Encyclopedia entry

Read an encyclopedia entry on the Taj Mahal to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Encyclopedia entry

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal (pronounced /ˌtɑːdʒ mə'hɑːl/) is a famous mausoleum next to the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. A mausoleum is a building where people bury the dead. The name Taj Mahal means 'the crown of palaces'.

1.

The most famous part of the Taj Mahal is the large white dome in the centre. It is 35 metres high and is surrounded by four smaller domes. The rooms inside the building are decorated with beautiful archways and precious stones in the walls. The buildings are surrounded by gardens with pathways, pools, fountains and green gardens.

2.

The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and finished in 1653. It was built with materials from all over India and Asia, but the main material is white marble. Historians believe that the materials were transported by over 1,000 elephants for the construction.

3.

The emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a burial place for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. According to legend, he wanted to build another Taj Mahal in black on the other side of the river, but this never happened. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, many parts of the Taj Mahal were damaged by British soldiers, who took some of the precious stones from its walls. Over the years, the Taj Mahal has suffered from environmental damage, and there have been many government attempts to conserve its beauty.

4.

The Taj Mahal is one of India's most famous landmarks. There are millions of visitors to the mausoleum every year. The Taj Mahal is almost always included in lists of famous buildings to visit and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

5.

Encyclopedia Britannica article on the Taj Mahal: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taj-Mahal
UNESCO Profile of the Taj Mahal: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252

Task 1

Matching_MjMyMzQ=.xml

Task 2

MultipleChoice_MjMyMzU=.xml

Discussion

What famous places have you seen?

Download

Worksheet139.54 KB

Try another reading

Language level

B1 Intermediate

I have been to Miyajima and the Atomic Bomb Dome in Japan, which are World Heritage Site. You can visit Itsukushima Shrine, and the torii seen from there is very noticeable. Atomic Bomb Museum is next to the Atomic Bomb Dome. There is a lunch box which was burnt black and clothes which were torn due to it and we can understand the tragedy of the war. Also I went to Italy and saw the Colosseum, Mouth of Truth and Blue Grotto. I put my hands in the Mouth of Truth nervously but I felt be relieved that it didn't bite me! I want to go sightseeing more in various countries.

I have never seen famous places in other countries. But, in Afghanistan, I have seen many landmark places which a lot of tourists visit each year. For example, in Bamian city, the central part of country has many famous historical places, and a lot of visitors visit it each year. Buddha, Band Amir, and Shahre-Ghulghula are very exciting places. Last year, I went to see Buddha statues two times, and I went to Band Amir just once. Shahre Ghulghula was interesting. It was destroyed by Moguls soldiers about 600 years ago, but there are some buildings which remain undamaged until now. It built on a hill and it is made by soil. The structure of this castle is interesting. It has just two doors, and water come to castle from under ground. The fount of water is about a kilometers away from the castle, but there is another castle to keep safe the fountain from enemy. Regards, Tayyebi

I was on a tour to London where I visited London Eye. It's huge and we can see almost all parts of the city when it reaches on the top. We have to get in a large capsule in which 8 to 10 persons can sit. Then it slowly goes to the top where you can enjoy the beautiful scene of the river passing bye. You can also see the Big Ben ,a famous clock tower. It's a must place to visit even if you are not visiting along with your family.

Kyoto is one of the famous sightseeing spot in Japan. There are many temples and traditional beautiful buildings. I like seeing them. Because my grand mother was brought up Kyoto. So, almost every year, I could visit there. And when I was 10 or 11, I could see so many beautiful temples. And I became a fan of them. I was fascinated.

When I was in junior high school, I went to Kyoto for school trip. There has a lot of famous temples and shrines. I went to Kiyomizu-dera temple, Kinkaku-ji temple, Fushimi inari-taisha shrine etc. they are so beautiful places. I really want to go there again. And when I was in high school, I went to Australia. It was my first time overseas. I went to Cape Byron Lighthouse in Byron bay and Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Gold coast. The view of the sea from Cape Byron lighthouse was very beautiful. I could see horizon and thought again the earth is round. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is the zee, we can hold Koala and touch Kangaroos. I hold Koala for the first time. They were so cute. Those are very good memory in my life.

Unfortunately, I have never travel abroad. Of course I have never done in India. But in the future, I would like to go to many countries and learn about each cultures and customs to grow myself. If I go to India, I want to eat real curry first. I like spicy foods, but I’m not very good at them, so I may have a hard time eating them out, but I definitely want to try them. Then I want to go to Taj Mahal and enjoy its beauty and atmosphere. I’m really looking forward to going there someday. For that dream, I’m studying English and gaining a lot of knowledge now.

I have visited many places in İstanbul. The city is center of the civilization as you know. The merge point of the Asia, Europe and Africa. Above all else it has cultural and historical temple like Hagia Sophia. You must visit at least one times in your life. As a capital of many empires, it is located in the many sites as symbolic values.

I love travel doesn`t matter where... Maybe famous place is Eiffel Tower in Paris, another French revier- Cannes, Monaco, Nica... In my coutry have many beautiful and natural and with history monuments places... My country is Bulgaria... My country is famous with our Black Sea Resorts, our Mountains ... 7 Rila Lakes, Rilski Monastery... but I can write many things... everyone can see pictures and read about my country in internet :)

I've never travled! Unfortunately I wish I can

Well, although I like travelling, I didn't visit famous place yet. However, I have seen many beuatiful place in my country. Such as beach, waterfall, temple, etc. I also had visited Monumen Nasional in Jakarta and Sea Aquarium in Singapore. So sad, that I can't visit Merlion when I was in Singapore. I wish, in the future I can travel all over the world with my lovely person.

Encyclopedia entry

Preparation

The Taj Mahal

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

Language level

Online courses