About the Taj Mahal
Some 20,000 workers spent twenty-two years constructing the glistening white Taj Mahal. Made entirely of marble, the structure was designed as a mausoleum for a favorite wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Mughal architecture is characterized by harmony, balance, and geometry. Beautifully symmetrical, each element of the Taj Mahal is independent, yet perfectly integrated with the structure as a whole. The master architect was Ustad Isa.A masterpiece of Muslim architecture, the Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2007, the Taj Mahal was also named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
Taj Mahal Collapse
The Taj Mahal is one of many famous monuments on the World Monuments Fund's Watch List, which documents endangered landmarks. Pollution and environmental changes have jeopardized the wooden foundation of the Taj Mahal. Professor Ram Nath, an expert on the building, tells reporters that unless the foundation is repaired, the Taj Mahal will collapse in a few years.- World Monument Fund: Taj Mahal
- India's Taj Mahal In Danger Of Collapsing in the Huffington Post
- Taj Mahal could collapse within five years in Mail Online
Taj Mahal Facts
- Top Dome - 213 feet high
- Minarets - 162.5 feet high
- Platform - 186 feet by 186 feet
- Cost To Build - 32 Million Rupees
Learn More
- What Is the Taj Mahal?
- Taj Mahal Travel Guide
- Temple for a Lost Love: India's Taj Mahal
- Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal
- Architecture in India
- The Mughal Empire in India
For Collectors: LEGO Taj Mahal Collectible Construction Set (compare prices)
