Taj Mahal

India · architecture · history

Built for love. Emperor Shah Jahan ordered the Taj Mahal in 1631 as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan himself is also buried there.

Ivory-white marble. The whole mausoleum is made of gleaming ivory-white marble that seems to change color in different light.

By the river. It sits on the right bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, in northern India.

A huge complex. The tomb is the centerpiece of a 42-acre complex with a mosque, a guest house, and beautiful formal gardens.