouldn't say a famous one. And he's not a historian anyway. I've checked all of the quotes below, but none of them really are famous or oft-quoted.
The Taj Mahal[edit]
Lesley A. DuTemple in: The Taj Mahal,Twenty-First Century Books, 1 January 2003
- Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his beloved wife.
- p. 4
- It is in Agra, a city in India, which was part of the Mughal Empire in the seventeenth century. A Monument To Love, India's Taj Mahal is a beautiful example of a great building feat. With the exception of its gardens, it is exactly as it was designed in 1631.
- In: p. 6
- It is a complex of buildings; a mosque, a guest house, an enormous entrance gate, four minaret towers and the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan’s wife. It is laid out in a rectangular grid on 42 acres along the Yamuna River, with water fountains and gardens and reflecting pools.
- In: p. 6
- Wagon loads of colorful gemstones arrived from all parts of Asia and Europe. Its story is one of great passion and sorrow. Shah Jahan built it as a tomb for his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, whose beauty inspired many royal poets. He chose to express his grief through architecture. It is a testament to his undying love.
- In: p. 7
- The mystery surrounding it does not dim its beauty. It has been called one of the wonders of the world. In modern times millions of visitors journey to India every year to see the tomb, its grounds and the buildings around it. Sixty thousand people visit the site every day, making it one of the popular tourist attractions in the world. They find an extraordinary white marble building, shimmering like a jewel on the banks of the Yamuna River – the famous Taj Mahal, tangible evidence of a love story that has endured for centuries.
- In: p. 7
- No single person designed the whole Taj Mahal complex. The buildings were the work of many people – architects, engineers, artists, calligraphers, and Shah Jahan himself.
- In: P.23
- Europeans could not believe that anything so beautiful could have been designed by a non-European. Europeans of the time considered the people of India uncivilized. They recognized that it was a magnificent building. So they thought it couldn’t have been designed by an Indian.
- On the question as to who built the Taj Mahal, whether it was Austin de Bordeaux, a Frenchman or Geronimo Veroneo who were both in the Mughal court at the time quoted in: P.23
- The building is a domed structure made of white marble inlaid with colourful gemstones in the shapes of flowers. Passage from the Quran are inlaid in black marble.
- In: P.23
- The tomb sits on a large marble platform, called a plinth. At each corner of this platform is a minaret (a tall, narrow tower from which a Muslim calls the devout to prayer). It is this building which is called the Taj Mahal, although the name often refers to the whole complex.
- In: p. 25
- Mughal court records refer to Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb as the illuminate tomb, probably because of the beautiful decorations and passages from the Quran inlaid in the marble. (“Illuminated” refers to lustrous decoration and marble reflects light well). As the years passed, though, the tomb and surrounding complex came to be called the Taj Mahal. Historians aren’t really sure why, but most likely the name is an abbreviation of “Mumtaz Mahal”.
- In: P.25-26
- It is a spectacular example of Mughal architecture, blends Islamic, Hindu, and Persian styles.
- In: P.26
- Many of the architectural features found in it were first tried out in other buildings, such as the tombs of the emperors Humayun and Akbar.
- in: P.27
It Never Disappoints; The Taj Mahal has the sort of majestic beauty that catches you unawares[edit]
Bill Coles in: It Never Disappoints; The Taj Mahal has the sort of majestic beauty that catches you unawares, The Wall Street Journal, 25 February 2006, the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
- It is, like the Mona Lisa, one of those masterpieces with which you will be outstandingly familiar long before you ever get to see it...it does not disappoint. It does not disappoint the first time you see it, nor the third time, nor even the 30th time...
- Its appearance is constantly changing. It might sound strange to say this of an inanimate building, but every time you see the Taj, it looks different. The color of its white marble changes throughout the day, from the waxy yellow at dawn through to the pastel blue-gray of a full moon.
- After the main building had been completed, the most lavish detail was added. w:Jade:Jade and crystal were shipped in from China, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan. And coral and mother-of-pearl were garnered from the Indian Ocean. The tomb itself had gold lamps and a door of solid jasper, and was guarded by gates of silver. Sadly, the Taj was long ago plundered of its loot, and all that remains in the crypt are the ornate marble tombs of Shah Jahan and his Mumtaz.
- Shah Jahan was said to have been so delighted with the end result that he had the architect beheaded, the better to ensure that no other building would ever rival the Taj. Even to this day, the emperor's wish would appear to have come true...later on in his life, he planned to build a black Taj for himself on the other side of the Yamuna. It was to have been every bit as magnificent as the white Taj, and the two were to have been connected with a bridge of solid silver.
- If the light is right, you can squint at the Taj and see the specter of its black twin on the other side of the Yamuna -- and it is then that you truly marvel not just at the Taj, but at the wonder of what might have been.