One of the world's greatest love stories has produced a timeless monument. The sheer beauty of the structure inspired poetic words from the builder himself. The monument is an engineering marvel that has been studied by scholars and historians. Visitors throughout history have been infatuated with the sanctuary's elegance. Count Hermann Keyserling describes the monument as: "A massive marble structure, weightless, as if formed of ether, perfectly rational and at the same time entirely decorative (Taj Mahal, 2008). Keyserling went on to say: "It is perhaps the greatest work of art that the formative spirit of humanity has ever produced (Taj Mahal, 2008)." An American novelist, Bayard Taylor, referred to this structure as a castle in the air (Taj Mahal, 2008) . Built as a tomb for the late emperor's wife, the Taj Mahal is one of the greatest human creations in the history of the world, Taj Mahal, illustrates the origins of this monument tomb for Mumtaz Mahal, the deceased wife of Emperor Shah Jahan (Taj Mahal, 2008). Before her death, while giving birth to Shah Jahan's fourteenth child, she asked Jahan to build a monument in her honor, as stated by the Taj Mahal website (Taj Mahal, 2008). Construction began in 1631 and was finally completed twenty-two years later (Taj Mahal, 2008). Twenty-two thousand workers worked on the construction of the monument bringing materials on elephants from many parts of Asia (Taj Mahal, 2008). The Islamic Architecture website lists Iranian architect Ustad Ahmed Lahwari as the structure's key designer; however, other architects played a leading role in the design of the monument (Organization, 1995-2003). Over time, the esti...... middle of paper ......ks Cited(2007). Retrieved February 11, 2012, from The Taj Mahal, the tear on the cheek of history: http://www.thetajmahalindia.com/tajmahalinformation.html(2008). Retrieved February 11, 2012, from Taj Mahal: http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/Archaeological Survey of India. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2012, from http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_agratajmahal.aspInc, ET (2003). A monument of immeasurable beauty and love. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from Taj Mahal: http://www.tajmahal.travel/Invis Multimedia. (2010). Taj Mahal Agriculture India. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from India video.org: http://www.indiavideo.org/text/taj-mahal-agra-1312.phpKleiner, F.S. (2010 p. 38). Gardner's art through the ages. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.Organization, IA (1995-2003). Retrieved February 11, 2012, from Islamic Architecture: http://www.islamicart.com/library/empires/india/taj_mahal.html