Taj Mahal
Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage."
Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, and employed thousands of
artisans and craftsmen. The Persian architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered to
be the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.
Origin and inspiration
In 1631 the emperor during the Mughal empire's period of greatest prosperity, was
griefstricken when his third wife died during the birth of their fourteenth child. In her dying
breath, his wife urged him to build a mausoleum for her that the world has never seen before.
Shah Jahan granted his wife's wish and the constructions started one year after her death with
the principal mausoleum completed in 1648. The surrounding buildings and garden were
finished five years later.
Architecture
The focus of the Taj Mahal is the white marble tomb, which stands on a square plinth
annaabi.ee 
