Taj Mahal: Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire

by Diana Preston and Michael Preston

Book Overview

The dazzling story of the Taj Mahal and the empire whose spirit it epitomizes. Built by the Moghul emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal's flawless symmetry... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802715117
• ISBN13: 9780802715111
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

taj mahal

I wish I read this book before I went to see the Taj. Now i have to make a second trip to find the signature of Amanat Khan on the Taj.

Makes the History Clear

This book is the story of the family behind the Taj Mahal. If you are interested in the actual monument, its design and construction, you will have to do with about 50 pages. I got this book at the public library, so I was able to browse it, and the history was I was looking for. Otherwise, I would have been disappointed. The Prestons give not only an understandable, but also a readable account of this brutal family history. The sketch of the love story is well known, but not how Shah Jahan lost favor of his father, in some part due to his father's love and dependence on one of this late in life wives. Most, probably, do not know the fate of the children of these famous lovers, nor that Shah Jahan died imprisoned by one of them within view of this monument. One can only marvel on how Mumtaz Mahal traveled with her husband in war, and exile, constantly pregnant and bearing 14 children. Perhaps, as their family history suggests, she was the only one with whom he could confide and trust. They had a lasting sexual attraction despite his easy access to others and her continual pregnancies. They had shared extreme ups and downs. She may have been the only constant (later fulfilled by their eldest daughter) in his brutal and unstable world. The Prestons note the other mausoleums built for and by these Moghul rulers, none of which approach this in style and size. As I write this, the Food Channel has a competition of chocolate sculptors making a model of this incredible structure.

You get the Taj and much more!

For those that want to see complete visuals and illustrations of the Taj Mahal, then this book is not for you. It contained many photos but most were taken at a distance and others were a bit blurry. Even my heavily scratched reading glasses did not assist in delivering me an adequate detailed photo. I visited the Taj, in 2002, and have more interesting photos than what was portrayed in the book. I also visited the Red Fort in 2006, which was also described in the book. The only other 'pessimistic item' that I would write about was that, at times, it was difficult to follow the authors when they would describe informative detail on the building and how it was constructed. Since there were no photos about these fine details to observe, this information proved difficult to follow. It could be just me. I am a very visual person and that describing things in detail usually averts my attention. I need visuals! Now, for the good side. I thought the book was very informative on the Moghul empire. It discusses all the friction between the families on the strive to gain power and gives you a pretty good account of the history of India(Moghul empire, mainly) during that time frame. It also makes you understand why imperialistic empires just don't survive and how the desire for power destroyed this infamous empire. I am no avid historian and have read only a few books containing any history of India. Even though I lack the historical background of India, I found the book easy to read and follow. Basically I read it in 2 days and found the information that the authors presented to be fascinating. I felt as if I was standing there watching the whole thing unfold in front of my eyes. In addition, I was able to perceive the physical sensation of the characters written within the pages. It takes a very special history book to keep my attention span going and this book did the trick. Most history books take me a month to finish. So overall, I enjoyed the book and if you are a person that has no direction or sense of history, you, my friend, will enjoy it as well. The only thing that I regret was not reading this information prior to seeing the Taj in 2002. If I did, I would have had a better feeling of what it represented than being just a silly tourist making a checklist on all the famous places that I have visited. Oh well... Read it. I guarantee that you will enjoy it!

portrait of a world icon and the human landscape behind it

initially I was interested in this book because a decade ago, I'd written about Mumtaz Mahal, the woman for whom the Taj was built. I was amazed at the book's insights. One in particular moved me--it showed how Shah Jahan publicly revealed his deep grief over his wife's death. By going public, he broke the rules of Indian society by showing his feelings in such a manner--considered signs of weakness in a man, especially a ruler. But this book took on even more meaning after taking a recent 3-week trip to India. In the Preston book, I'd read how uncounted thousands of laborers, men and women, had built the foundations of the Taj with little besides their hands. That seemed hard to believe. But in Agra and other places, I was astonished to see women and men doing repair work on grand monuments like the Taj, moving stones in baskets, carrying loads of excavated earth upon their heads--exactly as described in the Preston book. Since I collect books, I like those that cover a topic well and give me unusual facts, too. From this one, I found out something I'd always wanted to know: that the backwards swastika seen everywhere in India represents the way the cosmos spreads outward in four directions. Cool. Being a nonfiction writer myself, I know what a challenge it is to tackle a popular topic that, one would think, has been "done to death." The Prestons have risen to the challenge and succeeded brilliantly.

Highly recommended

This is a wonderful book, beautifully written and presented with fine illustrations. I started reading the book on my return from a business trip in India and found that the perspective the book provided on the Moghul empire helped me understand the beauty of their art and architecture. The Taj Mahal is the highlight of the Moghul art and architecture . The book helps the reader understand the context in which this building was created. I highly recommend this book.