Taj mahal

The Taj Mahal is a magnificent mausoleum complex in Agra, India, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. He commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal in honour of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. The Taj Mahal is considered one of the most beautiful and iconic monuments in the world and is a masterpiece of Mughal architecture.
The Taj Mahal consists of five main elements: a main gate, a garden, a mosque, a jawab (a building that mirrors the mosque) and a mausoleum (including its four minarets). The mausoleum is the focal point of the complex and is made of white marble with intricate carvings and inlays of precious stones. The dome of the mausoleum is 73 metres high and is surrounded by four slender minarets. Inside the mausoleum are the cenotaphs (false tombs) of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, while their actual tombs are in a lower chamber.
The Taj Mahal is renowned for its symmetry, harmony and balance. The complex was designed as a single unit with no subsequent additions or alterations. The buildings are arranged along a central axis and reflect the Islamic principles of geometry and proportion. The garden is divided into four quadrants by water channels, representing the Islamic concept of paradise. The mosque and the Jawab are identical in shape and size, creating a sense of harmony and balance. The Taj Mahal also changes its appearance according to the time of day and the weather, reflecting different moods and colours.
The Taj Mahal took about 22 years to complete, from 1632 to 1653. More than 20,000 workers from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire and Europe were employed to build it. The materials used in its construction were transported by thousands of elephants and camels from various regions of India and beyond. The Taj Mahal is estimated to have cost around 32 million rupees at the time, the equivalent of around 1 billion US dollars today.