The Taj Mahal

Commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (who was the emperor of Hindustan from 1628 CE to 1658 CE), to house the tomb of his wife Mumtaz Mahal (who died of postpartum hemorrhage in 1631 CE), the Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum which sits on the right bank of the river Yamuna, in the city of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The Taj Mahal

Covering an area of 42 acres, and displaying traditional Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture, the overall complex which includes the mausoleum, a mosque, a guest house and gardens was constructed over a period of 22 years from 1631 CE to 1653 CE, under the guidance of chief Mughal architect and engineer Ustad Ahmad Lahori (1580 CE – 1649 CE). The mausoleum was constructed using white marble, decorated with semi-precious stones whereas the other buildings within the complex were constructed using red sandstone.

The white marble mausoleum which sits at the center of the complex

The white marble mausoleum which sits at the center of the complex, stands on a 20-foot-high square pedestal. It has four identical sides with arch-shaped doorways and is topped by a large onion shaped dome and a finial. The main dome is surrounded by four smaller domes placed at its corners. Four minarets (towers) each standing at more than 130 feet in height stand at each corner of the mausoleum. They were constructed slightly oriented towards the outside of the pedestal on which the mausoleum sits, to ensure that they would fall away from the mausoleum, in the event of a collapse. The exterior of the building is decorated with relief art embellished with precious and semi-precious stones.

The mausoleum is topped by a large onion shaped dome and a finial. Four minarets (towers) slightly oriented away from the mausoleum stands at each of the four corners

One of the minarets surrounding the mausoleum

The walls of the mausoleum

The main gateway to the complex

The western building of the complex which is a mosque facing the mausoleum

In 1658 CE, Shah Jahan was deposed by Muhi al-Din Muhammad (commonly known as Aurangzeb) and put under house arrest at the Agra Fort from where he could see the Taj Mahal. Upon Shah Jahan’s death in 1666 CE, Aurangzeb buried his remains in the mausoleum at Taj Mahal, next to the remains of Mumtaz Mahal. Today, the main chamber of the mausoleum houses fake (replica) sarcophagi of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, whereas the actual sarcophagi is placed at the lower level.

The view of the main entrance to the complex, from the mausoleum

Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 CE, the Taj Mahal was declared as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” in 2007 CE.