Claim: The Taj Mahal's centerpiece is a tomb.

The Taj Mahal -LRB- -LSB- ˌtɑːdʒ_məˈhɑːl -RSB- , more often -LSB- ˈtɑːʒ -RSB- meaning Crown of the Palace -RRB- 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 -LRB- reigned 1628 -- 1658 -RRB- , to house the tomb of his favourite wife , Mumtaz Mahal . The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42 acre complex , which includes a mosque and a guest house , and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall .   Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years . The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees , which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion rupees -LRB- US$ 827 million -RRB- . The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor , Ustad Ahmad Lahauri .   The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being `` the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world 's heritage '' . Described by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as `` the tear-drop on the cheek of time '' , it is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India 's rich history . The Taj Mahal attracts 7 -- 8 million visitors a year . In 2007 , it was declared a winner of the New7Wonders of the World -LRB- 2000 -- 2007 -RRB- initiative .