Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is one of the most famous buildings on the entire planet. It was built about 370 years ago by a Mughal emperor named Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The whole building is made of shiny white marble. When you stand close, you can see that the walls are decorated with tiny pieces of colored stones — rubies, jade, and turquoise — arranged into beautiful flower patterns and Qur'an verses in elegant Arabic calligraphy.

It took 20,000 workers and 1,000 elephants more than 20 years to build the Taj Mahal! In the front, there is a long mirror-like pool and a green garden divided into four parts, like the description of Paradise in the Qur'an.

Many people don't know that the Taj Mahal is also a working mosque! On the left side of the main building is a red sandstone mosque, and Muslims still pray there. The white marble changes color through the day — pink at sunrise, dazzling white at noon, and gold at sunset.