Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal (/ˌtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl, ˌtɑːʒ-/;[4] lit. Crown of the Palace, [taːdʒ ˈmɛːɦ(ə)l])[5] is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658) to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.

Taj Mahal’sLocation:
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Coordinates
27°10′30″N 78°02′31″E
Area
17 hectares[1]
Height
73 m (240 ft)
Built
1632–53[2]
Built for
Mumtaz Mahal
Architect
Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
Architectural style(s)
Mughal architecture
Visitors
7–8 million[3] (in 2014)
Governing body
Government of India
Website
www.tajmahal.gov.in
Taj Mahal is located in Uttar PradeshTaj Mahal
Location of Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh
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UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria
Cultural: i
Reference
252
Inscription
1983 (7th session)
Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion rupees (U.S. $827 million). The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India's rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the New7Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.