Shah Jahan, the best educated and well-trained son of Jahangir, was optimistic about becoming his father’s heir to the vast and wealthy Mughal Empire. Even when his ruthlessly ambitious stepmother, Nur Jahan, suddenly withdrew her support, he continued his confident outlook. When betrayal, loss of his father’s adoration, rebellion, battles, and banishment followed, they were bearable because of the staunch support of Mumtaz Mahal, his wife who believed in her husband’s destiny to become emperor.

The Taj Mahal, built for Mumtaz, his Taj, is the most remarkable example of Shah Jahan’s vast architectural legacy as well as a physical symbol of the love he shared with his wife. Taj tells the human story behind the famous mausoleum that has been photographed more frequently than any other structure in India. It takes the reader back into the dazzling courts and forbidden harems of the Mughal Empire of India in the 16th Century.