Project

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. Thousands of workers labored for over 20 years on the building, embellishing it with outstanding decorations, including white marble screens and pietra dura inlay using semiprecious stones. (...)

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. Thousands of workers labored for over 20 years on the building, embellishing it with outstanding decorations, including white marble screens and pietra dura inlay using semiprecious stones. At over 200 feet tall, the structure is the tallest Mughal tomb ever built and has long been considered to be the single greatest work of Mughal architecture. It is the centerpiece of a sprawling complex of buildings, courtyards, gardens, and waterways on the edge of the river Yamuna in Agra. Most of this original landscape is intact.

The Taj has long been recognized for its outstanding beauty and architectural merit. It is now one of the national symbols of India and receives millions of visitors every year. The huge influx of tourists as well as pollution, however, imperils the physical fabric of the monument. Although new industrial development in Agra has been banned and only nonpolluting vehicles are allowed near the Taj, environmental pollution is still a major cause of degradation to the monument, damaging the mausoleum as well as the surrounding monuments.