Taj Mahal: Majestic Tomb for an Empress

Mumtaz Mahal—"Chosen One of the Palace"—was her name. In 1631, she died giving birth. Her husband, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, was devastated. She had been his favorite wife. The following year, work was begun on a fantastic monument to her memory in Agra, a city in northern India. Her mausoleum and surrounding facility took 22 years to complete. Some 20,000 workers were brought to Agra from throughout the Middle East, the Orient and Europe.

And it is, by all accounts, a work of wonder. The mausoleum, built of marble, has four facades, four minarets and a 240-foot central dome. Therein lie both the emperor and empress. Outside are an impressive arched gateway, gardens, a mosque and a "mirrored" mosque called a jawab. The Taj Mahal is noted for its dazzling minerals, calligraphy and design.

Interestingly, it's believed Shah Jahan intended to have a separate monument to be constructed for himself on the opposite bank of the River Yamuna, with a bridge connecting it to the Taj Mahal. However, he became incapacitated in 1657. His son and successor, Aurangzeb, had Shah Jahan imprisoned until his death.

Centuries of neglect and, more recently, nearby factory pollution have endangered the Taj Mahal. Preservation and restoration efforts were launched in the late 1990s.

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