The Taj Mahal (/ ˌ t ɑː dʒ m ə ˈ h ɑː l, ˌ t ɑː ʒ-/ TAHJ mə-HAHL, TAHZH-, Hindi: [taːdʒ ˈmɛɦ(ɛ)l]; lit. ' Crown of the Palace ') is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it ...