Taj Mahal

Some fast facts for you:

• The Taj Mahal was built by one of the Moghul (Islamic) rulers of India, Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Muhal and was completed in 1653.
• It took 22 years to complete and required 20,000+ workers.
• The entire structure is made of white marble and inlaid with precious stones, such as agate and jasper. It is also decorated with a flowery scrolling pattern and portions of the Qur'an. 
• It is believed that to transport the construction materials, more than 1000 elephants were used.

We had heard that the best time to view the Taj Mahal is either at sunrise or sunset. Since we were hoping to get back to Delhi on the train that night, we opted for sunrise. At 5:15, we met our tuk-tuk (or auto rickshaw) driver. As the sun comes up, you can see the marble change colors and at different times of the day, it appears to change colors. Some believe that this is to represent the many different moods of women.

Just before sunrise

At the sun comes up, it seems to make the white marble glow and look more like a blush color. I enjoy this picture that Andy captured of the birds taking flight.

Around the doorway, you can see the Arabic containing a portion of the Qur'an.

The mosaic inlay of various precious stones is incredibly beautiful.

As we were buying our tickets, we were told that we were given a free bottle of water and sugar water. Huh? Sugar water? But that is what Andy heard them say as well. Come to find out, we were given SHOE COVERS. How on earth did we both hear "sugar water"?

Taken from the side.