Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
Preparation
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'.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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- 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
I haven’t seen any famous places personally but I’d read a lot about many famous places and I have seen lot’s of tourists videos and documental about them, although it’s clearly not the same as it could be visit them, I think it’s an alternative way to get to know them without been there.
Thanks for the lesson.
Great site!
I have never visited any famous places. I wish I could visit one day.
I've never visited any famous place in the world:(
I hope I'll go to Paris to visit the Eiffel tower or Agra to visit the Taj Mahal one day.
The famous places I have seen are The Pyramids, The Sphinx, Qaitbay Citadel, and The Cairo Tower.
In Afghanistan, there is plenty of historical places, unfortunately, so far, I have seen some of them. The one I have seen is Babar Garden in Kabul City. this garden was built in the time of the king of Babar the Mughal Emperor, its boundary walls have been constructed traditionally from mud means from clay and strew.
Inside the garden, the pathway is decorated with stone marble. All the gardens are built in slope places with professional architecture. At the top, there is a historic stone where you can see the story of the garden and a man is standing with the stone who telling you more about the Babar Garden.
It is an amazing place, from where the entire Kabul can see easily.
One of the world´s most famous places that I had had the opportunity to visit is Machu Picchu, located more than 3000 meters over sea level, close to the Peruvian village called Aguascalientes.
I have seen some famous place in my country. Bagan is one of the famous place in my country, there has many ancient pagoda that was built by villagers who lived there. This is also world heritage place. And Shwe Dagon is the famous Pagoda in Asia. Many foreigner who come to Myanmar, They always go to there to pay homage to Shwe Dagon. It was located in Yangon, in the lower part of Myanmar where I live. There has many beautiful and wonderful places in Myanmar, there are not famous though. Many beautiful beaches, Landscapes and gardens are very nice to visit there. And you can enjoy many weather, in upper part of Myanmar , You can see the snow. and visit junction of river(Myit Sone). That place is very famous and trade mark of upper Myanmar. You can enjoy many delicious food and local people are generous. There have many famous place in the middle part and many beaches in lower part.
You should visit all the big libraries in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Most of them were theatres in the past, it's magic being there looking for a good book.
You should visit Blue Mosque in Istanbul. There many historic places in this area. Besides,There many delicious food in Türkiye.
What famous places have you seen?
I saw the red fort when I was 15years old on my school trip, I enjoy it a lot and it is a very famous place in Delhi. many people visit and spend in the red fort.