Taj Mahal in India

The Taj Mahal was described by Rabindranath Tagore as "a teardrop on the cheek of time", by British writer Rudyard Kipling as "the embodiment of all things pure", and by its creator, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as "making the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes". Every year, tourists come from across the world to Agra to catch a glimpse and listen to the stories of what is considered as the most beautiful building in the world. The Taj Mahal was built during the reign of Shah Jahan to commemorate his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The death of Shah Jahan's beloved wife made him so heartbroken that his hair was said to turn snow white overnight. The construction of the whole complex of the Taj Mahal lasted for 22 years, with the work of some 20,000 laborers and artists from India, Persia and Central Asia. An immense mausoleum of white marble, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces. It was enlisted as the World Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1983.