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Probably documented adequately elsewhere on this site, the Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. Construction commenced in the same year but there is some debate as to when it was completed. 1653 is commonly cited.

Not long after completion, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned in Agra Fort nearby. For the rest of his days he could only gaze at his creation through a window.

Shah Jahan died in 1666 and was buried alongside Mumtaz. Interestingly, while symmetry is a key feature of the design of the Taj, his grave is one element which is not symmetrically located within the tomb.

Typically regarded as a monument to love, is the Taj Mahal not also a monument to tragedy?