Every year, the Taj Mahal attracts 8 million visitors. It’s one of South Asia’s most impressive architectural marvels and is recognized worldwide as one of the world’s finest buildings.
The story behind the Taj Mahal is as beautiful as it is touching. In 1607, the grandson of Akbar the Great met the woman who would become the love of his life. It was love at first sight but he was forbidden from marrying her. He took three wives before he was finally allowed to marry his beloved Mumtaz Muhal.
Together, the prince and Mumtaz had fourteen children. The public adored the prince’s beloved and she gained a reputation for being beautiful and compassionate.
Tragically, the fourteenth child took Mumtaz’s life. The prince was filled with grief and poured his emotion into building a mausoleum that would be so grand, it would put all other mausoleums to shame. It was to be the first grand mausoleum dedicated to a woman and would be so extravagant, it would pay tribute to his lost love.
The prince was passionate about architecture himself and actively contributed to the building’s design. He planned for the Taj Mahal to represent heaven and poured all his resources into it. The Taj Mahal required 20,000 workers to build it as quickly as possible.
Today, the Taj Mahal stands just as grand and just as remarkable as the prince had dreamed. In 1983, UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site.
