Taj Mahal

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.

Taj Mahal FlooringPlanning a visit to the Taj Mahal? If you don't know already, there may be a few questions running through your mind like who built the Taj, why was it built, when's the best time to visit, the timings, the fee and a whole lot of stuff that you'd want to know before you pay a visit to the Taj. Don't worry at all, as this section on "Taj Mahal facts" will provide you with a few fast facts to up your knowledge along with the basic queries that you want to be answered as soon as possible. Read on to get some quick information about Taj Mahal and Agra. And once read, don't waste time. Just pack your bags, book your tickets and pay a visit to the world's most spectacular monument that epitomizes love at par. 

Fast Facts

Year of Construction: 1631

Completed In: 1653

Time Taken: 22 years

Built By: Shah Jahan

Dedicated to: Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Bano Begum), the wife of Shah Jahan

Location: Agra (Uttar Pradesh), India

Building Type: Islamic tomb

Architecture: Mughal (Combination of Persian, Islamic and Indian architecture style)

Architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahauri

Cost of Construction: 32 crore rupees

Number of workers: 20,000

Highlights: One of the Seven Wonders of the World; A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Timings: Sunrise to Sunset (Friday closed)

Fee: Rs 750 (Foreign Tourists)

Rs 510 (Citizens of SAARC & BIMSTEC Countries)

Rs 20 (Domestic Indian Tourists)

No Entry Fee for children below 15 years of age (Domestic or Foreigner)

Interesting Facts Of Taj Mahal

Before his accession to the throne, Shah Jahan was popularly known as Prince Khurram.

Shah Jahan fell in love with the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum and married her, making her his third wife.

Arjumand Bano Begum was christened by Shah Jahan as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the “Chosen One Of The Palace” or “Jewel of the Palace”.

Shah Jahan lost Mumtaz Mahal, when she died giving birth to their 14h child.

For the transportation of the construction materials, more than 1,000 elephants were employed.

As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to adorn the Taj with exquisite inlay work.

Depending on what time of the day it is and whether or not there’s moon at night, Taj Mahal appears to be of different color every time. Some even believe that this changing pattern of colors depict different moods of a woman.

Passages from Quran have been used as decorative elements throughout the complex.

On the sides of the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, 99 names of Allah can be found as calligraphic inscriptions.

Taj Mahal was built in stages, with the plinth and the tomb taking up roughly 15 years. Building of minarets, mosque, jawab, and gateway took additional 5 years to be completed.

Different types of marbles used in construction of Taj Mahal were brought over from many different regions & countries: Rajasthan, Punjab, China, Tibet, Afghanistan, Srilanka, & Arabia.

Many precious stones and Lapis Lazuli (a semi-precious stone) were ripped off from its walls by the Britishers during the Indian rebellion of 1857.

Taj Mahal attracts 2-4 million visitors annually with over 200,000 from overseas

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Taj Mahal

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population and the largest city proper by population in the world.It is one of the four direct-controlled municipalities of the People's Republic of China, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2013. Shangha is also its most cosmopolitan, offering visitors a chance to experience the past, present, and future all at once. The Huangpu River splits Shanghai into two districts: Pudong and Puxi. The Pudong skyline looks like it was ripped from the Jetsons, with the bulbous Oriental Pearl TV and Radio Tower looking a bit like a two headed lollipop. On the Puxi side, you can walk the Bund riverside district to get a taste of old Shanghai.

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Shanghai

The Son Doong Cave in Vietnam

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A giant cave column swagged in flowstone towers over explorers swimming through the depths of Hang Ken, one of 20 new caves discovered last year in Vietnam.

The Son Doong Cave in Vietnam is the biggest cave in the world. It's over 5.5 miles long, has a jungle and river, and could fit a 40-story skyscraper within its walls.

But nobody knew any of that until five years ago.

The newly discovered cave has been touted as the largest in the world, although other caves vie for the title of longest (Mammoth Cave in Brownsville, Kentucky nabs that title with about 400 miles of passageways) and deepest (Krubera Cave in the nation of Georgia).

A local man discovered the cave entrance in 1991, but British cavers were the first to explore it in 2009. Tour company Oxalis has been running trial tours of the cave since last summer. According to their website, there is currently "no availability" left for 2014 tours, but the schedule for 2015 will be posted "later this year."

The lucky few who have entered Son Doong so far, like photographer John Spies, have emerged with some amazing photos.

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The Son Doong Cave in Vietnam

White Cliffs of Dover

White Cliffs of Dover

The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to 350 feet (110 m)The White Cliffs of Dover are one of the wonders of the natural world. They are bright white cliffs, rising high above the English Channel. People have looked at them for at least 1,000 years. Before airplanes, when people traveled by boat, they were the last thing travelers saw when they left England and the first thing they saw when they came back. The White Cliffs of Dover are very special to the English people.

Because the White Cliffs of Dover face continental Europe at the narrowest part of the English Channel, they have seen many invasion attempts throughout England's long and storied history. You can see France from the cliffs on a clear day.

 Julius Caesar landed off Dover in 55 B.C. He was met by armed forces, so he got back onto his ship and traveled to a different shore instead.

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White Cliffs of Dover

Road to Höfn

Höfn  (pronounced something like "herpn", also known as Höfn í Hornafirði, is a town in East Iceland, right on the south-eastern corner of the country. Höfn is located on a peninsula in the south-east of Iceland. The name Höfn means harbour and it is a fishing port surrounded on three sides by the sea, with beaches on the long shoreline on the south-east.

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Road to Höfn

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world. The longest wall in the world, it is an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over rugged country and steep mountains takes in some great scenery. 

 The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC; these, later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty.

Choose a Section: The Great Wall is made up of many sections, stretching across eight provinces of North China. See "Great Wall Sections" to compare the Great Wall at various locations and make your choice of where you would like to visit.

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The Great Wall of China

Innsbruck

Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal, which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck

Innsbruck – that is city AND mountains.

And that’s what we want to show if you have just one day to discover the city. If you walk from Maria Theresien Street into the Old Town, then it’s all spread out before you – the beautiful Medieval buildings of the Old Town, the famous Golden Roof glinting in the sunlight and, towering above it, the 2,000 metre-high peaks of the Nordkette mountain range.

Take a pleasant stroll through the arched passageways of the Old Town that offer wonderful protection on a rainy day and a wealth of little shops offering everything from culinary keepsakes, to fashion both traditional and trendy, to intricate handicrafts. Feel like a spot of exercise? Then, weather permitting, climb the steps of the city tower – the view is quite spectacular. The Golden Roof is just a few steps further away, and you can visit the magnificent „Helblinghaus“ which, with its Rococo facade, forms a striking contrast to the Medieval buildings. You should still have plenty time for a visit to the cathedral and, if you leave the Old Town in an easterly direction, you’ll find yourself in front of the magnificent „Hofburg“ imperial palace. There won’t be enough time for a tour but what you shouldn’t miss is a look at the „Hofkirche“ (imperial church) right next to it where you can see the empty tomb of Emperor Maximilian I and the over-dimensional bronze figures known as the „Schwarze Mander“ (black men).

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Innsbruck