While Galileo suffered under house arrest at the hands of Pope Urban VIII, the
Thirty Years War ruined Europe, and the Pilgrims struggled to survive in the New
World, work began on what would become one of the Seven Wonders of the World:
the Taj Mahal. Built by the Moghul emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his
beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, its flawless symmetry and gleaming presence have for
centuries dazzled everyone who has seen it, and the story of its creation is a
fascinating blend of cultural and architectural heritage. Yet, as Diana &
Michael Preston vividly convey in the first narrative history of