The Taj Mahal (Figure 6-37) has been described as a monument to the love of Shah Jehan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. What formal qualities suggest that this building is revelatory of Shah Jehan’s love?...

The Taj Mahal (Figure 6-37) has been described as a monument to the love of Shah Jehan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. What formal qualities suggest that this building is revelatory of Shah Jehan’s love? Of what else might the form of the Taj Mahal be considered revelatory? Because the Pyramid of Cheops and the Taj Mahal are both mausoleums, is it possible to think of both of these buildings as revelatory of memorials to the dead? Which is more instantly recognizable as functioning as a tomb?

Figure 6-37