The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is an iconic landmark located in Agra, India and was completed in 1648. The monument is a beautiful mausoleum made from white marble and red sandstone. This piece of architecture was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal The construction of this masterpiece was no small feat as it took over 20 years and total of 20 thousand workers. This building is still considered one of the most breathtaking architectures throughout the entire world and is renowned for its symmetrical design and its symbolism for love. The building is also surrounded by vast gardens, lush greenery, and intricate marble designs.

Construction starting in in 1632, the buildings focal points are the two tombs, one of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and the other belonging to Mumtaz Mahal the Emperors wife. These are both located in the center building adjacent to each other still holding true to the symmetrical design. At each corner of the main mausoleum there are four minarets, each 40 meters tall at a slight angle as to protect the center building from damage in case of an earthquake. These four minarets are a distinctive feature of Islamic architecture and can be seen consistently in the area. The garden landscape that is in front of the main building is also symmetrically sound, with four parts known as the Charbagh. The garden is also complemented by the large reflecting pool which sits inline with the Taj Mahal' center.

Over the past decade, the Taj Mahal has attracted over three million visitors annually. Constructed over 15 years by Emperor Shah Jahan, the site has faced significant deterioration by the mid 1990s. In response to this issue, the Indian government initiated a multimillion dollar restoration effort to preserve its beauty, including cleaning the marble exterior and restoring the red sandstone main gates. This ongoing project is expected to last for several years. Despite the ongoing restoration work, the monuments peacefulness and its everlasting symbolism of romantic love still remains intact. To manage visitor impact access into the monument is time limited and requires the purchase of a ticket. Bonnie Burnham, president of the World Monuments Fund, highlights the success of these changes and explains that their next plan is to preserve and recreate the original gardens of the site.

After looking into the Taj Mahal, I have realized that it is a lot more than just a 'monumental building'. Its intriquet designs and extreme symetry is astounding to me as i realize it took not only decades, but thousands of people to complete it. I also think that before knowing the history behind it I didn't see how it could be considered interesting or important. Now however I realize that during this time period there was little to no technology and people being able to make this structure with their bare hands is amazing. I also think that the king designating this to his wife was a beautiful thing, and it really does show how much someone could go if they were in love. Overall I hope one day i get to visit this building as it is not only beautiful, but a real mystery as to how it was created due to the lack of technology at its time.

20+ Taj Mahal Travel & tourism statistics [fresh for 2024!]. RSS. (n.d.). https://www.dreambigtravelfarblog.com/blog/taj-mahal-travel-tourism-statistics

Centre, U. W. H. (n.d.). Taj Mahal. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252/

National Geographic. (2021, May 4). Taj Mahal UNESCO World Heritage Site. Travel. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/article/taj-mahal