One of the 7 wonders of the world - the Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal (Hindi ताज महल) - mosque-mausoleum located in Agra, India, on the bank. Yamuna (architects, probably Ustad Isa and others). Built on the orders of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth (which later was buried himself Shah Jahan).

Inside the mausoleum are two tombs - Shah and his wife. In fact, the place of their burial is in the same place and the tomb, but under the ground. Construction period is approximately 1630-1652 gg. Taj Mahal is a pyatikupolnoe building height of 74 m. The platform, with 4 minarets at the corners (they are slightly tilted away from the tomb so that in case of loss will not hurt her), to which adjoins a garden with fountains and swimming pool. The walls of polished marble, translucent (brought by the construction of 300 km.) Encrusted with gems. We used turquoise, agate, malachite, carnelian, etc. Marble has a feature that in bright daylight, it looks white in the early days, it looks pink, and silver in the moonlight. On the construction of the complex were invited more than 20 000 artists from all over the empire, as well as the masters of Central Asia, Persia and the Middle East. On the other side of the river was placed a twin building of black marble, but it has not been completed. Connect these two buildings was a bridge of gray marble.

The mausoleum has many characters, hidden in its architecture and planning. For example, at the gate through which visitors enter the Taj Mahal in the park complex surrounding the mausoleum, carved a quotation from the Koran, addressed to the righteous and ending with the words "Come to my paradise." Given that the language of the Moguls of the time the word "paradise" and "Garden" written the same way, we can understand the idea of Shah-Jahan - construction of paradise and the room within its confines of his beloved.