Taj Mahal Site Features

The Taj Mahal is an early example, perhaps the first, of Mughal architecture and is a masterpiece combination of Turkish, Indian, Persian, and Islamic architectural styles.

Even the Taj Mahal's outer sections are incredible to look upon, including the gardens, a traditional char bagh, a formal garden of the Mughal period, divided into four parts. The four parts are divided by raised pathways, which further divide each quarter of the garden into 16 sunken flowerbeds. These are kept watered with a raised marble water tank, situated at the center of the gardens at the halfway point between the tomb itself and the gateway.

The tomb of Mumtaz Mahal

The central focus of the entire compound is, of course, the tomb itself. Topped with an amazing dome and a beautiful finial, this white marble structure stands on a square plinth. It is a large structure and has several chambers, including the monuments to Mumtaz and Shah Jahan, with the actual remains residing on the story below. Four minarets or towers stand at each corner of the plinth to frame the tomb.

The palace's landscaping and gardens

There is also the unforgettable reflecting pool on the North-South axis, designed to reflect the Taj Mahal. Throughout the rest of the garden are fountains and avenues of trees. The garden's original landscaping is said to have included vegetation such as fruit trees, daffodils, and roses all over the gardens. However, as the keeping of the grounds declined, the plant life began to die back. When the British took over the property management, they changed the formal gardens to resemble London's formal lawns' landscaping more closely.

Three sides of the Taj Mahal are bounded by red sandstone walls, with the side that faces the river being unwalled. Outside the walls are several other mausoleums, including those of his other wives and a tomb for Mumtaz's favorite servant. Within the gardens are several additional outbuildings, including the main gateway. This gateway is built of marble, primarily, and the gateway's archways mimic the tomb's archways.

To the east and west of the tomb, two red sandstone buildings of a grand nature open to the sides of the tomb and are precise mirror images of one another. These two buildings are a mosque and a mirror of the mosque, used primarily to balance the architecture and probably function as a guesthouse.

The Taj Mahal sits on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, in northern India -- a deliberate riverside orientation that leaves the complex unwalled on that one side, opening the view across the water instead of enclosing it entirely.

The formal char bagh garden in front of the tomb reflects a broader Mughal tradition of paradise gardens, divided into quarters by raised walkways and centered on a long reflecting pool -- a landscaped approach designed specifically to frame the building rather than simply surround it.

Agra itself served as a Mughal capital for extended periods across the empire's history, and the wider region holds several other major Mughal-era sites, including Agra Fort, within easy reach of the Taj Mahal.

Many myths surround the Taj Mahal, including the claim that a mirror-image "Black Taj" was planned across the river, supposedly supported by ruins of black marble found there -- in reality, that "black marble" is simply white marble that's discolored over time. Another persistent myth holds that Shah Jahan had the workmen and artisans who built the Taj Mahal killed or mutilated afterward to prevent them from ever building its equal. Neither claim has any real historical basis -- many of the world's most famous buildings attract similar stories.

A defining landmark

The Taj Mahal draws an estimated 2-3 million visitors a year, including roughly 200,000 from abroad, making it India's most-visited monument by a wide margin. It was named one of the New7Wonders of the World in a global 2007 vote -- recognition that reflects both its architectural reputation and its enduring pull as a symbol of Mughal India.