The white marble mausoleum at Agra built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, with construction of the tomb itself conventionally dated 1632 to about 1648 and the surrounding complex finished around 1653. Its perfect symmetry, bulbous dome, four minarets and garden setting have made it the most famous building of the Islamic world.
Facts
Building Type Completed YearCirca; the mausoleum itself was substantially complete by about 1648, the full complex by about 1653. Height (m)Sourced to the subject's own account Classification
Standing StatusSourced to the subject's own account Building Type
Building Type (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Connections
Associated With
Has Building Type
Entity-backed identity for the building-type enum value this building already carries, resolved to an architecture concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The building-type fact itself stays on the building unchanged.
In Style
Specifically Mughal architecture, the Indo-Islamic synthesis of Persian and Indian building.
Source UNESCO World Heritage Centre Official Site
Shah Jahans white marble mausoleum, the single most famous work of Mughal architecture.
Uses Element
Source Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of ArchitectureBanister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition)
Source Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of ArchitectureBanister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition)
Faced in white Makrana marble, the material most associated with the mausoleum worldwide.
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: India, located there.
Sources
1. Taj Mahal (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationEntity description and the lead of the Wikipedia articleQuote, Entity description and the lead of the Wikipedia article
The Taj Mahal ( TAHJ mə-HAHL, TAHZH -; Hindustani: [t̪ɑːd͡ʒ ˈmɛɦ(ɛ)l]; lit. 'Crown of the Palace') is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658), to house the tomb of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.
Construction of the mausoleum was
2. Taj Mahal (Wikidata)
Wikimedia FoundationWikidata height (P2048) statement: 73.0Quote, Wikidata height (P2048) statement: 73.0
Wikidata item Q9141, property P2048 (height): 73.0 m (converted to metres, preferred/normal rank, non-deprecated)
3. UNESCO World Heritage Centre Official Site
UNESCO World Heritage Centrewhc.unesco.org/en/list/252, brief synthesis section
An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.
- In Style: Islamic Architecture
View the Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.britannica.com/topic/Taj-Mahal, lead definitionQuote, britannica.com/topic/Taj-Mahal, lead definition
Taj Mahal, white marble mausoleum complex in Agra, western Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-58) to immortalize his empress consort Mumtaz Mahal ("Beloved Ornament of the Palace"), who died in childbirth in 1631, having been the emperor's inseparable companion since their marriage in 1612.
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture
Banister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition), Architectural Press, 1996- Uses Element: Dome
- Uses Element: Arch
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