The Taj Mahal is an amazing beautiful monument building in Agra, India.
We will be uncovering some uncommon and fascinating facts about the Taj Mahal that lots of people don’t know. Relax and get ready for surprises.
1. Taj Mahal joined the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.
2. Shah Jahan originally wanted the Taj Mahal to be black.
3. The brick-in-lime mortar was used in the construction of this amazing building.
4. The building was constructed with red sandstone, marble, and some precious stones.
5. The Taj Mahal is one of the 7 wonders of the world. It joined the 7 wonders in the year 2007.
6. It is said that the color of the Taj Mahal changes constantly during the day.
7. About 28 different types of jewels were used in the construction of this building.
8. Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are the only ones buried in the Taj Mahal.
9. Ustad Ahmad Lahori is the main architect of this monument.
10. The Taj Mahal is about 239.5 ft.
11. Iftikar M. Kadri was the architect to finish the construction of the building.
12. It is said that the Taj Mahal is slowly sinking into the Yamuna River.
13. The main architect of the Taj Mahal, Ustad Ahmad Lahori is not Indian but Persian.
14. The Taj Mahal is not illuminated at night to deter insect fouling.
15. Elephants numbering over 1000 were used in the construction of this building.
16. The Indians had the Taj Mahal hidden intelligently during wars.
17. The Taj Mahal gets more than 7 million tourists yearly.
18. The dome of the Taj Mahal alone weighs about 12,500 tons.
19. There are 22 locked rooms in the basement of the building.
20. The construction of the Taj Mahal took about 22 years to construct.
21. The locked rooms in the basement are said to house some idols of Hindu gods and also some scriptures.
22. The tomb has about 100 different names of Allah as calligraphic inscriptions.
23. Foreign tourists have to pay a fee of about $14 to enter the monument.
24. The Taj Mahal is always open every day except on Fridays to allow Muslims attend to their afternoon prayers.
25. The construction of this monument cost about 32 million rupees which is equivalent to about $391,254.
26. Over 20,000 laborers were employed to construct the Taj Mahal.
27. The dome of the Taj Mahal is sometimes referred to as the Onion Dome.
28. During the Indian rebellion of 1857, the British army ripped off some precious stones from the walls of the mausoleum.
29. It is a rule that all cars and buses must stop at least 500 meters from the Taj Mahal.
30. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was the first emperor to begin the construction of the Taj Mahal.
31. The crypt of the grave is not decorated as custom in the Islamic religion.
32. It is said that the Taj Mahal is on the banks of the Yamuna which is believed to help keep the building strong.
33. The originally intended location for the Taj Mahal was Burhanpur.
34. The pillars of the building were constructed to fall outwards to stop the building from collapsing and falling on the tomb.
35. The construction of the Taj Mahal started in 1632.
36. This monument is the most visited and famous landmark in India.
37. The Taj Mahal is about 390 years.
38. The garden has two lines forming a cross but does not join together, it leaves a square in the center making the garden have four channels.
39. There is an inscription over the main gate of the monument written thus, “O soul, you are at rest. Return to the Lord in peace with him, and he at peace with you”.
40. It is said that the Taj Mahal represents paradise as it is associated with the Last Judgement of the Islamic Religion. This is the reason why it is often referred to as the Plain of Assembly.
41. The Taj Mahal was built to commemorate the memory of their late favorite wife Mamtaz Mahal.
42. According to the Islamic Religion, the throne of God is carried by 8 angels. This is represented on the upper part of the Assembly Plain by an 8-pointed star closer to the octagon of the mausoleum.
43. The monument is occasionally given a spa day to be treated with Multani Mitti to stop the building color from fading.
44. The inscriptions on the gate were not written nor painted by hand but it was instead written with a technique of inlaid stone.
45. The calligraphy on the buildings comprises primarily quotations from the Holy Koran.
46. The four channels in the garden symbolize the four rivers of paradise as believed in the Islamic Religion; the rivers of honey, milk, wine, and water.
47. The central basin of the Assembly Plain represents the possibility for the deceased to get refreshed.
48. The calligraphy on the Taj Mahal was designed by Amanat Khan.
49. The construction of the Taj Mahal ended in 1648 A.D.
50. The inscriptions on the monument were signed thus “Written by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi”.
51. The construction of this building ended in 1653.