Taj Mahal

The Story

When Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, died in 1631, the grief-stricken emperor vowed to build her a tomb unlike any on Earth. Twenty thousand artisans worked for over twenty years, shaping pure white marble brought from Makrana in Rajasthan and inlaying it with jade, crystal, and turquoise from across Asia.

The Taj is a masterclass in symmetry. Its four minarets lean slightly outward — an ingenious design so they would never fall on the tomb even in an earthquake. In front lies a long reflecting pool and a charbagh, a garden divided into four, meant to echo the gardens of paradise described in the Quran.

The tomb's true magic is its changing light: pale pink at dawn, dazzling white at noon, golden at sunset, and silvery under the full moon. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, the Taj draws millions of visitors every year — and every one of them falls a little in love.