The ultimate monument to undying love, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India is a dreamlike structure built by emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz. From the Persian-inspired “charbagh” or “four-garden” layout to the equidistant minarets flanking the main building with the central tomb, it is a masterpiece of architectural symmetry. Yet, walk inside, and something odd meets the eye.

Mumtaz’s tomb aligns perfectly with the main entrance and lies at the exact center of the chamber. But beside it on the right, incongruously larger, higher, and evidently out of place, is the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. If it looks like it was stuck there as an afterthought, that’s because it was.

Blame Shah Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb, for this aesthetic insensitivity. It is said that Aurangzeb, a devout Muslim, did not permit the kind of ostentation at death disapproved of in the Quran. So instead of building a separate mausoleum for his father, Aurangzeb simply squeezed in his tomb next to his mother’s. Legend also says that Islamic tradition dictated that a husband’s tomb must be to the right of his wife and facing Mecca.

Whatever Aurangzeb’s motive, he permanently ruined the perfect symmetry of this beautiful mausoleum complex.

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That he'd broke the bank building it, and so they hemmed him in. And that he spent his last years in a room with a terrace view of the Taj. Apparently his original plan was to build a matching black one for himself.

I wonder if their calculation of number of victims is accurate-- that's a pretty high number!!

I really enjoyed reading this list.

I just came across it and thought it was pretty interesting.

of the History Channel's program..."The Crumbling of America" from 2009. Watching this video will truly make you sick and disgusted with our legislators for ignoring the dangers and allowing our country's infrastructures to deteriorate to the point that some have already injured and killed people. One infrastructure, the Wolfe Creek Dam is a project the Army Corp of Engineers has been trying for decades to stabilize to keep from collapsing. A sudden and catastrophic breach of the dam could kill and injure thousands of people, cause billions of dollars in damages, significantly affect our economy and place Cleveland under twenty two feet of water! TIME TO WAKE UP. After viewing this program, you will want to skin some of our politicians alive! Share with your friends.

Reichstag Fire

start with flaming tea-bags?

... I always thought that was singularly appropriate.

-- Mal

Monticello?!1 (Can't remember the others)