As it's Iranian Architect

The names of more than 670 previously unknown "masons and labourers" who helped build the Taj Mahal have been discovered by a team of Indian archaeologists.

The findings by the Indian Archaeological Survey tell a forgotten story of the craftsmen who were summoned to Agra in northern India 350 years ago to build the great monument to loss and love.

The names, mostly in Arabic and Persian, were found etched into the sandstone walls and peripheral structures on the northern side of the monument.

"Most of these masons came from Iran, Central Asia and India," said D Dayalan, the superintending archaeologist. "The names have been meticulously divided into sections such as dome makers, garden development department, furnishing workers and inlay artists." [Continue]:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/07/wtaj07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/07/ixworld.html - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07 /07/wtaj07.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/07/ixworld.html
 

I Found Architects name:

Hail to: Ostad Eisa Shirazi & his son Mohamad Shirazi

It was commissioned by the mughul Emperor Shah Jahan, the son of Jahangir, as a mausoleum for his Persian wife, Princess Arjumand Banu Begum, also known as Mumtaz-ul-Zamani.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal
http://www.tajmahalindia.net/taj-mahal-architecture.html - http://www.tajmahalindia.net/taj-mahal-architecture.html

Good example of some Iranian friends' claim on everything being Persian.

Strange, the artical says the masons were from Iran, Central Asia and India. Then suddenly came these remarks:

As it's Iranian Architect

Architect & craftsmen were Persian.

LOL, you guys.

Well barbar he is right it is a well know fact the architect was Persian/Iranian this is not a claim more of a fact. Just as Michael Angelo, Leonardo, Colombus where all Italians.

So what if he is Persian? Myabe he presented it wrong, it was built by Iranians, and Indians, showing what two cultures could build when combining their art, skills and minds together. So for me the Taj Mal is also a representation of Indian and Iranian Art and harmony

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Archit/TajM.html - http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Archit/TajM.htm l

The Taj Mahal in Agra is indisputably the most famous example of Mughal architecture. Described by Rabindranath Tagore as "a tear on the face of eternity", it is in popular imagination a veritable "wonder of the world".

The white-splendored tomb was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ("Chosen of the Palace"). She married Shah Jahan in 1612 to become his second wife and inseparable companion, and died in childbirth at Burhanpur while on a campaign with her husband in 1629. Shah Jahan was, it is said, inconsolable to the point of contemplating abdication in favour of his sons. The court went into mourning for over two years; and Shah Jahan decided to commemorate the memory of Mumtaz with a building the like of which had never been seen before.

http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/godbole_taj1.html - http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/modern/godbole_taj1.ht ml

http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/141.php - http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/141.php

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/question_of_the_taj_mahal.htm - http://www.stephen-knapp.com/question_of_the_taj_mahal.htm

The legend of the Taj Mahal tells us that it was built by Shah Jahan (1628-1658 AD), the fifth generation Mogul Emperor, as a mausoleum to his wife Mumtaz Mahal. And that 20,000 men worked incessantly for 22 years to complete the magnificent marble edifice.

Mumtaz died in 1631 AD, at Barhanpur where she was buried and a mausoleum was erected. Six months later her body was shifted to Agra to be buried in what is known as the Temporary Grave--which is demarcated and can be seen even today--a few meters to the southwest of the Taj Mahal. And subsequently her body was laid to rest inside the Taj Mahal.

The main supporting pieces of the above thesis are cited from the following documents, which will be discussed in detail in the course of this paper.

i) The Badshahnama¹, an important court journal of Shah Jahan, written by Mulla Abdul Hamid Lahori.

ii) The firmans (court orders) of Shah Jahan to Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur², pertaining to the acquisition of marble from the Makrana quarries in Rajasthan.

iii) Travelogue of Peter Mundy³, an employee of the East India Company, who visited Agra between 1631-1633 AD.

iiii) Travelogue of J. B. Tavernier⁴, a French merchant who visited India five times between 1638-1668 AD.

I believe Land of Aryan you forgot this to add to your list of forgotten craftsman. This is a List of their Names, Place of origin and how much they got paid. Notice that There are Indian, Iranian and Even Arabs involved in this beautiful monument.

