Encyclopedia entry

Encyclopedia entry

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

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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

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Submitted by Dinara on Sat, 09/01/2021 - 18:35

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I have seen a lot of famous places in Europe. First of all, it is landmarks in Saint-Petersburg, Russia: St. Isaac Cathedral, Church of the Spilled Blood, and others. The second one is the Kremlin and Red Square in Moskow. Also, I have visited the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre museum in Paris, Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Manneken Pis in Brussels. But I dream to travel to American and Asian country in future when it will be possible.

Submitted by Elham Barakat on Tue, 05/01/2021 - 16:19

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I have visited the pyramids and Alexandria Library. The pyramids were built by the Egyptian Pharaohs many thousands of years ago. It's made up of many large stones. They took many several years to finish them. They built them to bury the great kings of Egypt. It also holds many treasures. Alexandria Library is a lovely, interesting and amazing place, it includes all books and in different fields. It is also located near the Sea. Its view and quietness, give you the best feeling. It's marvellous.

Submitted by Thinthinmyoe on Fri, 25/12/2020 - 10:01

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I have seen little famous places.These are the scenes of Bagan,the greatest pyramids in Egyptand the view of Sentosa from Sagapore.

Submitted by Ehsan on Tue, 01/12/2020 - 09:01

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I've seen some really awesome places. Some of these are the mausoleum of Imam Reza, Babak castle, Falakolaflak castle, and others.

Submitted by Danbraga on Mon, 16/11/2020 - 22:59

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One of the famous places I've visited is Iguaçu Falls, it's located on the border of Brazil and Argentina, it's one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world, and near there I could see the giant Itaipu power plant, the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, belonging to Brazil and Paraguay, it's awesome !!!.
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Submitted by javibuendi on Thu, 12/11/2020 - 17:31

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Dear LearnEnglish Team. I think in the task 2, the response of the first item should be False instead of The text doesn´t say. In the text they are saying that they were about to build a black mausoleum, which means that no-white mausoleums construction is allowed. Thanks for your work!

Hello javi,

I think you have a good point. I'll make a note for us to make the question more clear.

Thanks for taking the time to point this out to us!

Best wishes,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Mr.hanymabrok on Thu, 12/11/2020 - 05:16

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It is very interesting story for me, also a got many new words. thank very much for all B.C.C staff

Submitted by Fardhan on Thu, 29/10/2020 - 04:14

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The famous place I have visited is Borobudur Temple, the place with the most Buddhist reliefs in the world, has many Buddhist statues and consists of six squareterraces on which there are three circular courtyards, a Buddhist temple located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. It is a cultural heritage of Indonesia and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Submitted by konatenasty on Wed, 28/10/2020 - 12:23

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I have seen three famous places.The pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Haile selassie museum in Addis-Abeba in Éthiopie and Nelson Mandela's house in South Africa.