Fast Facts
Year of Construction: 1631
Completed In: 1653
Time Taken: 22 years
Built By: Shah Jahan
Dedicated to: Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan
Location: Agra, India
Building Type: Islamic tomb
Architecture: Mughal (Combination of Persian, Islamic and Indian architecture style)
Cost of Construction: 32 Rupees (In modern American money, it would cost $1,062,834,098)
Number of workers: 20,000
Highlights: One of the Seven Wonders of the World
The Origins of the Taj Mahal
When Shah Jahan took over the
throne, he fell in love with the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum and married
her. This was Shah's third wife. After they got married, Shah changed his
new wife's name to "Mumtaz Mahal" which means "Chosen One of the Palace" or
"Jewel of the Palace." From now on, she was known as Mumtaz Mahal. So, Shah
Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal lived happily. However, tragedy struck when Mumtaz
Mahal died while giving birth to their 14th child. Extremely saddened by
this, Shah Jahan ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal, in honor of his
wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built with white marble. Some
historians believe that Shah Jahan ordered the construction of a black Taj
Mahal for himself, which was supposedly going to be position across the
river Yamuna and connected to the White Taj Mahal with a bridge. This never
happened, however, and the reasons why remain a mystery.
Interesting Facts Of Taj Mahal