TAJ MAHAL

Location

It’s in Agra city, India, near the Yamuna River.

Construction and characteristics

It was built between 1631 and 1654. 20.000 workers made this palace; it took 22 years and 40 millions of rupiahs.
The Taj Mahal is considered the most beautiful example of Mogole architecture which combines the Islamic, Persian, Indian and Turkish style.
The use of marble calls the attention more than other elements and it makes the sun reflect different colors.

Cultural significance

The idea of this palace came from the Muslim emperor Sha Jahan who wanted to build it in memory of his dearest wife Mumtaz Mahal who died during the childbirth of his 14th son. The legend says that when she died she told him to build a monument which symbolizes the beauty of her love.
After his wife’s death, the emperor was sunken by the sadness. He was defeated by his sons who shut him in a tower for 8 years where he could see the Taj Mahal and remember his wife.

We choose this wonder because its history is very romantic and the quantity of time to build it and architecture are really interesting.

The principal cities are Rio de Janeiro, Sao Pablo, Brasilia and Porto Alegre. Porto Alegre is a city and port of the Southeastern of Brazil, State Capital of River Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre is located in the coast of the Lagoa two Ducks, a cove of the Atlantic Ocean, in the confluence of five rivers. It is the main commercial center from Brazil to the south of São Pablo.
Rio de Janeiro is a city located in the south east of Brazil, in the Atlantic coast. It is the second bigger city of Brazil, and it has a great seaport.
São Paulo is a city of the South east of Brazil, it is the most important of country and one of the largest cities of South America, more than 10 million inhabitants live here.
Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. It's located in the federal district, in the central south of Brazil, the city is located in a semi desert region and it has a dry climate.
Brazilians are a great mixture of races that includes natives, European, and African, with a minority of Asian descendants. The official language is Portuguese and it is spoken by all the population. They also speak indigenous languages.
The vegetation in Brazil is very ample. Particulary in the Amazon. Hundreds of species of plants abound in this region. Maderables and fruit palms and trees also grow in that zone. Life animal is varied. It includes pumas, jaguars, armadillos, monkeys and many other species. There are many varieties of birds too and reptiles include many species of snakes. In the lakes and rivers of Brazil different varieties of fish and turtles abound.
Brazil is a Constitutional Republic, with 26 federal districts. The 26 states have their own popular elections, legislatures and governments.

Taj Mahal

One of the seven wonders of the modern world.
The Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. This huge mausoleum mosque was built by Saha Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, in memory of his beloved wife, a Persian princess born as Arijuman Bano Begum but known as Mumtaz Mahal. She was a significant influence in his life and in his policies, but died at the age of thirty-nine while giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631. The ruler went into deep mourning. Her last wish to her husband was “to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before.” So Shah Jahan set about building this fairytale-like marvel of white marble, surrounded by formally laid-out walled gardens. The emperor, later buried in the Taj, was overthrown by his son and imprisoned in the nearby Great Red Fort for eight year, from which, it is said, he could see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.
The origin of the name “Taj Mahal” is not clear. Court histories from Shah Jehan’s reign only call it the rauza (tomb) of Mumtaz Mahal. It is generally believed that “Taj Mahal” (usually translated “Crown Palace” or “Crown of the Palace”) is an abbreviated version of her name.
The Taj Mahal was built between 1631 and 1648, with some 20.000 workmen employed on it daily, who lived in a specially built small town next to it called “ Mumtazabad” for the dead empress, now known as Taj Ganj. The material was bought in from all over India and central Asia with the help of 1.000 elephants. The central dome is 57 meters, or 187 feet, high in the middle. A total of 28 beautiful stones were used: red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China, turquoise from Tibet, lapis lazuli and sapphire from Sri Lanka, coal and cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from Panna. The luminescent white marble was brought from far-off Makrana, Rajasthan. Nearly every surface of the entire complex has been decorated, and the exterior decorations are among the finest to be found in Mughal architecture of any period.
Unlike other Mughal tombs, the Taj Mahal gardens are all in front of the tomb and do not play any part in the background. Instead, the background is the sky. Since the tomb is set against a plain across a river, this background of eternal sky works its magic of colors that, through their reflection, subtly reflect on the white marble surface of Taj Mahal, always changing its color and complexion. The composition of the forms and lines of the Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical. The colossal height of the tomb, along with its pyramidal appearance, fill it with grace and make it seem to float or soar.
We choose the Taj Mahal because we like Indian’s constructions, and if you see the Taj Mahal we are sure that you will love it.

Our ideal holidays.

We are Florencia and Brenda, We are 15 years old. We devised our ideal winter holidays. We think that we will to Italy in July. We are going to stay in a hotel, during a month that is what the trip is going to last. We were planning lots of different things. We will go to the beach, where we can sunbathe, and swim. If we go to Italy, we have to speak Italian, so we are going to learn it. We are going to visit museums, we are going to visit the Coliseum and, we are going to eat different types of pasta.

Egypt - The old country

Egypt - The old country

History
Old Egypt was a civilization that was originated along the River Nile. It is located in the African continent. The River Nile is the longest of the world. Egypt has a very old history. Its capital is Cairo, here there are very important museums and ancient buildings. The Egyptians have a language of symbols and figures.

The People
The Egyptian civilization has existed ever 3000 years ago. The life here was concentrated on literature and writing. The Egyptians are remembered for their "cave paintings".

Landscape
The landscape of Egypt is very dry and hot. Egypt is a country with a very vast desert. The animals of this desert are chameleons, snakes and camels.

Gods
The Egyptians adored many Gods each of which have different meanings. Some of them are: Anubis, Isis, Osiris, Horus and a God with the head of a hawk (Ra). They consider it the "God of the Sun".

The Egyptians were governed by a Pharaoh. When he died, he was buried in a pyramid with his jewels and treasures. The Pharaohs were converted into mummies.
Also they did this with their animals, in special with the cats.