Mechanical Engineering

The Taj Mahal: The Ultimate Mausoleum

The seventh wonder of the world.

In 1631, when Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the Islamic Emperor, Shah Jahan, died, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for her. It was built out of full marble and was under construction from 1632-1648 AD, a whopping 16 years. These days tourists can visit Agra to see the 7th wonder of the world. On the main building, it has one big dome and four smaller domes around it. Further outside, it has four marble towers that are almost as tall as the biggest dome. The amazing thing about the towers is that they are angled outside by one degree so that if it does fall, then it will not fall on the main building.

The translucent marble of the Taj Mahal has a unique property where it can take on a hue from the sky around it. The best times to see these are sunrise, early morning, sunset, and colored moons. At sunrise it has a pinkish hue, at sunset it has a orange hue, at early morning it has a blue hue, and at a colored moon it will take on that color.