3-11 泰姬·玛哈尔陵（在线收听）

Taj Mahal

Few buildings on earth can compete with the legendary beauty of the Taj Mahal. Towering over¹ the ancient Indian city of Agra, the Taj Mahal is the grandest monument to love ever created.

The lovers in this story are the 17th century Indian emperor Shah Jehan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. She took a leading role in advising him, which is something unique for a woman to do for a husband who's an emperor. Over the course of their nineteen-year marriage she gave birth to 14 children. But in 1631 while trying to deliver their fifteenth -- she tragically died. He was heartbroken when she died. And after her death, he decided to build the world's greatest monument ever built, for love.

He ordered the royal architects to design the most beautiful building the world had known and decided to name it after his beloved, Mumtaz Mahal. He summoned² twenty thousand laborers and sent caravans³ to all corners of his empire in search of precious metals and gems. And after seventeen years of construction, Shah Jehan’s monument was completed and his beloved empress was moved to her final resting place.

Everything had gone according to plan, but Shah Jehan’s luck was about to change... In 1658, just four years after the completion of the Taj Mahal, he was thrown out of power. Unfortunately, his son, Aran Azibe imprisoned him, his own father. And the last seven years of his life he spent in prison. And he was allowed to look at Taj Mahal through a window. His life was in ruins, but when he died his ultimate wish was granted. He was buried beside his beloved wife in the Taj Mahal.

For devoting the wealth and power of an empire to love, the Taj Mahal rests at number six on our list.

注释：

1. tower over高出；矗立

2. summon [5sQmEn] vt. 召唤；召集

3. caravan [5kArEvAn] n.（由商人、香客或移民等组成往返于沙漠等地带的）旅行队；车队

泰姬·玛哈尔陵

地球上几乎没有什么建筑能与泰姬·玛哈尔陵的传奇之美同日而语。泰姬·玛哈尔陵矗立于印度古都阿格拉城，是有史以来为爱情而建的最华丽的纪念物。

　　故事中的这对情人是17世纪的印度皇帝沙·贾汗和他的妻子穆塔·玛哈尔。她带头劝谏夫君；这对一个女人来说，为身为皇帝的夫君这样做，是亘古未有的。他们结婚19年间，她生了14个孩子，但1631年，在生第15个孩子的时候，她不幸去世了。她死去的时候，他的心都碎了，为了祭奠他们的爱情，他决定建造世界上最伟大的纪念物。

他下令皇家建筑师设计世界上最美丽的建筑，并决定以他深爱的皇后穆塔·玛哈尔的名字命名。他召集了2万名劳力，并向全国各地派出了商旅队寻找贵重的金属和宝石。经过17年的建造，沙·贾汗的纪念性工程终于竣工了，他心爱的皇后也被搬进了她最终的安息之地。

　　事事都按计划进行，但沙·贾汗的命运即将改变……1658年，泰姬·玛哈尔陵完工4年后，他的王位被推翻了。不幸的是，他的儿子阿兰·阿齐贝囚禁了他，囚禁了他的亲生父亲。他生命中的最后7年是在监狱中度过的，但他被允许透过一个窗户遥望泰姬陵。他的生活被彻底摧毁，但他去世时，他最后的心愿得以实现：他被葬在泰姬陵中，葬在他的爱妻身旁。

由于为了爱情奉献了一个帝国的财富和权力，泰姬陵位居我们排行榜的第6名。