Encyclopedia entry

Encyclopedia entry

Read an encyclopedia entry on the Taj Mahal to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Encyclopedia entry

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal (pronounced /ˌtɑːdʒ mə'hɑːl/) is a famous mausoleum next to the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. A mausoleum is a building where people bury the dead. The name Taj Mahal means 'the crown of palaces'.

1. 

The most famous part of the Taj Mahal is the large white dome in the centre. It is 35 metres high and is surrounded by four smaller domes. The rooms inside the building are decorated with beautiful archways and precious stones in the walls. The buildings are surrounded by gardens with pathways, pools, fountains and green gardens.

2.

The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and finished in 1653. It was built with materials from all over India and Asia, but the main material is white marble. Historians believe that the materials were transported by over 1,000 elephants for the construction.

3.

The emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a burial place for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. According to legend, he wanted to build another Taj Mahal in black on the other side of the river, but this never happened. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, many parts of the Taj Mahal were damaged by British soldiers, who took some of the precious stones from its walls. Over the years, the Taj Mahal has suffered from environmental damage, and there have been many government attempts to conserve its beauty.

4.

The Taj Mahal is one of India's most famous landmarks. There are millions of visitors to the mausoleum every year. The Taj Mahal is almost always included in lists of famous buildings to visit and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

5.

Discussion

Download
Worksheet139.54 KB

Language level

Average: 4.1 (58 votes)

Submitted by Thet Hmue San on Sun, 04/12/2022 - 08:55

Permalink

I have never visited any famous places. I wish I could visit one day.

Submitted by janeo.o on Wed, 30/11/2022 - 02:14

Permalink

I've never visited any famous place in the world:(
I hope I'll go to Paris to visit the Eiffel tower or Agra to visit the Taj Mahal one day.

Submitted by Eman Samir on Fri, 25/11/2022 - 17:11

Permalink

The famous places I have seen are The Pyramids, The Sphinx, Qaitbay Citadel, and The Cairo Tower.

Submitted by farhadwahaj on Tue, 06/09/2022 - 05:39

Permalink

In Afghanistan, there is plenty of historical places, unfortunately, so far, I have seen some of them. The one I have seen is Babar Garden in Kabul City. this garden was built in the time of the king of Babar the Mughal Emperor, its boundary walls have been constructed traditionally from mud means from clay and strew.
Inside the garden, the pathway is decorated with stone marble. All the gardens are built in slope places with professional architecture. At the top, there is a historic stone where you can see the story of the garden and a man is standing with the stone who telling you more about the Babar Garden.
It is an amazing place, from where the entire Kabul can see easily.

Submitted by ivanricardo07 on Wed, 17/08/2022 - 02:06

Permalink

One of the world´s most famous places that I had had the opportunity to visit is Machu Picchu, located more than 3000 meters over sea level, close to the Peruvian village called Aguascalientes.

Submitted by Nandar Su Hlaing on Wed, 10/08/2022 - 15:43

Permalink

I have seen some famous place in my country. Bagan is one of the famous place in my country, there has many ancient pagoda that was built by villagers who lived there. This is also world heritage place. And Shwe Dagon is the famous Pagoda in Asia. Many foreigner who come to Myanmar, They always go to there to pay homage to Shwe Dagon. It was located in Yangon, in the lower part of Myanmar where I live. There has many beautiful and wonderful places in Myanmar, there are not famous though. Many beautiful beaches, Landscapes and gardens are very nice to visit there. And you can enjoy many weather, in upper part of Myanmar , You can see the snow. and visit junction of river(Myit Sone). That place is very famous and trade mark of upper Myanmar. You can enjoy many delicious food and local people are generous. There have many famous place in the middle part and many beaches in lower part.

Submitted by Milagros Gardiol on Sun, 31/07/2022 - 19:55

Permalink

You should visit all the big libraries in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Most of them were theatres in the past, it's magic being there looking for a good book.

Submitted by sonercakal on Sat, 18/06/2022 - 07:25

Permalink

You should visit Blue Mosque in Istanbul. There many historic places in this area. Besides,There many delicious food in Türkiye.

Submitted by jyoti Chaudhary on Sun, 29/05/2022 - 13:03

Permalink

What famous places have you seen?
I saw the red fort when I was 15years old on my school trip, I enjoy it a lot and it is a very famous place in Delhi. many people visit and spend in the red fort.

Submitted by Thamarai on Tue, 17/05/2022 - 15:10

Permalink

Simply majestic. Everyone knows how good it is. It is one of the wonders of the world and it is lovely place to visit.