Taj Mahal earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement. The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. It is a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an "iwan" (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin. The base structure is a large multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners forming an unequal
Taj Mahal Marathon marathon is also India's longest in terms of the distance. The Taj Mahal Marathon is not the first long-distance running event held in the city, which starts around Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal Marathon was organized by Adventure Marathon in 2008 and was discontinued thereafter. It was a 42.195 km long marathon. The course started in a small village of Niyamatpur and winded through the countryside before joining the main highway to the city of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Set over a largely flat course along the Chambal River from River Yamuna, and spanning 222 kilometres (138 miles), The