One of the most wonderful creations of human hands, a place that attracts every year millions of people from around the world - the majestic and beautiful the Taj Mahal is considered as a true symbol of India.

The Taj Mahal is a stunning white building, which was built as a tomb for the third and favorite wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan Mumtaz Mahal, on the banks of river Yamuna in Agra. Despite the numerous harem, the Emperor most loved it Mumtaz Mahal. She bore him thirteen children, and died in 1631, at the birth of the fourteenth. The ruler was greatly grieved after the death of his beloved wife, therefore, ordered to collect the most skilled artists of the time to create a mausoleum that would become the symbol of his boundless love for Mumtaz. Construction was started in 1632 and continued for over 20 years: the main complex was completed by 1648, and secondary buildings and garden were finished five years later. A kind of "prototypes" of this great tomb became Guri-Emir mausoleum – the mausoleum of Tamerlane, the founder of the dynasty of the Mughal rulers located in Samarkand, the JAMA Masjid mosque in Delhi and Humayun's tomb – one of the Mughal rulers.

The Taj Mahal is made in the traditional Persian style and is a complex of luxurious and magnificent structures, built of white marble. The main place is the mausoleum, located in the centre of the field. It has the shape of a cube with a "cut" corners and crowned by a huge dome. The structure stands on a square plinth, on the four corners of which are high minarets. The mausoleum there is a large number of rooms and halls, decorated with amazing mosaics, painted with intricate patterns and ornate ornaments. In one of these rooms, and is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. And next to the coffin and the Shah Jahan, who wished to be buried next to his beloved. Initially the Governor was going to build an exact replica of the tomb on the opposite Bank of the Yamuna for himself, only of black marble, but he failed to bring his idea to life, so he wanted to be buried in the Taj Mahal next to his wife. But it's worth noting that both the tomb empty, and the present burial site is located in an underground crypt.

Originally the mausoleum was decorated with a huge number of precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, and his main door was made of pure silver. But, unfortunately, before our time all these treasures almost didn't survive, "settling" in the pockets are not very honest "tourists".

On three sides of the Taj Mahal is surrounded by a beautiful Park, gates which also represent an architectural masterpiece. Through the Park to the main entrance are roads running along the wide channel. And on both sides of the mausoleum are two mosques.

In Persian language "Taj Mahal means "crown of palaces". And he is truly "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the world's most recognized masterpieces of world heritage".

The Taj Mahal was listed as a world Heritage site by UNESCO in 1983.

It is also worth noting that officially, tourists are allowed to photograph the Taj Mahal on one side only – opposite the main entrance.