The Black Taj
Architectural explorations of the legendary Black Taj, a mythical mirror structure opposite the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River.
The Black Taj is a legendary monument that exists primarily in historical accounts and architectural imagination rather than physical reality. Scholars debate whether Shah Jahan intended to build a black marble mausoleum as his own tomb, positioned to mirror the white Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River. The site of Mehtab Bagh, where the structure would have stood, contains only archaeological traces and foundations.Community members explore the Black Taj through speculative design, temporal narratives, and interventions that engage with absence, memory, and mythological reconstruction. Projects examine how water, light, ruins, and symmetry might articulate this lost monument, treating architectural imagination as a bridge between historical fact and cultural memory.
