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Top 15 Facts About the Taj Mahal

Originally published by Pamela on April 2020 and updated by Charity on July 2022

Taj Mahal is indeed a beautiful place. When you visit, make sure you take a picture of yourself with the mausoleum as the background, who knows, the love that the emperor had for his wife to dedicate this kind of resource for her remembrance after death might rub off on you.

One of the most significant Mughal Empire architectural marvels, it still stands in all its beauty and finesses in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The Taj Mahal is a white marble built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. In Arabic, the Taj Mahal is known as the “crown of palaces”.

It is said to be the jewel of Islamic art in a nation that is predominantly Hindu. As if to showcase the expanse of the Mughal Empire, it combines architectures from all the corners of the Empire including Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and Indian architectural styles. Let鈥檚 explore the top 10 facts about the Taj Mahal.

1. It was built to honor the favorite wife of Shah Jahan

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Like many of his predecessors, Shah Jahan married several wives throughout his adult life.

Though Shah Jahan spread his heart around, none of these ladies found quite the same favor as his third wife (but first love), Arjumand Banu Begum, more famously known as Mumtaz Mahal.

Their union lasted 19 years and led to the birth of 14 children. Complications during the birth of the final child led to Mahal鈥檚 untimely passing at the age of 39. Shah Jahan was so stricken by the loss of his longtime companion that he decided to memorialize Mahal with a spectacular tomb.

Construction on the Mahal and its surroundings began in 1632, one year after her death, and continued for just over two decades.

2. Islamic calligraphy inscriptions all over

The Calligraphic inscriptions in Arabic are texts from the Quran, and they are beautifully inscribed in various places.

The most prominent inscription might be the one on the great gate which says 鈥淥 soul, you are at rest. Return to the Lord in peace with him, and he at peace with you.鈥�

The Calligrapher also left a very humble signature that can be translated as 鈥淲ritten by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi鈥�.

3. Among the Seven Wonders of the World

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In 2007, people from all over the world voted the Taj Mahal as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It was an initiative that was started because all of the listed wonders of the world, except the Cheops Pyramid, had been destroyed.

4. Islamic, Persian, and Indian  Style  Architecture

If I have to choose one building in the world with the most impressive architecture and details, it would undoubtedly be the Taj Mahal. In pictures, it looks grand and beautiful, but it鈥檚 way beyond that when seeing it in real life.

You will immediately start to question how can humans build such a beautiful place, and why don鈥檛 build places like this anymore. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and there are no words that can describe the true beauty of the Taj Mahal.

5. Construction demanded a tremendous amount of manpower

Architect Lahauri led a team of 20,000 artisans in the development of the Taj Mahal. Not only men were present at work but animals too.

About a thousand elephants handled the transport of heavy building materials during the two-decade construction project.

6. The Taj Mahal鈥檚 calligrapher signed his work with a self-deprecating title

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Countless beautifully printed lines of Muslim scripture line the walls of the Taj Mahal, each of which was transcribed from the Quran under the supervision of head calligrapher Abd-al Haqq, known professionally as Amanat Khan Shirazi.

Abd-al Haqq also received attribution for his calligraphy, an exceptionally rare opportunity for the era. Ever the humble gentleman, Abd-al Haqq inlaid his John Hancock with the humble, 鈥淲ritten by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi鈥� at the base of the interior dome.

7. The gravesite is the only part that is not perfectly symmetrical

The Taj Mahal is an obsessive鈥檚 dream, with meticulous symmetry across its long and wide diameters. The sole exception to this otherwise uniform aesthetic scheme lies, again, in the gravesite.

Mumtaz Mahal鈥檚 casket is located in the exact center of the palace crypt, but it is Shah Jahan鈥檚 grave鈥攊ntroduced to the mausoleum following his death in 1666鈥攖hat rocks its artistic equilibrium with a west-of-center resting place.

8. The Taj Mahal 鈥渉ides鈥� during times of war

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The Taj Mahal鈥檚 status as an Indian icon has made it a vulnerable target in times of international hostility.

During World War II and the collected wars waged between India and Pakistan throughout the 20th century, the Indian government and people have gone to great lengths to protect their valued landmark from attack.

To this end, architects added extensive scaffolding that concealed the structure from airborne bombers. When the ruse was working, instead of seeing one of the wonders of the world, pilots would see what looked like a pile of bamboo.

