India: Agra – Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal! One of the New Seven Wonders of the World (and the last remaining one that I haven’t seen yet). The all-white marble mausoleum was built in 1632-43 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, who after giving him 14 children during their 19 years of marriage died during the child birth of the last one. Shah Jahan’s own Tomb is also located here. The complex cost 32 million rupees in 1643, which in today’s money would equal a whopping $1.1 billion, with over 22,000 construction workers, and 1,000 elephants bringing white marble and other materials from all over India and Asia. This nearly devastated the empire back then and eventually made Shah Jahan’s son to remove his father from power and imprison him in the nearby Agra Fort. But sad love stories aside, Taj Mahal is spectacular, although seemingly smaller than one would expect! It incorporates elements of Mughal and Persian architecture (Shah’s wife was a Persian princess), with four soaring minaret towers and a central tomb – all made from sparkling white marble. It’s awe inspiring to approach Taj Mahal from the South Gate with the fountains and pools, and walking around the building and the riverfront. It is also insanely crowded and commercial – 8 million people visit Taj Mahal every year.
