taj-mahal Photos

TAJ MAHAL is a UNESCO world heritage site.

This is one of the most famous monuments in the world and the masterpiece of Mughal architecture.

Taj Mahal was built between 1632 and 1653 (the mausoleum was completed in 1648), by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631), who died during the birth of their fourteenth child.

The translucent white marble was brought from Rajasthan, India and twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious stones from India, China, Tibet, Arabia, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka were inlaid into the white marble. The decorations are among the finest in Mughal architecture.

Soon after completing the monument, Shah Jahan was arrested by his son Aurangzeb and spent the rest of his life at Fort Agra. He was buried in the mausoleum next to his wife.

(see Agra Fort)