New Delhi (AsiaNews/SCMP) Some of the 20,000 hitherto unknown craftsmen and masons who built the Taj Mahal surreptitiously engraved their names on bricks and stone. Mostly of Arab and Persian origin, they probably realised the importance of the monument they were erecting and so decided to leave a trace of their contribution. A team from the Archaeological Survey of India discovered a list of more than 670 names of craftsmen and workmen on the north side of the monument.
In addition to the names, different symbols were found, such as swastikas and geometrical and floral patterns, engraved on the stone in front of the wall that runs alongside the river Yamuna. According to D. Dayalan, leader of the team of archaeologists, "since many of the [workmen] were illiterate, they denoted symbols as a mark of their identity." Some names come up several times and in different locations, which should indicate that they were "master builders, furnishing workers and draughtsmen."
The names have been divided into sections like workmen, furnishing workers, and inlay artists.
Some are of well-known people, such as calligrapher Amanat Khan Shirazi and Turkish dome maker Ismail Khan Afridi. However, of greater interest are the unknown workmen who engraved their names on the "greatest monument to enduring love," for they will encourage further research.
