Voysey (1825) offered the first detailed description of the inlaid stones used in the parchin kari of the Taj Mahal. Over 40 different gem materials used for inlay have been referenced in the literature.

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

Makrana marble

Minerals such as magnetite.

• Three types of stones have been used in the Taj Mahal :
• (1) Semi-precious stones as Aqiq (agate), Yemeni, Firoza (turquoise), Lajwad (Lapis- lazuli); moonga (coral), Sulaimani (onyx), Lahsunia (cat’s eye), Yasheb (jade) and Pitunia (blood stone) which were used for inlaying.

28 Breathtaking Wonders Of The World To See

• 1.) The Treasury at Petra, Jordan.
• 2.) Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt.
• 5.) Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, Egypt.
• 6.) Great Wall of China, China.
• 7.) Hagia Sophia, Turkey.
• 9.) Chichen Itza, Mexico.
• 10.) Christ the Redeemer, Brazil.
• 20.) Victoria Falls, border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Top 10 Wonders of the Ancient World

1. Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt.
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq.
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Turkey.
4. Statue of Zeus, Greece.
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Turkey.
6. Colossus of Rhodes, Rhodes.
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt.
8. Derinkuyu, Turkey.

They had also to secure the supply of enough food and water as it’s believed that the priest, the virgins, and the Inca spent their time there. Another reason that gives Machu Picchu the category of a Wonder of the World is that it remained for almost 500 years as a lost city.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.