The Taj Mahal is a white ivory mausoleum on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself.
Here are some amazing facts about Taj Mahal:
Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in 1631 in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal means " The Crown Place".
The minarets surrounding the Taj Mahal lean slightly outwards, and in the event of an earthquake or other disasters will naturally fall away from Taj Mahal.
Taj Mahal is the fusion of Islamic, Persian and central Asian architecture.
It took 22 years to built Taj Mahal. Small refinements continued thereafter.
Taj Mahal is adorned with 28 types of stones.
A popular myth regarding the Taj Mahal is that all of the artisans and skilled workers had their hands removed when the building was finally finished. This was to ensure that no other same structure could built again.
The materials that were used to build Taj Mahal were transported to the construction site by a whopping 1,000 elephants.
Many of the precious stones on the mausoleum were ripped off from the walls of the mausoleum by the British army during the Indian rebellion of 1857.
During British rule in India, the garden was landscaped to look more like the manicured lawns in London, England. The original garden was adorned with lots of roses and daffodils.
A 28 types of precious and semiprecious jewels are set in the Taj Mahal. The turquoise came from Tibet, and jade came from China. Heavy white marble — the principal building material — was transported from Rajasthan.
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