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Informationen zum Autor Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler have written many books for children and young adults, including Where Are the Great Pyramids? Their YA mystery, In Darkness, Death, won the Edgar Award. Klappentext Learn about the love story behind the creation of one of the most beautiful and famous buildings in the world. The Taj Mahal may look like a palace, but it's actually a tomb and a lasting testament to one of the world's great love stories. In 1612, Mogul emperor Shah Jahan married Mumtaz Mahal. It had been love at first sight and for nineteen years they were so inseparable that Mumtaz even accompanied Shah Jahan to battlefields. When she died suddenly giving birth to their fourteenth child, the emperor set about building a magnificent memorial to his wife. Everything about the Taj was perfectly planned, from the white marble walls that shimmer in the sunlight and sparkle by moonlight, to the countless decorative flowers made from precious gems that still astound visitors today. Recent discoveries at the site make this a timely account of a timeless monument. Where Is the Taj Mahal? Each year more than two million visitors arrive in the city of Agra, India. Some have traveled from the other side of the world. They have come to see one of the world’s most famous buildings. The Taj Mahal. Its white marble dome shimmers in sunlight and sparkles when the moon shines. Many believe it is the most beautiful building in the world. The Taj does not stand alone. It is part of a group of buildings and gardens that occupies forty-two acres. It stands on the banks of the Yamuna River, a major river of northern India. People who don’t know anything about the Taj Mahal may think it is a palace. But it was not built for people to live in. The Taj is a tomb. It contains the bodies of a ruler named Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The name Taj Mahal is a shortened form of her name. Shah Jahan adored his wife. When she died giving birth to their fourteenth child, Shah Jahan vowed to build a magnificent tomb that would show his undying love for her . . . and he did. Chapter 1 : A Joyous Childhood The ruler later known as Shah Jahan was the fifth emperor of the Mogul dynasty, which ruled much of what is present-day India from 1526 to 1858. At its height of power, the Mogul Empire included parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The first six rulers of the Mogul Empire were probably the richest in the world at that time. European travelers spread the stories of the Moguls’ fabulous wealth and power. The rulers of Europe admired the splendor and luxury of the Moguls. In the 1600s and 1700s the term “Great Mogul” meant the kind of powerful ruler that European monarchs wanted to be as well. The Moguls’ reputation for wealth made the name mogul a synonym for a wealthy person—as it still is today. Those who reach great success in business, and particularly the movie industry, are called moguls. As for Shah Jahan, everything about his birth in 1592 seemed lucky. The year was 1000 in the Islamic calendar, and the month was the same month as Muhammad’s birthday. (Muhammad was the prophet who began the religion of Islam.) At his birth, the future emperor was given the name Khurram. It meant “joyous.” Just before he was born, a fortune-teller made a prediction to his grandfather’s first wife, Ruqaiya. He said that this child would have a great future and be “more resplendent than the sun.” Ruqaiya had no children of her own. She wanted to raise a future emperor. So when Khurram was six days old, he was taken from his mother and given to Ruqaiya. The mother was paid with rubies and pearls for her loss. From then on Ruqaiya was in charge of the child’s upbringing. Like all the children and grandchildren of ...
