3. Taj Mahal (India, Mughal Islam)

Located in Agra, India, the Taj Majal is a huge mausoleum built between 1631 and 1648 in the Mughal architectural style, combining elements of Turkish, Indian, Persian, and Islamic design. Considered to be the penultimate masterpiece of Islamic architectural art in India, it was built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, and both are interred in it in a simple crypt.

Taj Mahal, India, 2004, enveloped in smog. Photo by Calvinkrishy

The Taj Mahal is India’s preeminent tourist destination, attracting between two and four million visitors annually. In an effort to control the deleterious effects of pollution, tourist traffic is not allowed near the site, with most visitors riding in by electric bus from nearby carparks. This has not, however, slowed down the degradation of the Taj Mahal’s marble facades from acid rain generated from local foundries and an oil refinery. The once brilliant-white Taj has been losing its luster, dulling into a sickly pale shade.