Taj Mahal

In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal Empire during the greatest prosperity, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during the birth of their fourteenth child, Gauhara Begum.  The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 . The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's woes reflect the love story has always been a source of inspiration for the Taj Mahal.  The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these words.

                      Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian architecture and earlier Mughal architecture. specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including the Gur-e Amir (Timur serious, the forerunner of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), [15] Humayun's Tomb, Tomb Itmad-ud-Daulah (sometimes called Baby Taj) and Jama Masjid, Shah Jahan's own in Delhi. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily built in red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semiprecious stones and buildings under his patronage reached new heights of sophistication. [16]