147. Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, c. 1630-1653 (India)

This most famous of all Indian monuments superficially resembles a mosque, but its function is in fact funerary and commemorative: it was built as a magnificent tomb for Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved wife of the Mongol emperor Shah Jahan; it now shelters both of their remains. Since the Taj Mahal was intended to be the most beautiful building imaginable, no expense was spared: the most famous architects of the time were hired, as were some 20,000 labourers and skilled artisans from India and neighbouring regions of Central Asia. A monumental gateway to the south guides the visitor into a huge square garden, originally planted with fragrant trees, which is divided into four quadrants by a cruciform arrangement of reflecting canals. Strongly influenced by Persian prototypes, the tomb itself sits on a tall square platform; a slender minaret, as for a mosque, is sited on each of the four corners. This graceful composition is topped by a bulbous onion dome. The tomb is clad in polished white marble, creating a dazzling effect of purity. Since Muslim tradition generally allows no human images to be represented, the carved and inlaid ornamentation is entirely floral, abstract or calligraphic in nature.