Taj Mahal, India - Ten Amazing Facts

Taj Mahal, India - Ten Amazing Facts - as part of the travel series by GeoBeats.

10 - Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built it in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz.

9 - Mumtaz died while giving birth to Shah Jahan's 14th child.

8 - Outside its walls, there are smaller tombs of other Shah Jahan's wives.

7 - Soon after construction, Shah Jahan was put under house arrest by his son.

6 - Built using geometric principles, even the drains here are hexagonal.

5 - Over 1000 elephants were used to transport materials.

4 - During modern wars, scaffolding has been used to hide Taj from air bombers.

3 - Intricate calligraphy on stone cites passages from Quran.

2 - Reportedly, a British governor unsuccessfully tried to sell Taj during colonization.

1 - Depending on time of day, the reflecting stone changes color.