19/03/19 Today we are going to the Taj Mahal (which means crown palace)! It was built in a Persian and Turkish style by the 5th king of the empire for his wife after she died. She was the only wife he married for love, as the previous ones were arranged weddings. The couple had 14 kids but 3 miscarriages. She died at 38. The workers who built the tomb were the people who are the Ouzbeks today. 20000 of them.
The temple represents eternity (for the wife) and sorrow of her husband.
We arrived at sunrise and watched the sun slowly illuminating the beautiful white structure. There was not too many people so the guide accepted to take a local photographer to take pictures of us with the temple in the background.
The construction started in 1631 and took 22 years to complete. Many animals like horses and cows also contributed to the construction made of marble. Some of the walls are covered with 28 types of gems and versets of the Quoran are written around the entrance door with black onyx stones.
2 buildings located on the left and right of the Taj Mahal are mosks, only one of them is active, the other one is a guesthouse. During ancient times, the temple was covered with silk carpets and rose water was flowing in the fountains.
After the visit we stopped by a coloured marble factory where we saw a few craftsmen at work. Here they still create pieces fully made by hand. One guy is cutting and shaping the semi precious stones, another cuts holes in the marble coloured with henna and the last one glues the stones on the marble before covering them with some polish.
This technique was used on the Taj Mahal and the workers at the factory we visited are their descendants, grand grand sons (14th generation) who learned from their fathers.
Our next stop is the Agra Fort, which used to be the residential area of the royal kings. We had lunch in a multicuisine restaurant then bought snacks and drinks for the sanctuary as we will spend a few days there without access to a supermarket.
Back at the hotel we enjoyed the last sunny hour at the pool where a monkey stopped by.
Lexa our guide told us about a chocolate and waffle restaurant where we had dinner.
