Taj Mahal, Marble mausoleum in Agra, India.
The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum rising 73 meters (239 feet) above a raised platform along the Yamuna River bank. Four slender minarets each 40 meters (131 feet) tall frame the corners of the platform, while the central dome rises above an octagonal drum flanked by smaller cupolas.
Shah Jahan commissioned construction in 1632 for his deceased wife Mumtaz Mahal, with over twenty thousand craftsmen from Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe working on the project for two decades. The ruler was later interred beside his wife after his son Aurangzeb deposed him in 1658.
The site attracts worshippers who gather on the marble terraces facing the tomb, serving as a place of quiet devotion for Muslim visitors from many countries. Persian garden forms with symmetrical water channels and cypress trees express a centuries-old vision of paradise that remains present today.
Visitors should arrive early in the morning to avoid large crowds and obtain better photograph opportunities, as the grounds open at sunrise. The main entrance is on the south side, and tickets can be purchased online to reduce waiting times at entrance gates.
The marble walls contain thousands of inlaid semi-precious stones forming floral patterns with special light transmission properties that shift in hue depending on time of day. Under moonlight the facade appears in silvery white, while at sunset it glimmers pink and golden.
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