Touring the Taj Mahal Trivia Quiz

Answer: Southern side

The entrance gate is situated in the middle of the southern wall of the sandstone wall that surrounds the west, south and east sides of the complex. The north side is shielded by the river. Constructed from sandstone and marble, the gate features (on a smaller scale) many of the architectural elements you will find in the rest of the complex.

The image clearly shows a number of these, including the fact that it has a projecting portal, called a pishtaq, as does the mausoleum. The pishtaq is decorated with contrasting stonework, and specifically features the pointed arches found in the other buildings.

The floral inlays around the arches are a pattern you will see again, as are the zigzag patterns on the decorative pillars, the domed chhatris, and the finials. Stay tuned for more information about these when we look at them more closely.

Answer: Crown of the Palace

While the Taj Mahal is traditionally described as being a monument to love, since it was built by Sha Jahan to be the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal (whose title means the Exalted One of the Palace), it has also been suggested that its prime function was to display the shah's power and wealth. Whatever the case, it is spectacular.

Once inside the entrance, you can see the mausoleum, at the far end of the gardens. The gardens are designed as a charbagh, a four-segmented garden whose four regions represent the four gardens of Paradise as described in the Qur'an. The four sections are further divided into smaller regions separated by paths. It is unusual for the tomb to be located at the end of an Islamic garden like this - it is usually located in the centre. Here the centre is occupied by a reflecting pool. The original landscaping was a lot more complex than what you will now see. During the British Raj, the gardens had many of the trees and bushes removed, and were transformed into more formal lawns.

Answer: One was a mosque, the purpose of the other is unknown

The western building (on the right in the image, which was taken from the north) is a mosque, whose basic design consists of a long hall with three domes on top, one for the main sanctuary and one for each of the smaller sanctuaries. Its floors are made of a complex mosaic pattern depicting 569 prayer shawls.

The other building, called the 'jawab' (answer), is architecturally important for the sense of symmetry it provides, but its actual function is not known. It has been suggested that it may have been used for a guesthouse.

Its more secular decorations make it clear that it was never intended to be a replica mosque. These two buildings have a strong resemblance to the main gate, and like it they echo many of the architectural features of the mausoleum.

Answer: Minaret

Technically minarets are not towers, they are spires, but most people looking at them call them towers. Their original architectural purpose was to provide ventilation - this style of architecture originated in hot climates where letting hot air escape was rather important.

The minaret has been incorporated into mosques as an important feature, which provides the venue from which the call to worship is sent out five times a day. The minarets at the Taj Mahal are built with three segments, each topped by a platform that can be accessed from inside.

The top one is covered with a chhatri, a small domed pavilion traditionally erected in Indian architecture over the site of the cremation of an important person. Chhatris then evolved into a decorative feature that might be placed at the corners of any major building, as a sign of status and significance.

The chhatris here are topped with a lotus pattern that reflects that on the top of the central dome.

Answer: Finial

A finial (in architecture) is a decoration placed on the apex of a dome or spire, to draw attention to it. The finials at the Taj Mahal all feature a crescent moon (a standard symbol of Islam) oriented so that its open end faces the heavens. The inclusion of a spear in the centre makes the top resemble the trident of Shiva, a Hindu symbol.

The combination suggests the fusion of cultures that the Mughals sought. The original finial on the main dome was gold, but it has been replaced by a copy made of gilded bronze.

Answer: They are various significant texts, most of them quotations from the Qur'an

These calligraphic elements are written in the script called thuluth, a flowing script with diagonal lines that was commonly used for mosques at the time when the Taj Mahal was being constructed. It was used for the traditional headings of the Surah (chapters) into which the Qur'an is divided, and can still be seen on the flag of Saudi Arabia. Most of the texts in the Taj Mahal are quotations from the Qur'an.

They were 'written' by inlaying black marble or jasper in a background of white marble. This intricate exercise was performed by an Iranian calligrapher known as Abdul ul-Haq, a common name meaning 'servant of the Truth'.

He recorded his work in a small inscription at the base of the interior of the main dome which reads, "Written by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi", using the honorary title bestowed on him by the appreciative shah.

Answer: Bas relief

The different degrees of relief are somewhat vaguely defined, and I would actually have called this one mid relief, but that term is not now commonly used, and the term bas relief is used for both low relief and mid relief. Low relief sculpture has a very low projecting image, such as you see on coins. Bas relief can describe any image of which less than half has been full formed to emerge from the base.

High relief sculpture has most of the figure formed, and images may seem to be only slightly attached to the base, with a nearly fully-formed appearance. Sunk relief involves cutting the image into the base, so that its upper surface is level with the background. It is typically seen in Ancient Egyptian art. Counter relief is also called intaglio; the entire image is sculpted into the base material - it looks like a mold, which could be used to make a cast of the image if filled with wax or plaster.

Answer: It is made of coloured stones and gems

Pietra dura, a name which literally means hard stone in Italian, is a technique for precisely cutting and fitting polished stones so that they interlock securely (joining onto each other like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle) and form images. In India, the name given to the technique was parchin kari, which literally means 'driven-in work'.

The materials used to produce the effect can be any kind of coloured stone; much of the work in the Taj Mahal makes extensive use of semi-precious stone, such as amber and jade.

The technique is used for the coloured floral patterns seen in many places around the complex. The patterns in the Taj Mahal are all symmetrical, but that is a feature of this construct, not a requirement of the technique.

Answer: Jali

Featured prominently in Hindu and Islamic architecture, a jali is a screen of carved stone, whose openwork was (in the early years) geometrical, and which can incorporate decorative elements such as flowers, seen at the Taj Mahal. The open nature of the screen helps with airflow, and they are frequently used in windows and doorways. Those in the Taj Mahal are carved from marble, and lavishly decorated with carving and inlays. Since their traditional function is not that important here in the Tomb Room, much of the open work has been filled with gems, so that it resembles stained glass but is not translucent.

Answer: No

Islamic tradition does not allow for decoration of tombs, so the beautiful sarcophagi you see on display are not the resting place of their owners. The real tombs are on a lower floor, in a suitably sombre space (and oriented towards Mecca). The smaller of the two cenotaphs in the display is that of Mumtaz Mahal, and it is the one directly under the centre of the dome.

As you can see in the image, the decorative features that we have encountered on our way in are repeated here, in spades. The calligraphy on these sarcophagi include some of the few that are not from the Qur'an, as they identify the 'occupants', and offer suitable praise to them.