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/question_of_the_taj_mahal.htm - http://www.stephen-knapp.com/question_of_the_taj_mahal.htm

Tnx Rakhsh

forget barbar, he probably believe Indian, Persian have to be turk to build it.

Ustad Isa (Agra/Shiraz)  well  If  I  am not wrong race of this guy dont known,so I dont think  we should call this persian.(Ustad was  a common  used word in turkey)

Ismail Khan Rumi (Rum) absolutely Turk and comes from ottomans.

I think only persian who called as rum was Mevlana Rumi.(If he is)

"LOL us guys"?  How about LOL, Telegraph? One of the UK's leading broadsheet quality newspapers? pff...

Ustâd/Ostâd is a Persian word that  means "expert" in an academic/arts context. And the suffix, "Shirazi" leaves little doubt as to his origin, there are not many Torki people in Shiraz and the ones there arrived in the modern period.

This one was built by Persians themselves but Turks have also built many great Persian buildings in Iran and its neighbouring countries!

Ok cyrus,

we where (maybe still) influenced by the big culture of the persian in the that period,

as you surely know Turkic people where in that time a nomadic living people,

So We did like what the romans did in the time, they picked up greek architecture and little bit costumized and called roman architecture, then they toke the greek gods and renamed them. Everything that they dont had did they toke from greeks and even from Etruscians.

We did the same as romans but religion we toke whas arabic.

hehe  Ottomans called themself also ruler of rums.

Interestingly, old turks also called them rum(Or maybe they were realy converted rum,  later asimilated).

we still call our European part of turkey as Rum-eli, place of rum,  and asian part as Anatolia, an other greek word.

Zagros

http://www.archinform.net/arch/37285.htm?ID=JscPU34fgQjGF8Et - http://www.archinform.net/arch/37285.htm?ID=JscPU34fgQjGF8Et

It say he is either a turk or persian.

He was accompanied by a Turkish architect, Isa Muhammad Effendi, a pupil of the greatest Turkish architect Sinan.

And also say this.

http://www.alshindagah.com/janfeb2004/ladyoftaj.html - http://www.alshindagah.com/janfeb2004/ladyoftaj.html

It is believed that Master Isa Afandi from Turkey was charged with designing the building. Muhammad Khan from Shiraz and Abdul Ghaffar from Multan were appointed as calligraphers. Qadir Zaman Khan from Arabia was made in charge of art and interiors of the building. In short, the services of the most skilled people of the age were secured for constructing this grand monument. Each of them would be paid a handsome monthly salary until the completion of their work. The laborers and workers working under them, numbered 20,000 men. It took them twenty years to complete the entire Taj Mahal.

Say this

http://www.tajmahalindia.net/taj-mahal-monument.html - http://www.tajmahalindia.net/taj-mahal-monument.html

Despite  several controversies that claim that the Taj Mahal was designed by an Italian Geronimo Veroneo, or a French silversmith Austin de Bordeaux, the first real evidence of the architect's identity emerged in the 1930s when a seventeenth century manuscript called the Diwan-i-Muhandis was found to mention the Taj Mahal. This manuscript contains a collection of several poems written by Luft Allah, including several verses in which he describes his father, Ustad Ahmad from Lahore, as the architect of the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort at Delhi. Ahmad was a Persian engineer-astrologer. Luft Allah also states that Shah Jehan conferred upon his father the title "Nadir al-Asr" (the Wonder of the Age); unfortunately court histories do not corroborate this claim. Other sources record that Ustad Ahmad was one of the architects of the Red Fort. Further evidence has been found of other large projects undertaken by Ustad Ahmad, strengthening the plausibility of his son's claim. It is interesting to note that Ustad Ahmad had a number of aliases : Ustad Khan Effendi, Ustad Mohammed, Isa Khan, Isa Effendi and a number of permutations of the name - fictional amalgam of Muslim sounding names, most likely the invention of latter-day British guidebook writers.

