Design elements
Consistent repeated design elements are employed throughout the complex. These unify the complex with a single aesthetic vocabulary.
Design elements of the Taj.
Major design features of the tomb are echoed throughout the complex -- both the tomb and the outlying buildings.
Finial: decorative crowning element of the Taj domes
Lotus decoration: depiction of lotus flower sculpted on tops of domes
Onion dome: massive outer dome of the tomb (also called an amrud or apple dome)
Drum: cylindrical base of the onion dome, raising it from the main building
Guldasta: decorative spire attached to the edge of supporting walls
Chattri: a domed and columned kiosk
Spandrel: upper panels of an archway
Calligraphy: stylized writing of verses from the Qu'ran framing main arches
Arch: also called pishtaq (Persian word for portal projecting from the facade of a building)
Dado: decorative sculpted panels lining lower walls
Most of the elements can be found on the gateway, mosque and jawab as well as the mausoleum.