It was created by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor who ruled from 1628 until 1658.
Portrait of Mumtaz Mahal.
They had to wait five years to get married, thanks to a lucky date picked by court astrologers.
Photo:Stock Photosfrom YURY TARANIK/Shutterstock
In the interim, Shah Jahan married another woman.
He would also take a third wife after their marriage.
Mumtaz was also a close confidant and political advisor.
Portrait of Mumtaz Mahal. c. 17th – 18th century (Photo: Public domain viaWikipedia)
She would even review official court documents before their final drafts.
Unfortunately, Mumtaz would die at 38 years of age after a postpartum hemorrhage.
Its said that the emperor was devastated by this loss.
Photo:Stock Photosfrom Mikhail Varentsov/Shutterstock
About 22,000 laborers worked on every aspect of the Taj Mahal.
Special pulleys would then help raise the stone blocks into position.
The rest of the buildings at the complex would be completed after an additional 10 years.
Photo:Stock Photosfrom Uladzik Kryhin/Shutterstock
Luxurious materials were brought in from across Asia and India.
Another instance of opulence can be found on the dome.
In 2020, that converts to about 70 billion rupees ($916 million).
Photo:Stock Photosfrom Roop_Dey/Shutterstock
Photo:Stock Photosfrom Uladzik Kryhin/Shutterstock
Symmetry is Key
The Taj Mahal is a perfectly symmetrical building.
The Taj Mahal expresses the concepts of architecture under Shah Jahans rule thanks to its balanced and symmetrical plan.
By having the mausoleum be the only all-white building in the complex, an architectural hierarchy is established.
The more white found in a building, the more important that particular structure was.
Throughout history, its taken special measures to ensure its safety from manmade and natural threats.
These companies were either asked to switch over to natural gas or relocate out of the protected area.
