inside of Taj Mahal, picture courtesy of Webshots.com

The Taj Mahal consists of the main building, a guest house, and several other buildings. The tomb is a large, high, octagonal chamber in the middle of the main building, which is a square mausoleum. In the center of the tomb are the replicas of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The replica of Mumtaz Mahal's grave is decorated with thirty-five different types of precious stones and the ninety-nine names of Allah. The replica of Shah Jahan's grave has a pen box with the mark of male ruler.Directly below the replicas are the actual coffins in the crypt.

Inside the main building are four smaller halls that were designed for putting the graves of other members of the royal family. The main building in the Taj Mahal is 2000 feet long, 1000 feet wide, and 200 feet tall. The main entrance to the tomb is on the south side of the main building. The main building is entirely made of marble. The Taj Mahal was designed by the Turkish architect, Ustaf Isa. The Taj Mahal cost a total of thirty-two million rupees to build. It took twenty-two years, from 1630 to 1650. Shah Jahan started building it the year after his wife, Mumtaz Mahal died.