The Taj Mahal is an Ivory white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the city of Agra, India.

Commissioned in 1632, completed in 1653, the construction project employed some 20,000 artisans.

It was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child. The imperial court documenting Shah Jahan's grief after the death of Mumtaz Mahal illustrates the love story as being the inspiration for the Taj Mahal which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.