Page:A history of architecture on the comparative method for the student, craftsman, and amateur.djvu/735

 SARACENIC ARCHITECTURE. 677 In the courtyard of this mosque is the marble Tomb of Selim Chistee (No. 294 d, f, g), with broad spreading eaves and elaborately carved bracket capitals (Nos. 296 and 298 f), of which there is a cast in the Indian Museum, South Kensington. The windows have pierced tracery of geometric pattern, a characteristic Saracenic treatment (No. 296). The celebrated Dewan-Kas, or private audience hall, of which a plan and elevation are given (No. 298 h, j), has inlay work of precious stones on its walls. Shah Jehan (i 628-1658), grandson of Akbar, erected at New Delhi a palace of great size, of which only portions remain. It occupied a space of 1,600 feet by 3,200 feet, and had immense portal, entrance hall, courtyards, bazaars, audience and music halls, baths and gardens, besides accommodation for distinguished guests and court attendants. The Taj-Meh^l, Agra (No. 294 a, b, c), was also erected by Shah Jehan. It forms a part of one of the most famous groups of architectural monuments in the world. It is a royal mausoleum of white marble placed in the centre of a raised platform 18 feet high and 313 feet square, each angle being marked by a minaret 133 feet high. In plan it is symmetrical, being a square of 186 feet, with the angles taken off. It has a central dome, 80 feet high (No. 294 c) and 58 feet in diameter, crowned by an outer dome of the same height (No. 297). Around the central dome are two-storied aisles, each angle being pro- vided with a small dome supported on pillars. The entrances are in the centre of each face and are of the usual recessed type, crowned with a four-centred arch set in a square frame. The light to the interior is introduced through two pierced marble screens in the upper story, producing a dim and subdued effect on the interior. The Taj is specially famous for its inlay of precious stones — jasper, bloodstone and agate, in ornamental scrolls and fretwork — which impart a rich effect to the fabric. In its setting of cypress trees, marble fountains, lakes and terraces (No. 297), the Taj produces an enchanting effect, which has been remarked by all travellers. Shah Jehan also erected other notable buildings, including the Muti Musjid, or Pearl Mosque, Agra. It is built of white marble, and is a three-domed mosque, placed on one side of a court, about 150 feet square. The Jumma Musjid, Delhi, has a similar type of plan. It is built of red sandstone and white marble, and is peculiar in being designed only for external effect, but seldom sought for in mosques (see page 656). After Shah Jehan, few buildings of importance were erected, but a decline set in, due in part to the introduction of European modes and the influence of Classic revivalism.