Taj Mahal, Agra

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum in the vicinity Agra in the Indian state Uttar Pradesh that was erected by Shah Jahan in remembering of his wife Arjumand Bano Begum (also known as Mumtaj Mahal). The construction of building began in 1632 and was completed in 1654. 17 years for construction and 5 years for decoration. There were over 20,000 workers involved out of entire Europe and central Asia. The responsible architect was Ustad Ahmad from Lahore. Originally, the same building in black marble was planned on the other side of the river as a mausoleum for Shah Jahan, but the builder faced financial problem with the construction of the white Taj Mahal and was placed therefore by his son Aurangzeb under house arrest.

he Taj Mahal consists of building materials that brought from entire India and entire Asia. The marble was brought from Makrana, 300 km from Agra near city Jaipur. Over 1,000 elephants were requisitioned for the transport of the building materials. 28 different types of precious stones and semi precious stones were inlayed in the marble. Taj Mahal decribes its beauty itself. UNESCO nominated Taj Mahal in 1983 in the list of World cultural heritage.