Famous Places

The Taj Mahal

Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions ☀

The Taj Mahal 1. Look at the picture of the Taj Mahal below. Describe
the structure. What do you think of it?

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful monument that is found in Agra, India. 2. Do you know where the Taj Mahal is located?

3. When do you think it was built?

Agra was the home of the Mughal emperors until 1637. Shah Jahan,
the fifth Mughal emperor, had the Taj Mahal built as a mausoleum 4. Why do you think it was built?
(a tomb) for his beloved second wife, Arjumand Banu. She died in
5. What building materials do you think were used in the
1630 after giving birth to their 14th child. When her remains were
construction of the Taj Mahal?
moved to the Taj Mahal, she became known as Mumtaz Mahal.

The Taj is part of a large complex that also includes a gateway, a

garden, a mosque, and a guest house. The Persian-style garden is
large and elaborate, with long pools of water that reflect the Taj.
The central dome of the Taj is 58 feet wide and 213 feet high.
Mumtaz Mahal is entombed in a lower chamber. After the Shah’s
death, his body was placed next to hers.

Shah Jahan employed Ustad Ahmad, the most famous Persian

architect of the day, to design the complex. Twenty thousand
workers and master craftsmen from all over India and Asia were
brought to Agra to carry out his design. Over 1,000 elephants
transported the finest building materials found in India.

The mausoleum is made entirely of white marble, inlaid with

precious and semi-precious gems. Light from the sun reflects off the COMPREHENSION ✍
marble during the day and moonlight reflects off it at night, which
A. True or False. Read the statements below. If the
adds to its beauty. The mosque and the guest house on either side of
statement is true, write T beside the sentence. If it is
it were built from red sandstone. It took 22 years to complete the false, write F. If it is false, correct the information.
project.
1. The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century.

The Taj Mahal is an outstanding example of Islamic art and 2. The emperor, Shah Jahan, is buried in the Taj Mahal.
architecture. Some people think it is the most beautiful building on
3. All the people who worked on the Taj Mahal were from
earth. In 1983, the United Nations declared it a World Heritage Site.
the local area.
Over the years, millions of tourists have visited it.
4. All the building materials for the Taj Mahal were found
in Agra.

5. The entire mosque is made of white marble.

1
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 Famous Places
The Taj Mahal

B. Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in complete sentences.

1. Where is the Taj Mahal located?

2. Why did the emperor, Shah Jahan, have the Taj Mahal built?
3. Briefly describe the Taj Mahal.
4. Who designed the Taj Mahal and who built it?
5. How were the building materials transported to Agra?
6. How does the white marble add to the beauty of the mausoleum?
7. Why did the United Nations declare the Taj Mahal a World Heritage Site? DISCUSS

1. A mosque is a place of worship for people

VOCABULARY REVIEW ✍
of the Moslem faith. What do we call the
A. Match the words on the left with correct meaning on the right. places of worship in other religions? Have
you ever been to any other than your own?
_____ 1. monument a) a skilled worker who makes things with his hands
_____ 2. emperor b) a rounded roof with a circular base 2. Do people today place as much
_____ 3. mausoleum c) very special, excellent importance on burial spots as they did in
_____ 4. mosque d) ruler, leader the past?
_____ 5. elaborate e) very valuable 3. What styles of architecture do you like or
_____ 6. reflect f) a building in which Moslems pray
dislike? Do you prefer old or modern?
_____ 7. outstanding g) throw back light or an image
_____ 8. craftsman h) building or statue in memory of someone or something 4. Name some other World Heritage Sites.
_____ 9. precious i) a large place to keep the body after a person dies Have you ever been to one? If so, describe
_____ 10. dome j) having great detail; very carefully planned it.

B. Choose the correct word from the left column above to complete the following sentences.

1. Women have to cover their heads when they go into a _________________ to pray.
2. There is a big _________________ in front of the government building. It is in memory of all the soldiers who lost their lives in the
wars.
3. He makes very beautiful furniture. He is a very talented _________________________ .
4. They made very _________________ plans for the wedding reception.
5. He is an _________________ high school student. He will do very well in university.

C. Choose the word(s) with the closest meaning to the underlined words in the following sentences.

1. When Arjumand Banu died, her remains were moved to the Taj Mahal
a) money b) jewels c) dead body
2. The Taj is part of a large complex.
a) complicated b) a large structure made up of several parts c) country
3. Twenty thousand workers were brought in to carry out his design.
a) complete b) lift c) draw
4. The mausoleum is made of white marble, inlaid with precious gems.
a) wood b) pictures c) valuable stones
5. The United Nations declared it a World Heritage site in 1983.
a) opened b) formally announced c) visited
2
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 Famous Places
The Taj Mahal

ANSWER KEY

Please note: The reading for this topic is also available in full-page format at the end of the lesson (page 4).

PRE-READING QUESTIONS

1 - 5. individual answers

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

A. True or False
1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. F

B. Written Answers
1. The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India.
2. Shah Jahan had it built as a mausoleum for his beloved second wife.
3. The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. It is made of white marble and precious stones. Its
central dome is 58 feet wide and 213 feet high. It is part of a large complex that includes a beautiful garden, a mosque
and a guesthouse.
4. Ustad Ahmad, a famous Persian architect, designed it and twenty thousand workers from all over India and Asia built it.
5. Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport the building materials.
6. The white marble adds to the beauty of the building by reflecting the light from the sun and the moon.
7. The United Nations declared the Taj Mahal a World Heritage Site because it is an excellent example of Islamic art and
architecture and it is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

VOCABULARY REVIEW

A. Matching
1. h 2. d 3. i 4. f 5. j 6. g 7. c 8. a
9. e 10. b

B. Choose the correct word

1. mosque 2. monument 3. craftsman 4. elaborate 5. outstanding

C. Choose the word with the closest meaning

1. c 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. b

3
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photocopied by members of ESL-Llibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.
 Famous Places
The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful monument that is found in Agra, India.

Agra was the home of the Mughal emperors until 1637. Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, had the
Taj Mahal built as a mausoleum (a tomb) for his beloved second wife, Arjumand Banu. She died in
1630 after giving birth to their 14th child. When her remains were moved to the Taj Mahal, she became
known as Mumtaz Mahal.

The Taj is part of a large complex that also includes a gateway, a garden, a mosque, and a guest house.
The Persian-style garden is large and elaborate, with long pools of water that reflect the Taj. The central
dome of the Taj is 58 feet wide and 213 feet high. Mumtaz Mahal is entombed in a lower chamber. After
the Shah’s death, his body was placed next to hers.

Shah Jahan employed Ustad Ahmad, the most famous Persian architect of the day, to design the
complex. Twenty thousand workers and master craftsmen from all over India and Asia were brought to
Agra to carry out his design. Over 1,000 elephants transported the finest building materials found in
India.

The mausoleum is made entirely of white marble, inlaid with precious and semi-precious gems. Light
from the sun reflects off the marble during the day and moonlight reflects off it at night, which adds to
its beauty. The mosque and the guest house on either side of it were built from red sandstone. It took 22
years to complete the project.

The Taj Mahal is an outstanding example of Islamic art and architecture. Some people think it is the
most beautiful building on earth. In 1983, the United Nations declared it a World Heritage Site. Over the
years, millions of tourists have visited it.

4
Copyright 2009. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of ESL-Llibrary.com in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact [email protected] for complete details.