It must be emphasised that the design of the Taj Mahal cannot be ascribed to any single master-mind. The Taj is the culmination of an evolutionary process. It is the perfected stage in the development of Mughal architecture. The names of many of the builders who participated in the construction of the Taj in different capacities have come down to us through Persian sources. A project as ambitious as the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal demanded talent from many quarters. From turkey came Ismail Khan a designer of hemispheres and the a builder of domes. Qazim Khan, a native of Lahore travelled to Agra to cast the solid gold finial that crowned the Turkish master's dome. Chiranjilal, a local lapidary from Delhi was chosen as the chief sculptor and mosaicist. Amanat Khan from Shiraz was the chief calligrapher, and this fact is attested on the Taj gateway where his name has been inscribed at the end of the inscription. Muhammad Hanif was the Supervisor of masons, while Mir Abdul Karim and Mukkarimat Khan of Shiraz handled finances and the management of daily production. Sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, inlayers from South India, stonecutters from Baluchistan, a man who specialised in building turrets, another who carved only marble flowers - thirty seven men in all formed the creative nucleus, and to this core was added a labour force of twenty thousand workers recruited from across North India.

say this

http://www.taj-mahal-india-travel.com/taj-mahal-design-layout.html - http://www.taj-mahal-india-travel.com/taj-mahal-design-layou t.html

Proud Architects of Taj Mahal
The names of the chief architect who worked on the Taj have been noted. Ismail Afandi, who designed the hemispheres and built the domes was from Turkey. Qazim Khan came from Lahore to cast the gold finial that would top the dome. Chiranji Lal was called from Delhi to pattern the mosaic. From Shiraz in Persia came master calligrapher, Amanat Khan. Stone cutter Amir Ali was from Baluchistan. Ustad Isa of Tukey is however credited to have been the main architect. It is believed that his design embodied much of what the Emperor wanted to express.

Say  this.

http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/taj_mahal/tlevel_2/t3build_design.html - http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/taj_mahal/tlevel_2/t3 build_design.html

Several designers and architects – thirty seven men in all – are mentioned by name in the official Mughal histories, and it is probable that they would have worked together to form the creative team that shaped the Taj Mahal:

Ismail Afandi (a.k.a. Ismail Khan) who had worked for the great Ottomans in Turkey as a designer and builder of domes;
Qazim Khan, a goldsmith from Lahore who cast the gold finial that crowns the dome;
Chiranji Lal, a lapidary from Delhi chosen as the chief mosaicist;
Amanat Khan from Shiraz, the master calligrapher whose signature is inscribed on the Taj gateway;
Mohammed Hanif, Multan and Quandhar, master masons from Delhi; and
Mukrimat Khan and Mir Abdul Karim from Shiraz, chief supervisors and administrators.

Ustad Ahmad (a.k.a. Isa Khan), an architect in the court of Shah Jahan from Lahore, is most often credited as the chief architect (or plan drawer) of the Taj Mahal, based on a seventeenth century manuscript which claims that Ustad Ahmad was the architect of both the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort at Delhi.

Say this.

So I  dont think you have enough proof to say architect of Taj Mahal was persian.

I thing kotumeyil is right, It is a combined work of severals.

Ustad Qamish Qulaq who built both Chehel Sotun Palace and Shahzade Hossein Mausoleum in Qazvin in the 16th century.

I agree it was a combination of different craftsmen, That is for sure....

but you said

So I  dont think you have enough proof to say architect of Taj Mahal was persian.

I think there is enough evidence to say the Architect is Persian, the fact is most architects work in teams when delaing with major projects,

See the chief architect bit? Can you see faults with this arguement?

Ustad Isa is the assumed architect of the Taj Mahal, which was ordered to be built by Shah Jahan as a burial place for himself and his wife Arjumand Banu Begum. The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and took 22 years. A group of architects were called from various countries of the world, which included the Ottoman Empire, India, Persia and Italy. Credit for the construction as the head of all architects is usually given with some uncertainty to Ustad Isa, who was either Turkish or Persian. He was accompanied by a Turkish architect, Isa Muhammad Effendi, a pupil of the greatest Turkish architect Sinan, who presumably drew the final plan of the building, a Venetian named Geronimo Veroneo, who played a major role in the planning stage of the construction and Amanat Khan Shirazi, a Persian, who was possibly in charge of the calligraphy, where verses from the Koran are carved onto the marble.

Rakhsh Ustad Isa himself was almost legendary guy. Knowledge about him is not much. Even we are not sure he is even chief architect, different cites say different things. Some says he was persian, some says he was Turk, and some says, he is not even chief architect. For Italian architects, well dont take it much serious.

