The Taj Mahal is the UNESCO World Heritage Site in India that Shah Jahan built as a white marble mausoleum.
The monument stands in Agra, beside the Yamuna River. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as the tomb of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. Construction began soon afterward and the principal mausoleum was completed in 1648; other parts of the complex were finished later.
The Taj Mahal is noted for its symmetrical plan, white Makrana marble, inlay work, gardens, mosque, and guest house. Its appearance changes with the light, and the marble can look different at dawn, midday, and moonlight. The complex combines Persian, Islamic, Indian, and Central Asian architectural traditions.
The monument is often incorrectly described as a palace. Its central building is a mausoleum, and the cenotaphs visible inside are symbolic; the actual graves are in a lower chamber. UNESCO inscribed the Taj Mahal in 1983, and it is also protected under Indian law as a national monument.