The Taj Mahal: Architecture, Symbolism, and Urban Significance

Koch, Ebba

doi:10.1163/22118993_02201008

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…126 Shah Jahan's expression of the sacrality and universalism of Mughal kingship took its most brilliant form in architecture, exemplified by the case of Taj Mahal that presented the emperor's mausoleum as a monumental imperial abode situated amid the gardens of paradise. 127 In this new ideological paradigm inaugurated around 1580, the spiritual status of the living emperor overshadowed the mystical authority of the dead Sufi. Having briefly enjoyed the status of an imperial shrine-comparable to the status of the shrine of Imam Reza at Mashhad for the Safavids-Ajmer was now overshadowed in sacrality by both the imperial court of living Mughal emperors and the monumental tombs of deceased ones.…”

Section: End Of the Pilgrimages And A New Form Of Kingshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilgrimage, performance, and peripatetic kingship: Akbar's journeys to Ajmer and the formation of the Mughal Empire

Nath

2022

JRAS

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Between 1562 and 1579, the third Mughal emperor Akbar undertook 17 pilgrimages to the Sufi shrine of Muinuddin Chishti in Ajmer in western India. This article analyses them as a form of peripatetic kingship. It studies specific actions of the emperor in and around Ajmer to show how they articulated a specific understanding of monarchy, one that derived legitimacy from the spiritual authority of Sufi masters and sacred sites. It then shows how the strategic location of the town of Ajmer allowed the young emperor to use it as a base for military expansion and political consolidation in western and central India. It also discusses how the journeys allowed Akbar to carry out vital facets of imperial governance, like exploring the realms, forging alliances with local chieftains, and creating public infrastructure. They also served as a public site for the performance of kingship and sovereignty. The final portion of the article explains how a paradigmatic shift in the conceptualisation and performance of Mughal kingship—whereby the ideal of monarchy as a product of Sufi charisma and Islamic piety made way for more universalist and millenarian ideals—brought a sudden end to the pilgrimages after 1579.

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Section: End Of the Pilgrimages And A New Form Of Kingshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilgrimage, performance, and peripatetic kingship: Akbar's journeys to Ajmer and the formation of the Mughal Empire

Nath

2022

JRAS

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“…Kausar (2006) describes the basic layout of a typical Mughal garden is designed in a geometrical pattern and the chaharbagh or better known as the fourfold design. It is the straightforward layout adapted from the traditional Persian garden design (Koch, 2005). The layout of the garden in square or rectangular form following the chaharbagh garden design.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Physical Characteristics of the Islamic Garden and the Importance of the Concept in Malaysia

Jani

Harun²

2018

PMJ

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Islamic garden is a traditional garden concept that is significantly related to the history of the Muslim civilization. The first establishment of the concept was in the 7th century through the formation of the Persian Garden. Presently, the idea of the Islamic garden is beginning to be overlooked as the contemporary garden design is becoming a current trend. The situation has given a negative impact towards the implementation of the traditional garden concept. This study is conducted to identify the physical characteristics of the Islamic garden. The firstobjective is to determine the chronology of the Islamic garden design and, second, to categorize the physical characteristics of the garden according to the level of its importance. Three types of methods are embedded in the study, which are the document analysis, site study, and semi-structured interviews. The method of analysing the data is using the Atlas.ti and Microsoft Excel software. The result gathered are categorized into two important aspects: (1) the movement of the Islamic garden concept in response to the history of the Muslim civilization and (2) the list of the physical characteristic of the Islamic garden. The result is triangulated as to develop an understanding on the list of the significant physical characteristics of the Islamic garden that can be embedded as part of a garden concept in Malaysia. Above and beyond that, the result includes a viewpoint from the National Landscape Department (NLD) on the direction of a garden in Malaysia pertaining to the Islamic garden concept. The input from the session is perceived as necessary as to further develop an understanding of the current level of adaptation of the Islamic garden concept, particularly in Malaysia.

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“…Numerous researchers have discussed on the prominent Islamic garden such as the Taj Mahal in the Mughal civilization, the Alhambra during the Andalusian period and the well-known Fin Garden in Persia (Menocal, Scheindlin, & Sells, 2000;Koch, 2005;Faghih & Sadegby, 2012). These gardens have become the basis as well as the garden of reference concerning the Islamic garden (Rostami et al, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%