The Taj Mahal is a beautiful white marble mausoleum in the city of Agra, India. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces in the world and is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Every year, the Taj Mahal receives visits from between four and six million tourists from all over the world.

Interestingly, less than 500,000 of those visitors are from overseas; the vast majority are from India itself. UNESCO has designated the building and its grounds as an official World Heritage Site, and there is much concern that the sheer volume of foot traffic may have a negative impact on this wonder of the world. Still, it is hard to blame people in India for wanting to see the Taj, since the growing middle class there finally has the time and leisure to visit their country's great treasure.

Why the Taj Mahal Was Built

The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (r. T25 online free. 1628 - 1658) in honor of the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved third wife. She died in 1632 while bearing their fourteenth child, and Shah Jahan never really recovered from the loss. He poured his energy into designing and building the most beautiful tomb ever known for her, on the southern banks of the Yamuna River.

It took some 20,000 artisans more than a decade to build the Taj Mahal complex. The white marble stone is inlaid with floral details carved from precious gems. In places, the stone is carved into delicate vined screens called pierce work so that visitors can see into the next chamber. All of the floors are inlaid with patterned stone, and incised painting in abstract designs adorns the walls. The artisans who did this incredible work were supervised by an entire committee of architects, headed by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The cost in modern values was about 53 billion rupees ($827 million US). Construction of the mausoleum was completed around 1648.

The Taj Mahal Today

The Taj Mahal is one of the loveliest buildings in the world, combining architectural elements from across the Muslim lands. Among the other works that inspired its design are the Gur-e Amir, or the Tomb of Timur, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Humayun's Tomb in Delhi; and the Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah in Agra. However, the Taj outshines all of these earlier mausoleums in its beauty and grace. Its name literally translates as 'Crown of Palaces.'

Shah Jahan was a member of the Mughal Dynasty, descended from Timur (Tamerlane) and from Genghis Khan. His family ruled India from 1526 to 1857. Unfortunately for Shah Jahan, and for India, the loss of Mumtaz Mahal and the construction of her amazing tomb utterly distracted Shah Jahan from the business of governing India. He ended up being deposed and imprisoned by his own third son, the ruthless and intolerant Emperor Aurangzeb. Shah Jahan ended his days under house arrest, lying in bed, gazing out at the white dome of the Taj Mahal. His body was interred in the glorious building he had made, beside that of his beloved Mumtaz.

Today I will be talking about the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a grand monument located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It reflects the pride of a vast Muslim community. As far as the physical architecture, Taj Mahal consist of a square platform raised about the ground level. Amongst that platform is the center building (which is the most recognized) and four towers residing in each corner of the square base. The platform serves as a symbol of how this structure is above the earth and superior to those that sit on below it. As far as color, most of the structure consists of as white marble. It gives the building a pure and holy sense. On some spots of the exterior, like the main arched entrance, there is religious script carved into the stone. This reflects the Muslim faith and how they use scripture to convey it. Another huge feature of this architectural piece is symmetry. The Taj Mahal also consists of two square gardens on each side. As I described before the platform is symmetric, but so is the entire site. The building and gardens are also boarded in the back by a river. The flat landscape around it allows the Taj Mahal to be perceived as even more of a superior figure. Lastly, the center piece temple is made up of three huge domes on top. The center dome piece dominates the structure being that it is the largest. Symmetry is not broke with the center piece either, keeping the entire site orderly and civil.

What is also very important to talk about is the history behind it. The Taj Mahal was built in 1648 by Shah Jahan, the emperor during the period of the Mughal Empire’s greatest prosperity. Shah built this monument in honor of his lost wife, a Persian princess, who died giving birth to his 14^th child. So essentially, Taj Mahal is tomb for a queen. It is a monument that preserves the Muslim culture as well as a symbol of respect to Shah Jahan’s beloved wife. Masterpieces like the Taj Mahal took decades to build in earlier times. The center dome piece is even more integrated on the inside which led to even more time in the construction process. Other than being thought to be one of the most amazing architectural pieces on Earth, the Taj Mahal actually holds a function today. In 1983 it became a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Taj Mahal will forever be a glorifying landmark for the Muslim community and even the world. It is definitely worth seeing in a life time.