The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum situated on the right bank of the Yamuna River in the city of Agra, India. The fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (Reign: 1628–1658), commissioned this mausoleum in 1631 in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth whilst giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. The mausoleum is the most significant part of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex comprising a mosque and a guesthouse, and is situated within formal gardens bounded on three sides by a wall with battlements. Inside the mausoleum lies the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan himself.
Construction of the Taj Mahal, a captivating structure that blends and expands upon the design traditions of Indo-Islamic and early Mughal architecture, began in 1632. The Taj Mahal was built using a variety of materials sourced from many parts of India and Asia. It is believed that over 1,000 elephants were used to transport the building materials. Over 20,000 workers, painters, embroiderers and stonemasons were involved in completing the construction. A total of twenty-eight varieties of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble of the magnificent Taj Mahal building. Whilst the mausoleum was completed in 1648, the construction of the surrounding buildings and the landscaping of the gardens were finished in 1653. The most striking feature of this magnificent structure is its awe-inspiring pure white colour and the onion-shaped dome that covers the mausoleum. With all its features, it possesses a truly magnificent appearance.
As fascinating for its history as it is for its exterior, the Taj Mahal welcomes millions of visitors each year, including prominent foreign statesmen. Due to this global attention and the millions of visitors it attracts, it has become associated with India and has evolved into a symbol of the country. Furthermore, owing to the reason for its construction, it is one of the most famous structures representing love. It is also the finest testament to Shah Jahan’s wealth and power.
In 1983, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for being “a jewel of Islamic art in India and one of the world’s most universally admired masterpieces of the world heritage”. Widely regarded as “the finest example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history”, the Taj Mahal was also among the winners of the “New 7 Wonders of the World” initiative held in 2007.