Shah Jahan Born: Builder of the Taj Mahal
He built the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal emperor, ruler of the subcontinent at its peak of wealth and territorial extent. He spent 22 years and 20,000 laborers building a tomb for his wife. He also commissioned the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid in Delhi, and the Peacock Throne — encrusted with so many gems that the throne room was said to glow. His son Aurangzeb deposed him in 1658 and imprisoned him in Agra Fort, where he died eight years later looking at what he'd built.
January 5, 1592
434 years ago
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