The
Taj Mahal (, more often ; Persian for "Crown of Palaces", ) 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 (reigned 1628–1658), 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.