I believe the Mughals came through Central Asia so you could find the references to Mughal architecture in the cities of Central Asia as well - that is where they came through before reaching India. So cities such as Ashkhabad, Bukhara (?), Khiva etc. in countries such as Uzbekistak, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan. The mughals did indeed pass through these places. One link:
http://www.dragoman.com/destinations/single.php?tripCat=STT&specificTrip=&extraInfo=1 --- Dilip/Dil Deka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The FAIA Editor-in-chief is no ordinary tourist. So > his words are important. > His tour of Indian architecture consisted of Mughal > architecture - as described by him. The organizers > of the architects' meet in India must have picked > these as the best examples of Indian architecture. > > >From a layman's point of view, with no formal > course in architecture, I have always felt that the > forts and mausoleums built by the Mughals are world > class. The question from me to those with knowledge > in architectural history is - where did the > inspiration for these designs come from? The places > where the Mughals immigrated from do not have much > evidence of such grand architecture. Iran has some, > but not to this scale. I'd welcome even a reference > to a website that will educate me. > Dilip > ================================================================ > Architectural Wonders of India > December 30, 2004 > > Notes from Robert Ivy, FAIA, Editor-in-chief > > > > > My first sight of the Taj Mahal hit with superhuman > force, unburdening me of a lifetime's pent-up > emotions and expectations. Up until the moment when > we turned and caught a glimpse of it looming > inevitably, its outline traced against the mercurial > evening sky, a black cutout form poised against the > magenta night, or the blue sky offered up a domed > flyspeck, off across Agra. Jostling for space in my > mental landscape were the primary hues of postcards > or pages from the World Book, and the monochromatic > scenes from Richard Halliburton's pulp-wonderful > Book of Marvels, in which he sneaked a moonlit > reverie behind the locked garden walls: Childhood > still lurked just below the surface of this adult. > > Then, there it was, a glistening sugarloaf of a > building, combining the presence of all colors, both > reflective and absorbing its own light---the > embodiment of white, white, white. So large it > dwarfed the arching portal leading to the gardens > far ahead; so large that human form merely peppered > its base. > > >From where I stood, it leaped and danced, from its > settled podium up to the solid mass of its body, > where arched niches carved shadowed recesses and > repeated its harmonies, then around in a domed sweep > to its tip. Anchored by four spires, one at each > corner, for muezzins who would never come, > punctuated by rooftop pavilions and smaller spires, > this mausoleum sang a cosmic song, suggesting order, > amplitude within bounds, and direction. It humbled > me, as great art can, with the realization that > geometry points toward truths that we have ignored, > and that beauty is a real and potent force, even in > this debased and imperfect world. It took my breath > away. > > My trip to the Taj occurred on the final day of a > five-day whirlwind trip to the subcontinent, where > we had been guests of the Aga Khan Award for > Architecture, a triennial event. As with other such > gatherings to celebrate architecture in or for the > Islamic world, held in various sites worldwide, our > host had prepared visits to noteworthy architectural > monuments, including the Taj. In our case, the > awards proved to be a Mughal feast. > ADVERTISEMENT > OAS_AD('Middle'); > The awards ceremony itself took place in Delhi at > another mausoleum (think how funerary structures > dominated early civilizations). Humayun's Tomb > (1569), erected by the ruler's widow Hamida Banu > Begam, predates Shah Jehan's memorial to his wife > Mumtaz Mahal by almost a century (1631-1648). For > the contemporary occasion, which included not only > the Aga Khan himself and his invitees, but the Prime > Minister of India, the domed, polychrome structure > had been illuminated for a private son et lumière. > The assemblage consisted of an international coterie > in full native finery, from saris woven with cloth > of gold to an African chief in robe and cap. > Counterpoised against this magnificent 16th century > backdrop, the moon rose full, while the Silk Road > ensemble coaxed their plaintive instruments. Not > even an emperor could match the rose-petal strewn > drama. > > Subsequent travels included a ceremony at the > massive Mughal fortifications in Agra, whose Red > Fort (built by Akbar in 1565, added to by Shah Jehan > in 1630-55) gave new insight into the word, "heft." > There the red sandstone walls, many feet thick, rose > with hieratic emphasis, once cradling the treasury > of an empire-Shah Jehan's wives, and the Peacock > throne, his seat of justice. As if to underscore the > otherworldliness of this lost hegemony, green > parrots swept through the air calling at sunset, > seeking their roost, while a tribe of monkeys > paraded around the walls, peering down at our sober > gathering. Where had the empire fled to? > > Our final destination was a deserted city on a hill. > Close your eyes from the heights at Fatehpur Sikri, > a town constructed in the 1570s to become the Mughal > capital from 1571-1584, and you could be at Vézélay, > in France, were it not for the calls from the > mosque. Following the emperor Akbar's lead, the > court removed to this aerie spot to honor a holy > Sikh who had predicted Akbar's first male son and > heir. When he left, the red sandstone buildings > remained. Restored, solitary, and urbane, this ghost > town encapsulates history and almost speaks. > > Touring this rich array of cities, fortifications, > and funerary monuments only skims a fraction of > India's architectural wealth; however, the analogies > with other historical monuments is striking. The Red > Fort, which surveys the Yumana River, bears close > resemblance to China's Great Wall, or to the > Alhambra, all of which came from a period of > expansion and conquest. However, they also contain > typological similarities with European > fortifications from the same period (think of the > Loire valley, with its turreted chateaux, or of 16th > century England). > > Towers, like those at the tombs, or the mosques, > crop up in Italy (at Torcello, outside Venice, or > San Gimigiano for example), at religious structures > and fortifications. Simplistic as such a question > may sound, what worldwide developments elicit > similar building forms? Do the answers lie in the > evolution of technology, or of building systems, or > in philosophy? Visiting actual architecture > consistently stimulates us to ponder and to wonder, > confounding our expectations, both feeding us and > leading us to hunger for more. > > > _______________________________________________ > Assam mailing list > Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > Mailing list FAQ: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > To unsubscribe or change options: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list Assam@pikespeak.uccs.edu http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
