Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal, is the epitome of Mughal architecture, a blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. It was built by the Shah Jahan to  immortalize  his  wife  Mumtaz Mahal.  Mumtaz Mahal  died  in  childbirth  in  1631,  after  having been the emperor’s inseparable companion since their marriage in 1612. The plans  for the complex have  been  attributed  to various architects of  the period, though the chief architect was Ustad Ahmad Lahawri, an Indian of Persian descent. The complex - main gateway, garden, mosque and mausoleum (including its four minarets)were conceived and designed as a unified entity.  Building commenced in about 1632. More than 20,000 workers were employed from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire and Europe to complete the mausoleum by about 1638–39; the adjunct buildings were finished by 1643, and decoration work continued until at least 1647.