The Taj Mahal, which means crown palace, was built in Agra, which was the capital of India. It was started by Shan Jahan, who was the TH Muymal emperor. He built the Taj Mahal in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. She died in child birth, giving birth to their 14th child. When she was dying, she told the grieving emperor to make four promises to her: First to build the Taj Mahal, Marry again, be nice to their children, and visit her tomb every year on the day she had died.

Building this Taj Mahal was a huge task. It was started in 1631, and 20,000 people, from all over came and worked on it for twenty-two years. 1,000 elephants were used to bring material in from India and Central Asia. It was designed by Ustaf Isa, an Iranian Architect. One of his plans was to have the Taj reflect perfectly in the water.

The Taj Mahal was a symbol of eternal love. The rectangle base was a symbol for different sides you can view of a woman, and the main gate is like a veil to her face. Precious stones that are inlaid in the white marble of the dome sparkle in the moonlight. The Taj is pinkish in the morning, white in the evening, and golden in the moonlight, which symbolize the different moods a women has. This quote was written by Sir Edwin Arnold: "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor's love wrought in living stones."