The
Taj Mahal, meaning "Crown of the Palace", is an ivory-white marble
mausoleum on the south bank of the
Yamuna river in the Indian city of
Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the
Mughal emperor,
Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favorite wife,
Mumtaz Mahal.