The Taj Mahal is one of the most recognised buildings in the world. Made almost entirely of natural stone, this is a monument to a man’s love for his wife, grief transformed into an enduring landmark.
The Taj Mahal in Brief
- Where: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on the south bank of the Yamuna River
- Built: 1632 to 1648 for the tomb itself. The mosque, guest house and gateway were finished by 1653.
- Built by / for: Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. Main architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahori.
- Main stones: White marble for the tomb, red sandstone for the mosque, guest house and gateway, and precious and semi-precious stones inlaid into the marble (pietra dura).
- Where the stone was quarried: White marble from Makrana in Rajasthan, carted to Agra. Red sandstone from around Fatehpur Sikri. Inlay stones from across Asia, including lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and jasper from Punjab.
A Tomb for Mumtaz Mahal
Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, lost his wife, Mumtaz Mahal (born Arjumand Banu Begum), in 1631 whilst birthing their fourteenth child. Shah Jahan set out to build her a tomb unlike anything before it.
The work began in Agra in 1632. The tomb was completed in 1648, while the mosque, guest house and gateway took until 1653. The main architect was Ustad Ahmad Lahori. Masons, stone carvers and inlay workers were brought in from across the empire, as well as from Central Asia and Iran.
Shah Jahan wanted a building that would last, so choosing the right stone was essential.
White Marble from Makrana
The tomb is faced in white marble from Makrana, a town in Rajasthan. The marble was carted from the quarries to Agra under the supervision of Raja Jai Singh.
Makrana marble is about 98 per cent calcium carbonate, which makes it one of the purest white marbles in India. Its grain is tight and interlocking, so the stone is hard, takes in very little water and lets a little light pass into the surface. That’s why the Taj seems to change colour through the day as the light changes.
Makrana is thought to be the oldest marble quarry in India, and it’s still working. Around 400 mines in the area produce about 120,000 tonnes a year, and the stone is now recognised as a Global Heritage Stone Resource.
The buildings around the tomb, the mosque, the guest house and the gateway, are red sandstone quarried from around Fatehpur Sikri. Red sandstone was the stone of Mughal power, and setting the white tomb among red buildings makes the marble stand out even more.
How the Flower Inlays Were Made
The decoration on the Taj Mahal isn’t painted on. It’s stone set into stone. In India the technique is called parchin kari, and it’s closely related to the Italian pietra dura.
Craftsmen marked out each design on the marble, then chiselled small sockets into the surface. Pieces of lapis lazuli, carnelian, agate, garnet and other stones were shaped on a turning metal wheel until they fitted those sockets exactly. Stones with slightly different tones were chosen to give each flower shading and depth.
The result is decoration that can’t flake or fade the way paint does, because the colour runs all the way through the stone. Inlay workers in Agra still practise the craft today.
Nearly Four Hundred Years On
Centuries later, the Taj is still standing strong, but the white marble surface has had a hard time.
Air pollution from traffic, industry and household fires around Agra has left fine carbon and dust on the marble, which has yellowed and darkened parts of the exterior. River pollution from the Yamuna has also left green staining from microorganisms that grow on the stone.
To protect it, India set up the Taj Trapezium Zone, an area of about 10,000 square kilometres around the monument and limits on industrial pollution inside it. Since 1998, conservators have also cleaned the marble with damp clay packs that draw dirt out of the surface.
The lesson for anyone with marble at home is the same, just on a smaller scale. Marble is almost pure calcium carbonate, so acids etch it and dirt settles into it if it isn’t sealed and cleaned the right way. Whilst stone care matters, we don’t expect our marble surfaces to stay untouched. The evolution of a surface, supported by care and attention, is as unique as a fingerprint. The unique patinations that develop over time are part of the natural beauty of marble.
Getting the Look at Home
While we don’t stock Makrana marble, you can emulate the clean white marble look of the Taj Mahal in your home with the many marble options we supply.
Palazzo Quartzite was originally named Taj Mahal Quartzite, for its resemblance to the luminescent monument. This creamy quartzite glows like Makrana marble, laced by golden, beige and feather-white veining. If you are looking for the marble look with more durability against the elements, quartzite is almost entirely quartz based, supporting longevity without sacrificing design goals.
- Pearl White is an off-white marble with minimal veining, the closest in our range to the plain white of the tomb.
- Arctic Ice is a soft white marble with light, feathered veining and a little more movement.
- Mozarte marble mosaics, like Magnolia and Wild Flower, if the expert parchin kari inspire you. Set with different marbles together into ready-made patterns.
Almost four hundred years on, the Taj Mahal is still the best argument there is for choosing the right stone and looking after it.
Come and see our white marbles and golden quartzites in person at our showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.