While Alex and I were visiting our friends at Incredible !ndia, we took the time to study a large picture of the Taj Mahal. I decided to look further into this magnificent mausoleum and share some random things I never knew about the Taj Mahal. As most know, the Taj Mahal was built under the direction of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was completed in 1648. When it was finished, however, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agra Fort, where he could see the Taj from his window and spent his last days there. How romantic. I wonder how his other wives felt about this. Incredible !ndia has this great advertisement. Over a large head-on photo of the Taj Mahal it reads: And these days men get away with giving flowers and chocolates to their wives. Yeah, come on, guys! Build me a mausoleum when I die. Apparently, there is a myth that Shah Jahan had plans to build a black mausoleum instead of the pure white Taj we see today. Imagine how different that would look? Aside from its astounding size and magnificent pure white marble, the symmetry of this monument is just so perfect. It really is peaceful to look at. The marble dome is huge; it is 35 meters tall, which is about the same size as the base of the building! How much would it cost to build such a monument? It has been estimated that the total cost of construction could have been 32 million Rupees. That translates to trillions of dollars in modern currency rates. There is a great description of the Taj on Incredible !ndia’s website titled “The Magnificant Taj”, covering everything from history to construction and design. It is pretty cool – be sure to check it out! -Courtney Centeno, account executive