Beauty of Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is among the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in the world. Taj Mahal is widely considered one of the most beautiful buildings ever created. The Taj Mahal was built by the famous Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaj Mahal.

Shah Jahan, “the King of the World,” took control of the Mughal Empire throne in 1628 very much in love with the queen he dubbed Mumtaz Mahal or “Chosen One of the Palace.” The poets at Agra’s Mughal court said her beauty was such that the moon hid its face in shame before her.

Shah Jahan poured his passion and wealth into the creation of just such a monument. It is said that 20,000 stone carvers, masons, and artists from across India and as far as Turkey and Iraq were employed under a team of architects to build the Taj Mahal in the lush gardens on the banks of Agra’s Jamuna River.

The Taj Mahal’s familiar marble domes are framed by four minarets from which Muslims are called to prayer. Each is designed with a slight outward lean, presumably to protect the main mausoleum in case one of them should collapse.

Two red sandstone buildings also flank the main mausoleum on either side. One, to the west, is a mosque. The other is a former guesthouse. These buildings are set within lush gardens, complete with an enormous reflecting pool that regularly does what no human has ever been able to accomplish—duplicate the beauty of the Taj Mahal.

Construction began in 1630. A total of about 20,000 workers from India and Central Asia got to work on it. Expert masons, craftsmen, sculptors, and calligraphers were summoned from Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and even Europe to work on the marble screens and inlays which were done with an exquisite collection of semiprecious stones. The complex was finally completed in the year 1653. Sadly, after it was finished, the Emperor was overthrown by his son and lived the rest of his days imprisoned in a cell with a window overlooking his own creation. He died in 1666 and was buried next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.