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The Taj Mahal: Love, Loss, and the World’s Greatest Tomb | Smartest Year Ever (June 15, 2025)
The Taj Mahal is more than a postcard. It’s a monument to obsession, grief, and imperial love, built by a shattered emperor for the woman he couldn’t live without.
In today’s finale of Wonders Week, Gordy explores the breathtaking symmetry, engineering secrets, and emotional legacy of India’s most iconic landmark. Why did it take 20 years and 20,000 workers to build? What’s hidden beneath the marble dome? And what really happened to the so-called “Black Taj”?
This isn’t just about architecture—it’s about power, heartbreak, and the pursuit of something timeless.
We have been discussing the New Wonders of the World all week, which was your favorite?
Sources:
Koch, E. (2006). The Complete Taj Mahal and the Riverfront Gardens of Agra. Thames & Hudson.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Taj Mahal. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252
Asher, C. B. (1992). Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge University Press.
Gascoigne, B. (1971). The Great Moghuls. HarperCollins.
BBC Travel. (2020). The Truth About the Black Taj Mahal. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201115-the-truth-about-indias-black-taj
#TajMahal #WorldWonders #sevenwonders #wondersoftheworld #Historyfacts #SmartHistory #ArchitectureLovers #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.
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By GordyThe Taj Mahal is more than a postcard. It’s a monument to obsession, grief, and imperial love, built by a shattered emperor for the woman he couldn’t live without.
In today’s finale of Wonders Week, Gordy explores the breathtaking symmetry, engineering secrets, and emotional legacy of India’s most iconic landmark. Why did it take 20 years and 20,000 workers to build? What’s hidden beneath the marble dome? And what really happened to the so-called “Black Taj”?
This isn’t just about architecture—it’s about power, heartbreak, and the pursuit of something timeless.
We have been discussing the New Wonders of the World all week, which was your favorite?
Sources:
Koch, E. (2006). The Complete Taj Mahal and the Riverfront Gardens of Agra. Thames & Hudson.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Taj Mahal. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252
Asher, C. B. (1992). Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge University Press.
Gascoigne, B. (1971). The Great Moghuls. HarperCollins.
BBC Travel. (2020). The Truth About the Black Taj Mahal. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201115-the-truth-about-indias-black-taj
#TajMahal #WorldWonders #sevenwonders #wondersoftheworld #Historyfacts #SmartHistory #ArchitectureLovers #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.