Description
"Built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum (or Mumtaz Mahal aEElect of the Palaceaa), who died shortly after giving birth to her fourteenth child in 1631, work on the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and was completed in 1653. Square in shape with arches in its sides, the Taj Mahal is built of fine white marble and sits on a square platform marked at each corner with a tall minaret. Topped by a huge dome, the Taj Mahal is 55 metres high. Overlooking the Yamuna River, and visible from the fort in the west, the Taj Mahal stands at the northern end of gardens enclosed by walls. Although its layout follows a distinctly Islamic theme, representing Paradise, it is above all a monument to love."