9. Designed as Hind Out                                    

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The placement of the Taj Mahal鈥檚 four minarets鈥攖he 130-foot-tall spires at the edge of the platform鈥攚as not an aesthetic choice but a strategic one.

In the 17th century, it was hardly uncommon for massive architectural ventures to fall victim to their weight.

To protect the crypt of Mumtaz Mahal, chief architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri tilted the towers slightly so that they would fall away from the rest of the Taj Mahal, preventing the grave from incurring any damages.

10. Cars and buses Parked 500 meters away 

India has a major problem with air pollution due to heavy traffic, so to protect the Taj Mahal from the harmful effects of pollution, there can be no cars and buses closer than 500 meters away from the entrance. Don’t fret, it鈥檚 an easy walk from the drop-off.

11. Located in Agra City

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Agra’s notable historical period began during Sikandar Lodi’s reign, but the golden age of the city began with the Mughals.

Agra was the foremost city of the Indian subcontinent and the capital of the Mughal Empire under Mughal emperors Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan.

Under the Mughal rule, Agra became a center for learning, arts, commerce, and religion, and saw the construction of the Agra Fort, Sikandra, and Agra’s most prized monument, the Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite empress.

The Taj Mahal otherwise known as the Crown of the Palace is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right side of the bank of River Yamuna. It is in the Indian city of Agra.

It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628 – 1658). It is one a 17 hectare or 42-acre land which is a complex comprising of a mosque and a magnificent guest house. The mausoleum is well secured by a three sides crenelated wall.

12. Completed in 1643

The major construction of the mausoleum was ideally completed in 1643. Nevertheless, other phases continued to be constructed. The whole project took another ten years. 

13.  Total Cost of the Mausoleum

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As per the completion of the project in 1653, the estimated cost was 鈧�32 million which is estimated to be US$1 billion in the year 2020.

The most important point to note is that it empowered many people who are involved in the construction including the architects, masons, and even the laborer.

In total, there were 20,000 artisans who were guided by a board of architects. However, the court architect to the emperor was known as Ustad Ahmad Lahauri was the head of the team.

14. Current Symbolism

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Various types of symbolism have been employed in the Taj to reflect natural beauty and divinity. For instance, in 1983, The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The win came as a result of it being the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the Universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

The mausoleum is considered the best example of Mughal architecture in the history of India as the giving the country a world-class attraction for tourists. In actual fact, they get a turnover of 6 million tourists every year.

Taj Mahal was named the winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World between 2000 to 2007.

15. The Beautiful Garden

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The mausoleum is set around a large 300-meter (980 ft) square charbagh or Mughal garden. The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds.

Halfway between the tomb and gateway in the center of the garden is a raised marble water tank with a reflecting pool positioned on a north-south axis to reflect the image of the mausoleum.

Interestingly, the elevated marble water tank is called al Hawd al-Kawthar in reference to the “Tank of Abundance” promised to Muhammad.

In addition, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees labeled according to common and scientific names and fountains. The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to India by Babur, the first Mughal emperor.

It symbolizes the four flowing rivers of Jannah (Paradise) and reflects the Paradise garden derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning ‘walled garden.’

In mystic Islamic texts of the Mughal period, Paradise is described as an ideal garden of abundance with four rivers flowing from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into north, west, south, and east.

Most Mughal charbaghs are rectangular with a tomb or pavilion in the center. The Taj Mahal garden is unusual in that the main element, the tomb, is located at the end of the garden.

It is surprising that the discovery of Mahtab Bagh or “Moonlight Garden” on the other side of the Yamuna, the interpretation of the Archaeological Survey of India is that the Yamuna river itself was incorporated into the garden’s design and was meant to be seen as one of the rivers of Paradise.

Similarities in layout and architectural features with the Shalimar Gardens suggest both gardens may have been designed by the same architect, Ali Mardan. 

Early accounts of the garden describe its profusion of vegetation, including abundant roses, daffodils, and fruit trees. As the Mughal Empire declined, the Taj Mahal and its gardens also declined.

By the end of the 19th century, the British Empire controlled more than three-fifths of India and assumed management of the Taj Mahal. They changed the landscaping to their liking which more closely resembled the formal lawns of London