THE Wonder of the World...

Agra, India

August 22, 2007
N27°10.370
E078°02.480

The alarm went off at 5:30 AM. We had been looking forward to the sunrise at Taj Mahal for a few days and hoped the weather would cooperate and deliver a clear sunrise. We met our guide and driver at precisely 6:00 AM and headed directly to one of the newest Seven Wonders of the World.

Our guide asked us to keep our heads down as we walked through the entrance of the red sandstone gate and then moved us into position. We could hear the oohs and aahs of other tourists around us who were already admiring the white beauty.

We were told to open our eyes. We slowly lifted our heads and gazed toward the massive white marble structure nearly 300 meters away. The sun was poking through the cloud cover and provided a glistening sheen against the white. The symmetrical structure had two towering minarets on each side, slightly angled outward, in order to prevent them from collapsing on the main structure in the event of an earthquake.

On each side of the main building was a red sandstone building, also shimmering in the early morning sun, providing a balance to the radiant white marble. As with other incredible sites we’ve seen during our travels they are nearly impossible to describe in words. The only thing we could say when asked what we thought was… “Wow!”

Walking closer to the architectural marvel, we snapped pictures and listened to our guide tell us about the history of the Taj Mahal. The structure, which was built over 350 years ago, is constructed of white Indian marble and inlayed precious and semi-precious stones. The stones were carved into intricate designs such as lotus flowers, with each petal individually carved and various colors of stones. Several versus of the Koran were engraved in the arches of the massive structure. The level of detail, especially when it was built, is truly amazing and is one of the reasons it deserves to be included as one of the Seven Wonders!

We strolled around the grounds for a few hours admiring the intricate details of the building as the sun continued to rise, slowly providing more light, giving us different perspectives of the building. Our guide was great. Not only did he provide historical details, but he knew where to take all of the best pictures. We posed for so many pictures it felt like we were at Prom; A Night at the Taj.

When we thought we had seen enough, we took one last look at the white glow from the other end of the plaza, and confirmed we had indeed seen something special. Witnessing the site early in the morning afforded us more photo opportunities without throngs of people in our pictures. At times we almost had the place to ourselves, relatively speaking.

The other sites in Agra, such as the massive Agra Fort and its beautiful red sandstone, were very impressive. However, they just don’t compare to the great Taj.