The
Taj Mahal (from
Persian and
Arabic, "crown of palaces") is a
white marble mausoleum located on the southern bank of
Yamuna River in the
Indian city of
Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his favorite wife of three,
Mumtaz Mahal.
Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643 but
work continued on other phases of the project for an additional ten
years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its
entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million
Indian rupees ($ 501,000 US) which in 2015 would be valued at around
52.8 billion Indian rupees ($827 million US). The construction project
employed around 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of
architects led by
Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The
domed marble tomb is part of an integrated complex consisting of gardens and two
red-sandstone buildings surrounded by a
crenellated wall on three sides.
The Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the best example of
Mughal architecture
and is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India". It is
one of the world’s most celebrated structures and a symbol of India’s
rich history. Designated a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 1983, the Taj Mahal attracts some 3 million visitors a year.
