The Great Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a great mausoleum built in 1632, in honor of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's most beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal died at the age of 39 during her 14th childbirth. She was Shah Jahan's favorite wife out of the three he was married to. He had commissioned the Taj Mahal to house her dead body, but it now houses her and him. The Taj Mahal was built out of all white marble and is designed in an Islamic fashion. Scriptures from the Quran can be found written in calligraphy above doorways. The Taj Mahal can be found right across the Yumana River and the capital of the Mughal Empire, Agra. Shah Jahan wanted to built a great mausoleum for himself, however his son Aurangzeb imprisoned him before he milked the Mughal Empire dry. Shah Jahan was buried next to his wife at the Taj Mahal. India has taken extensive measures in protecting the white marble by forbidding air-polluting factories and cars in the proximity of the Taj Mahal. http://www.history.com/topics/taj-mahal