taj mahal

noun

1. a white marble mausoleum built at Agra, India, by the Mogul emperor Shah Jahan (fl. 1628–58) for his favorite wife.

noun

1. a white marble mausoleum in central India, in Agra on the Jumna River: built (1632–43) by the emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal; regarded as the finest example of Mogul architecture

n.mausoleum at Agra, India, built c.1640 by Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, from Persian, literally “the best of buildings;” second element related to Arabic halla “to lodge.” But some authorities hold that the name of the mausoleum is a corruption of the name of the woman interred in it, Mumtaz (in Persian, literally “chosen one”) Mahal, who died in 1631. Figurative use as a name denoting anything surpassing or excellent is attested from 1895. A marble mausoleum in India, built in the seventeenth century by a king for his wife. The Taj Mahal usually appears on lists of the most beautiful buildings in the world.