Page 69 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

The Taj Mahal in the city of Agra is one of the most famous buildings in the world and was also built by Shah Jahān, the man who founded Delhi. The Taj Mahal was built as a garden-tomb, to try and create an earthly image of the Islamic garden of paradise. Its white marble building blocks were carried over 300 kilometres by 1,000 elephants. (Not all at once!)
Altogether, it took 20,000 workers over 17 years to build it. The Mughal builders believed that flowers were symbols of heaven, so detailed and intricate flower designs appear all over the Taj Mahal in floors, walls and ceilings. This amazing building has been described as ‘a prayer, a vision, a dream, a poem, a wonder’. It is often regarded as a powerful symbol of love because it was built by Shah Jahān for his wife.
The Mughal rulers of Delhi, and their queens, were great supporters of the arts. In particular, they admired a style called ‘miniature painting’ involving the creation of very detailed pictures, often of animals or plants. Usually, these were small works used in books or diaries. The Mughal emperors encouraged Persian painters of miniatures to move to India. Here, their miniature style fused with more local traditions to create a burst of creativity and energy in Mughal art.
Legend says that the city of Delhi was named after a king called Raja Dhilu,
who ruled the area in the first century BCE. The city has been known by many names over
the years, including Dehli, Dilli, and Dhilli.
For normal people, life in Delhi revolved around being part of a family. The extended family would all share a house, including aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and often more distant relatives. Traditions and religious festivals and dates were very important in both family life and the wider community.
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