Taj Mahal leaves African leaders speechless
April 10th, 2008 - 1:06 pm ICT by admin Agra, Apr 10 (ANI): A visit to the world’s greatest monument to love, the Taj Mahal, has left most African leaders speechless.
Heads of state of Uganda and Ethiopia, who were in India to participate in the two-day India-Africa Forum Summit, went into raptures after visiting the historic monument that was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who went around Taj Mahal with his wife Janet Kataha, marveled at the architecture and technology used by artisans of yore in building the monument.
“This is a magnificent place, given the technology of that time. To find that they could build such a big structure suspended on arches, supported by columns inside the ground. I salute their contribution to human effort,” said Yoweri.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Ethiopia Prime Minister MELES Zenawi, who described the monument as an extraordinary sight.
Built by an army of 20,000 stone masons, gem cutters, marble fitters and labourers between 1631 and 1648, the Taj Mahal attracts millions of tourists every year. (ANI)
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