Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-20
A PALACE AS A TOMB.
Psn-PiCturs of the Taj-Mahal, of
India.
The Most Beautiful ediice in the World
Completed at a Cost of
$75,O00,000.


World as a memorial to his fayOrite
vile, the beautiful Empress Mumtaz l.
Mshal t"ExaltsC One OF the Palace }, who
This Grown OF Eiifces" las its name
SigHiGesl. wei, deserves its distinction, for
this eaTtn mas seen nothing more beautiful
since The letuple at Jerusalem. IL ~,
been called "A poem in marble, A
dream in MARBLE "A floating palace
The sigh OF broken heart" IL is a
charm, nay, such a combination OF charms.
that II seems like "a building not IN 'ie
With hands, IL is so mi sStiC IN It's
outline, and yet so beautiful in
it's minutest decorations-sO mlssive
in its dimensions, and yet so delicate
in its adornments, that IL IS no
wOnd er Bishop Heber says its archl.
tecrs built like TItans and finished like
jewelers. The Tai was commenced IN
1880 and completed in 1917, at a cost OF
Sl5,OOOOOO. when money was tive times its
LrtSent value. Ia its construction 2O,ODO
men tOiled for seventeen years, most OF
Them without compensation. The whole
tullding, inside and out, dome, walls, cell
Ing, crypt, tombs, and all, is of pure mar
bic. For over POO years it has stood in, Its
" bitterness and glory, in its silence and
.rsu, eur, unchanged amid the changes OF
tine. Uuharmed amid the rayages OF war.
Ou her death Mumtaz sent for the EN-.
perOr, and said: "Oh, King, promise me
that you will never marry again, and so
have children that will contend with mine
for the kingdom; also, promise me that you
will build for me q tomb more beautiful
than the world has ever seem" The prom
ises were made, and faithfully did the
great and royal mourner keep his vows
He never married again, and began I'M
mediately to plan for the great tomb,
which has been the wonder and admlra-
ton of the world for near two and q
half centuries Architects were called
from many lands, and materials gathered
from all parts of his own and other king
doms. a Persian manuscript found In the
Isl says the white marble came from Jey'
pore, the yellow from the banks OF tue
Nerbudda the ClaCE from Charkeh, Jasper
from the Puuj,b, crystal from China, car
nelisn from Bag,lad, turQuOIS from Ihloet,
amethyst from Persia, diamonds from fu-
nah. sapphires from Lanka, agate from
Yemen lapis laZuli from CeylOn, and coral
from Arabia.
The Tai stands in n beautiful park and
garden. embracing about twenty acres, ana
Ii led with rich flowers, rare shrubs stately
trees. marble walks, anu playing fountains
This Enclosure is surrounded by lofty
wall of red sandstone, over mile IN CIR.
cult, with towers at each corner aud arched
colonnades on the interior. Approaching
this most impressive OF the worlds great
tOmbs, you behold g noble structure, 80
rich and massive that you invOluntarily
exclaim, "Oh, the Tai. the Tai Bat
no. II is only the portal to more msgnl
fCent building. This superb and colossal
gateway of red sandstone, over 100 feet
wide and near 100 feet high, deliberately
carved, inlaid with quotations from the
Koran and surmouuted with its twenty
six white marble cupolas, IS hitting en-
trance to such an Incompatible structure
as the Tai, From the roof OF this grand
gateway we had one of our finest views oil
the msusoleum. This view is greatly en-
HANGED by the charm of moonlight. Under
the soft light of a full moon the building
assumes a strange and weird beauty OF sur
passing loneliness.
closure rises the Tai in all its glory. IL
stands upon two vast platforms or ter
races. the lower one of rich red sandstone,
four feet high and nearly 1000 feet broad;
the upper one of pure white marole,
EIGHTEEN feet high and over 300 feet square.
From the four corners OF the marble ter
race rise four slender, graceful, yet strong,
minarets of white marble, each lj' teet
high. ,,.L,
medsn MOSQUE of red sandstone, with mar
HE domes standing like sentinels to the
wonderful shrine. In the centre OF the
biIb marble terrace, surrounded oy the
minarets and fanked by the mosques,
stands the Tai itself. 1t is 1856 feet square
or nearly square, having truncated corners,
which gives it rather the appearance OF an
irregular octagon. From the marble plat
form 10 the GOLDEN crescent that ups tne
spire is 2.5 feet. In each OF the tour larger
sides of the magnificent structure -
nf which reaches
66ssrIv to the cornice. In each corner,
ALSO are two beautiful arches, one above
The other, Four smaller domes adorn tue
rorrprs of the roof, while between them
the prest central dome OF white marble, ~
feet i'm diameter and 80 feet high, sweis
unwsrds in mstchleSs beauty and granueur'
The interior OF the Tai Is one grdnd TO
tunda. All the light the ouildinS mas
streams in through screens OF msrole treI'
lis work, but this Is suthclent 10 reHe reveal tIe
amazing beauty OF the place. DuSC
under the vast dome are tns oeuo 'Ts rs
meath Sweeping entirely around, ana IN
closing these representative tomos. : .
msgnifcent white marble screen, SIX rect
bigh carved to represent dellcate IaCe
work. This screen and the inclossu Ceno-
taDbs have been the admiration OF millions
This earth surely can not show their Ell
Ry flight of marble steps worn sLIootu
by the pressure Of innumeraoie IeeH We
descended into the dim crypt oeiow, anu anu
stood beside the real tomos. we Lett la
treading softly and speaking l9S, ~. al
fore us the great Empress ana 1eE ITEyS
husband were sleeping side by SIDE. E;a ~
sarcophsgus was of snow-white maroie,
and each covered with exquisite wreatns
and parlapds of vine and flowers ana texts
from the Koran. all formed OF Inland pre-
cious stones. ON the tomb OF the compress
is the following remarkable inscription;
Defend us from the tribe OF unoehete? t
Being devoted Mohammedan ana ot.ser
enemy of Christianity, she had tnst PrSSot.
inscribed on her tomb. But To-Day nos
only her tomb, but her kingdom. is in the
hands of those very "unbelieyers.
; In the vast concaVa Of the dome OF tne
Tel is an echo as marvellous as ths rs! ~
SELF liz is to the ear what the ouhdlng -
to the eve. Every word, whisper, song ano
football is caught up and repeated uon
| side to side in prolonged tremulous ecuoes'
growing fainter, softer and, swee.eI' h;s
ing that vault the most wonderful "ui
peling gallery on earth. ga
Rayard Taylor says OF TINS ecno'
single musical note uttered by the voice
| floats and scars overhead IN long, ueiL
! Cious undulation, fading away so sloNy
that you hear it after it is silent, as you ss1,
or seem to see, q lark you nave a.
watching after II has swallowed up IN 'ue
! blue vault of heaven" e. 49,
We can never describe the emonon tna'
| thrilled our hearts and filled our eyes WIZ
| moisture as We stood beneath inst sno
! white dome, besides those rlchiy o In
msnted tombs, listening to the enchanting
| echoes, as if angel hands had caught up
our song and were prolonging the strains
4 rust above uS