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The Taj Mahal -  Arabic for "Crown of Palaces" is an ivory white marble Mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum.

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The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42 acre complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a defensive wall.

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Construction of the Mausoleum was completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion rupees (US$827 million). The construction project is thought to have employed over 22,000 builders, designers and artists under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

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The Taj Mahal incorporates design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement.

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The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "The Jewel of Muslim art in India" and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage. Described by the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, as "the tear-drop on the cheek of time", it is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India's rich history.

The tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.

Video: solecristos • Shutterstock.com/2095355

The Taj Mahal attracts 7 to 8 million visitors a year.

In 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.