For Dome building, Well It is normal, Ottoman architects interested big domes much. Infact That is why they respect ayasofia much. Mimar sinan build a bigger dome than aya sofia, and I think his main aim is not build a beatiful mosque but to overcome aya sofia dome.

Ustad Isa (Agra/Shiraz), as you know in the old days you put the city your from in your name, just as you clamed rum was a place in Turley the fact he had Shirazi as part of his full name indicates he is from the city of Shiraz., we cannot take Italians helping in it seriously at all, the Islamic world was far ahead of europe during this time in science, engineering, architecture and mathamatics, all Italy had was artists who could paint.

I mean no offence but this is part of a Pan-turkism, it is not just one source that states he was Persian but many.

The Ottoman architect was an Armenian I hear.  Is that true?

Ismail Khan seems to be Muslim name...

check this out

Taj Mahal - A Hindu Temple-Palace

http://www.geocities.com/no_islam2000/ -  

http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/tejo.html - http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/tejo.html

http://www.geocities.com/no_islam2000/ - http://www.geocities.com/no_islam2000/

not only the site but the building itself

its original name was TejoMahalay signifying a Shiva Temple !!

i see that they are working very hard to make this a belivable nonsense lol

Rakhsh

I dont interest with panturkism, as you said some cites say he is persian and some say he is not.  It looks like his race is unknown. I am not saying he was turk or not.

Armenians were good architect, but I am not sure If architect of Taj Mahal is armenian or not. If he was devsirme (most probably) he can be any race, be armenian, albanian, bosnian or greek.(Well except ethnic Muslim Turks)

For Mimar Sinan, Greeks say he is greek, and armenians say he is armenian. So I dont think we have a good knowledge about Ismail Khan too. Also Khan was not much used in ottoman Turks. a little weird.

When We are calling him as Turk, we mostly main not ethnically but culturaly.Even If all of them comes from armenian stock, their culture was Ottoman-Turkish culture.

Infact If Armenians or other claim this guys as their, It is not problem. But They should claim ottomans as their too. Because they were ottomans and Unfortunately, It was only Turkey and somehow bosnia, who accept ottoman empire as their own.

Mortaza I was refering to Azimuth's post on the Taj Mal being a hindu temple. I understand where you are coming from, I have read various sources to the cheif architects origins, I am convinced he is Persian, however it does not matter really at this point. We should agree to disagree and move on  because I do not want to argue or go on and on  I will just chose to believe what I do from what i read and make my own mind up.

but the important thing is the forgotten people who helped build it and thier sacrifice, now their work and this place built for love and ended in cruelty is being destroyed by nationalism, and its history used as propoganda to appease the agendas of the ignorant power hungry wolves.

Well even it is a beatiful building, I dont think it consist much love, building that type of building mostly cost others money and life.

By the way, what do you mean with destroyed by nationalism? do india harmed it?

Actually Taj Mahal is found in Farsi, what is your source... see your nationalising this. It is Very Islamic, what elephants? Do you not think Iran had Elephants in its army?

I think this again is nationalistic propoganda, like we said please stop it. It is A persian Design, Indians, Persians, Turks and Arabs worked on this that is a fact. There is alot of proof for it. As for their arguement (very unscholarly but...) it is all lies.....

Thankd for you input Darkness1087 you are now asked by me nicely, stop, birng something more, thank you, have a nice day

This building is Composition artwork from Indian, Iranian, Arabs & Turks.
but without any Nationalistic view, It based on Iranian Foundation.

Just, Compare main dome with Sheikh LotfAllah ones in Esfahan
http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5779&PN=1 - http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5779& ; ;PN=1
!9

& pool & Side of "Sarve Shirazi" cedars tree is type of Iranian garden.

3d Recreation of Persepolise

Baghe Shazde, Shahdad, Kerman, Iran

Hamame Fin, Kashan, Esfahan, Iran 

Baghe Eram, Shiraz, Iran

Narenjestan, Shiraz, Iran
 

Chehel soton, Esfahan, Iran

Naghshe Jahan, Esfahan, Iran

Baghe Delgosha, Shiraz, Iran

Where is the Farsi source for Taj Mahal? I have heard from some sources that a few Indian muslims believe that it was a Hindu building (they are of course BJP muslims leaders so that does change some things).

