When visiting a Wonder of the World (or any heavily touristed site where cruise ships/large tours descend like a swarm of killer bees), ‘earlybirding’ is the way to go. It doesn’t mean all the annoying junk selling (excuse me, souvenirs) won’t bombard you, but at least you have a chance for a more clear experience.
5:20am Alarm
Even sleep deprived, Sadie is typically quick to wake up. Paige on the other hand sleeps much more soundly and sometimes can be a difficult rouse. This was one of those mornings. After some good old fashion family bickering, we made it out just a couple minutes late to meet our guide, Asif.
Asif walked us through the Taj Mahal entry process, which involved some lines, but the result was being nearly front of the line when the gates opened at 6:10am.
First View, From Afar
The first view of the Taj, its size and symmetry is striking. Like the pyramids in Egypt, it’s hard to imagine something being built today, let alone 300+ years ago.
Taj Mahal Cliff Notes
Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his 3rd wife
Construction took 22 years (1631-1653)
83 meters tall
The architect was from Iran, thus the Islamic style
20k of the 25k workers were from Iran as they had the Islamic building expertise
Everything in the Taj is perfectly symmetrical (only exception is the placements of the tombs, as the King's was added after-the-fact to be adjacent to his wife's tomb)
1,000 elephants continuously transported daily the marble for construction from a quarry 250 miles away
It is the only white marble in the world where you can see the crystals. It is also translucent to light which is the reason the look of the Taj changes so dramatically based on light conditions/time of day
Up Close
The detail in stonework is simply incredible. From the perfect symmetry to the amount of precious stones embedded into the marble itself. We particularly enjoyed the inside tomb with the large dome and incredible masonry around it. No pictures were allowed inside, so only exterior ones here to share.
A Mad Man?
The amount of money and resource poured into a memorial seems simply maddening. In the end, emperor Shah Jahan was jailed by one of his sons who took power, charging his father for diverting too many funds away from the people, in the interest of building the Taj. I felt a personal sense of panic upon learning the history and informed Sarah I would be commissioning an architect to immediately begin construction of a proper monument to honor her!
Cheese Amidst the Grandor
Our guide Asif was the master of cheesy photo poses. Slightly annoying for a bit, I then became excited for the cheesy album of poses I’d be able to aggregate into a funny keepsake. Here they are!
All of use, including the girls, were impressed in our own way with the Taj. It really was spectacular to see up close.
By 9:00am, we were back at our hotel eating breakfast...
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