Regarded as the most extravagant memorial built for love, the Taj Mahal, which is on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, is India's definitive landmark. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in about 1629. Under the command of chief architect Isa Khan, about 20,000 people were involved in its construction and it was finally completed in 1653.
Famous as the location of the tomb of the Egyptian boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun, the Valley of the Kings in the barren hills of the Thebes Valley, is a vast network of tombs. They were dug as deeply as possible so the pharaohs and their treasures wouldn't be discovered by grave robbers. This tactic was unsuccessful in most cases but Tutankhamun's tomb went undetected until it was discovered, with its treasures still intact, in 1922.
The only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to survive, the Pyramids of Giza have been a source of wonder and mystery to explorers, historians and tourists for centuries. Located on the outskirts of Cairo, the three pyramids that dominate Giza were built about 5,000 years ago. The oldest and largest is the Great Pyramid, the tomb of King Khufu; next in age is the smaller Pyramid of Khafre, Khufu's son; and third is the newest and smallest, the Pyramid of Menkaure.
Of all London's remarkable monuments, few are invested with as much history as this remarkable Gothic cathedral. It contains the tombs for many of England's most famous medieval monarchs, including the Saxon king Edward the Confessor. Some of the tombs are remarkably and deliberately plain. Westminster Abbey also houses the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, an unknown soldier from World War I whose grave commemorates all those who have died in war.