Anyway you can't ignore a theory because you don't like it or its too nationalistic. We are all intellectuals here, you have to analyze it before you say something.

Oh and by the way the Indian gov't banned all research regarding proving the Taj Mahal as a temple. 

lol yes the key point intellectuals, you make me laugh, there is nothing intellectual about this theory. What muslims where? names? date they said this! The reason they prob banned it is cause of Hindu nationals..... It is Persian end of bloody story, the person who commissioned it and paid ofr it is recorded no archaeological or historical reference to anything Hindu.... So my reply to you is be an intellectual and realaise this building is Mulsim, by muslim is the whole bloody design is Islamic to the core, persian as well.... no other Hindu bildings look like this...

again this article I did read I did. Lies it did say it did.... soo lies

Look I can make a Stone understand this then the author of your article, a stone has more comprehension then nationals who try to rewrite histroy to sui their agendas and inferiority complexes and hatred for others...... That is a very true statement about nationalisic view points....

I believe your a very intellegent guy, try to look beyond these guys  Come my brother take my hand and lets walk into the light together as brothers with no nation.... just brothers from one planet.

That is the beauty of Muslim architecture.  So many different workers from all parts of the world, from Sheraz, to Rum, to Qandahar, to Lahore, Multan, Samarqand, and even Kashmir.

Mash'Allah    

Its left from ottoman. khan = Turk same my name is ser( kan ) brother gök (han) mother nur (han)

look at his website: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/ - http://www.stephen-knapp.com/  

Stephen Knapp is a well known speaker, writer, author, philosopher, spiritual practitioner, traveler and photographer. For years now he has been an independent researcher and an honest and bold writer of spiritual truth as he has discovered it. The main purpose of Stephen’s work is to offer simple ways and explanations to comprehend the lofty insights found within the spiritual philosophy and Vedic culture of India.

Stephen Knapp has dedicated himself to spreading the deepest and most practical levels of spiritual knowledge of the soul–our real identity. It is his strongest realization that our existence on this earthly plane becomes much easier and more vibrant the more we expand our spiritual awareness to perceive the higher dimensions and purpose of things around us.

Stephen Knapp grew up in a Christian family, during which time he seriously studied the Bible to understand its teachings. In his late teenage years, however, he sought solutions to many unanswered questions for which he read through many philosophies from around the world, studied a variety of occult sciences, ancient mythology, mysticism, yoga, and the spiritual teachings of the East. The reading of the Bhagavad-gita increased his understanding of everything else he had been studying. Therefore, he continued to research all of the major Vedic texts of India to gain a better understanding of the Vedic science. Now he also tirelessly works to protect, preserve and promote the deep spiritual knowledge of Vedic philosophy and its traditions. An introduction to his research, writing, and projects can be found at his website.

Stephen has been to India numerous times and traveled extensively throughout the country gaining a wide variety of spiritual experiences. His knowledge of India and familiarity with traveling in such a diverse country has made him an advisor for those who would like information concerning their own journeys to India. Stephen is also a free-lance photographer and does what he calls cultural photojournalism, capturing the essence of India and spiritual life in practice, which can help explain and show the depth of the culture. You can see samples of his photography on his website.

Stephen continues to travel to India on a regular basis, giving lectures on the benefits and glories of the Vedic tradition. He has traveled on lecture tours through Northeast India a few times to enthuse people to follow their indigenous traditions. He has also traveled a few times through Central India to lecture at schools and colleges, and intellectual groups about the profound nature of the Vedic culture. He has also spoken by invitation in front of 25,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York City at a gathering of the Swadyaya Movement, and at numerous other events. He continues to speak, on television and radio shows, and give presentations at conferences where invited.

Stephen is also the founder of the World Relief Network. Its goal is to help relieve the sorrow, suffering and confusion on the planet by the dissemination of genuine spiritual knowledge and the means for individual and social enlightenment, and to work with others who feel the same. Many of his books are published through the World Relief Network.

Who ever he is, i wont take his word for anything regarding Taj Mahal, he is no expert in art and architecture. He is only an expert in hinduism, so he will have an obvious bious to say that Taj mahal is a hindu temple.