FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World #7 – The Taj Mahal
May 11, 2017 by Susan Clarke
Taj Mahal FUN-facts
- Translated means Crown of the Palace.
- Commissioned in 1632 by Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal.
- She was a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child.
- It took 20,000 artists 10 years to complete at a cost of 32 million rupees.
- In 2015 it would have cost 52.8 billion rupees or $827 million US.
- Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”
FUN-Fact – It is made of semi translucent white marble and polished to emphasize the exquisite detailing of flower carvings.
More FF – Specialists brought in from as far away as Europe produced magnificent marble screens, archway spandrels decorated with highly stylized almost geometric vines, flowers and fruits, and pietra dura (marble inlay work) made with thousands of semiprecious stones, yellow marble, jasper and jade then polished and leveled to the surface of the walls.
- In the summer of 2007, more than 90 million people cast their votes to determine which architectural marvels in the world deserved to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There were a total of twenty-one landmarks vying for that title.
- Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt still stand. The pyramids were given an automatic spot after infuriated Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace to have to compete for something that had belonged to their country for so long. I agree! We saw them in 2007.
- It is our goal to see all twenty-one landmarks. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty-one, however, not together. So the rule is, “If you’ve been there but not together, it doesn’t count.”
New 7 Wonders of the World we’ve been to:
#1 Chichen Itza, Mexico – 2005
#2 Great Wall of China – 2010
#3 Machu Picchu, Peru – February, 2012
#4 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro – February, 2012
#5 The Coliseum – Rome, Italy – August, 2012
#6 Petra, Jordan – March, 2013
#7 The Taj Mahal – Agra, India – November 2016
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups we’ve been to:
# 9 Statue of Liberty, New York – May, 2005
#10 Sydney Opera House, Australia – January, 2006
#11 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul – May, 2007
#12 Acropolis, Athens – May, 2007
#13 Angkor Wat, Cambodia – March, 2010
#14 Eiffel Tower, Paris – October, 2010
#15 Stonehenge, England – October, 2011
#16 Alhambra, Spain – August, 2012
#17 Easter Island, Chile – February, 2013
#18 Neuschwanstein Castle – Füssen, Germany – September, 2013
#19 Red Square, Moscow – July 2014
TBD #20 – Kiyomizu Temple – Kyoto, Japan – April 2018
TBA #21 – Timbuktu – Mali, Africa (may never happen due to current civil war)