Hi everyone! The reason I haven't really been posting is because I just came back from vacation! Sometimes I didn't really have an internet connection, but since I'm back, now I can blog about my vacation!
So basically, I went to the Taj Mahal!
The Taj Mahal is something everyone has heard a little about, so my introduction will be pretty brief.
The Taj Mahal was constructed in 1648 under the emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb of marble (though not all is made of it) for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. He actually started a black Taj Mahal for himself, but he was imprisoned by his own son, who wanted the throne, and that was the end of that.
Personally, I would not build my own tomb under any conditions. Just to put that out there.
Anyways, we hired a guide to show us around, because we wanted to make sure we got the full history effect, and I was REALLY impressed. The architects and Shah Jahan thought of literally everything! Let me explain.
So basically, I went to the Taj Mahal!
The Taj Mahal is something everyone has heard a little about, so my introduction will be pretty brief.
The Taj Mahal was constructed in 1648 under the emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb of marble (though not all is made of it) for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. He actually started a black Taj Mahal for himself, but he was imprisoned by his own son, who wanted the throne, and that was the end of that.
Personally, I would not build my own tomb under any conditions. Just to put that out there.
Anyways, we hired a guide to show us around, because we wanted to make sure we got the full history effect, and I was REALLY impressed. The architects and Shah Jahan thought of literally everything! Let me explain.
- The Taj Mahal is symmetrical to the millimeter. Standing in a straight line on the middle of the lake, it looks exactly the same from the left to the right. That's really good for the technology they had back then!
- They installed a lightning conductor in case lightning struck it. Most monuments don't have one, especially one since the time it was built.
- After they buried the emperor and his wife, they made faux tombs directly above the real ones, so people wouldn't walk over the originals (to not act disrespectful).
- They planted cycas plants, the slowest growing plants in the world! According to an article by Lynn McKamey http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/, "The fastest rate observed in South Texas...under 30% shade is three new sets of leaves and an increase of 1" (3 cm) of height and trunk diameter per year". 1 inch of growth per year for the fastest type means they are still around from 1648!
