The Language of the Taj Mahal

"Michael Calabria’s The Language of the Taj Mahal is n important, unique and thoroughly engaging study of one of the Seven Wonders of the World attracts millions of Muslims and tourists every year. As its subtitle: Islam, Prayer and the Religion of Shah Jahan, indicates, while The Taj Mahal addresses the historical context, art and architecture of the Taj Mahal, its new and primary focus on its religious significance. Calabria masterfully investigates and explains how the personal faith and piety of Shah Jahan influenced its design and construction and how the extensive use of Qur’anic inscriptions reflect basic and core belief and teachings of the Quran and Islam in seventeenth century South Asia." * John L. Esposito, Professor of Islamic Studies, Georgetown University, USA *
Michael Calabria’s The Language of the Taj Mahal is an invaluable contribution to the field of Islamic studies and to religious studies broadly. It offers a unique lens for studying expressions of Muslim faith and spirituality drawing on, as it does, a variety of disciplinary perspectives including art and architecture, history, and theology. Calabria sees the Taj not just as a “work of architecture but as text” (xii) which allows him to “read” the monument, thus discovering and then, based on meticulous research, explaining the significance of the mausoleum as a whole, as well as of the specific Qur’anic verses inscribed throughout the building complex. An important feature of this work is how it makes the key figures associated with the Taj come alive and facilitate our understanding of the time and place in which they lived. In effect, Calabria engages in dialogue with the Taj. Even as he illustrates some of its visible (architectural, historical…) treasures, its hidden (spiritual, cultural…) gems become manifest in the process (and vice-versa), revealing the importance of considering the wider humanities context in religious studies. * Irfan A. Omar, Marquette University, USA *
"In this meticulous work, Michael Calabria unveils the spiritual dimension of the Taj Mahal by reading the monument as a 'holy text'. The author demonstrates that the Taj Mahal is not only a monument of love but also a spiritual testament of Emperor Shah Jahan, an elegant expression of his Islamic Faith that he approached sincerely but lived out imperfectly. The Taj Mahal emerges in the heart of the reader as a whirling dervish who swirls 'time' into moments of 'transcendence'. This remarkable book is an invitation to enter into spiritual conversation with Emperor Shah Jahan, his aide Amanat Khan and the Taj Mahal itself. I recommend the book for those who are interested in history, religions and mysticism." * Joseph Victor Edwin, Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi, India *