Roofs Around the World: The Taj Mahal

Even the most famous building in India has to do what every roof does: shed water. In June 2025, news outlets reported that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had detected seepage in the main dome, about 73 meters (240 feet) up, using thermal scanning and LiDAR. Scaffolding went up for a repair that ASI later reported complete in December 2025. 

The cause will sound familiar to anyone who has dealt with a leaking roof: a metal element passing through a masonry surface, and moisture working its way in around it. This is the third article in our Roofs Around the World series. Below, we cover how the Taj Mahal was built, what makes its architecture distinctive, how the dome works as a roof, and what the leak means for your own home.

In short

• Construction began in 1632. The mausoleum was finished in 1648 and the wider complex around 1653.

• The design blends Persian, Central Asian, Islamic and Indian traditions in a white marble, double-domed tomb.

• The dome sits on a tall drum and is flanked by four chhatris, the open pavilions typical of Indian architecture.

• Reports on the 2025 inspection point to deteriorated mortar between the dome’s stones and a rusting iron rod supporting the finial.

Taj Mahal Facts at a Glance

Taj Mahal Construction: Facts vs. Legends

Shah Jahan ordered the tomb after his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in 1631. According to India’s Ministry of Culture, work began in 1632 and the mausoleum was completed in 1648. The gateway, mosque and outer courtyard took about five more years, which is why you will see 1653 given as the end date. That is the source of the “22 years” you often read: roughly 1631 to 1653 for the whole complex.

Built beside a river

The site on the Yamuna shaped the engineering. UNESCO’s state of conservation documentation for the Taj Mahal notes that the monument stands on masonry well foundations, a solution to building next to flowing water. The building’s first design problem was water, centuries before the dome ever leaked.

Marble and gems from across Asia

The main material is white Makrana marble from Rajasthan. The Ministry of Culture says materials came from across India and Central Asia, and that the inlay stones were sourced from as far as Baghdad, Egypt, Russia, China, Afghanistan, Ceylon and Persia. That mix of local stone and imported gems is why the Taj looks so different from earlier Mughal tombs, which leaned on red sandstone.

Who actually built it?

Most articles repeat legends here. The Ministry of Culture itself calls the stories of an international team of masons and decorators “unverified but nonetheless tenacious.” Ustad Ahmad Lahori is widely credited as the architect, but historians note that court chronicles mostly name the supervisors of the project rather than one designer, so “Lahori designed it alone” is a simplification.

The same caution applies to headline numbers. Figures such as 20,000 workers or 1,000 elephants circulate widely, but we could not trace them to a verifiable source. What can be said safely: thousands of masons, carvers and inlay artists worked on the Taj Mahal over two decades, and the exact number is unknown.

Taj Mahal Architecture: A Mughal Masterpiece in White Marble

The Ministry of Culture describes an octagonal structure capped by a bulbous dome, framed by four free-standing minarets and set in a Mughal garden of about 17 hectares. The style combines Persian, Central Asian and Islamic elements, with Indian details you can spot if you know where to look.

Symmetry, minarets and the garden

The complex is organized around symmetry. Water channels and pathways draw the eye to the tomb, and from a distance the elevation looks almost plain. Up close, as PBS’s Story of India notes, the marble is covered in floral motifs and black marble Quranic calligraphy.

The four minarets do more than frame the dome. According to Archnet, the Aga Khan Documentation Center’s architecture database, they lean slightly outward, a feature believed to keep them from falling onto the mausoleum.

Pishtaq, iwan and pietra dura

Each side has a central pishtaq, a tall rectangular frame around an arched entrance (an iwan). Archnet gives the central pishtaq’s height as 32.6 meters, flanked by blind arched niches. The craftsmanship shows in the decoration: floral arabesques and calligraphy set in polychrome pietra dura, an inlay technique that fits cut stones into marble like a puzzle.

Indian details in a Persian-style tomb

The domed tomb in a paradise garden has Persian roots. Several signature features are distinctly Indian:

• Chhatris. These raised, domed pavilions crown the roofline. Archnet notes four flanking the dome’s drum. They are decorative rather than structural, and they define the skyline.

• Jali screens. The Metropolitan Museum of Art notes that jalis, or pierced screens, were used extensively in Indian architecture as windows, room dividers and railings. They cut glare and heat while throwing patterned light across the floor. 

• Lotus motifs. Lotus forms, long tied to Indian temple architecture, appear on the finial and the chhatris.

The result is a Mughal synthesis rather than a copy of any one tradition. Its closest ancestor is Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, an earlier garden tomb that helped set the Mughal template.

The Taj Mahal Dome: A Double Shell on a Tall Drum

The dome is the part of the building people picture, and the part that works hardest as a roof. It has three elements: the shell, the drum beneath it, and the finial above.

Size and shape

Archnet describes a bulbous dome about 25.6 meters high and 17.6 meters wide on a high drum, with four chhatris placed diagonally around it. Other surveys quote slightly different figures, so treat these as approximate. With the metal finial, the total height reaches about 73 meters, the elevation cited in the 2025 reports. The tall drum lifts the dome above the arches and walls around it so it stays visible along the whole garden.

Why a double dome?

UNESCO’s documentation lists the “double bulbous dome sitting on tall drum” among the Taj Mahal’s defining features. Persian and Central Asian builders used two shells for a practical reason: the inner dome keeps the room below in human proportion, while the taller outer dome gives the monument its skyline. Inside the Taj, the ceiling over the cenotaphs is much lower than the exterior crown, and the space between the shells lets both work.

Roofers will recognize a second benefit. Two layers with a gap between them mean the outer shell takes the rain and sun first, which is the same logic behind a ventilated roof assembly.

The finial

At the very top, a metal finial caps the dome. Reports on the 2025 inspection say it is supported by an iron rod set into the masonry. That rod turned out to be central to the story of the leak.

The 2025 Taj Mahal Dome Leak: What Was Found

This was not the first scare. In 2024, after heavy rain, images of water on the dome circulated widely. At the time ASI’s Agra circle said a drone inspection found no damage to the arched roof, according to Tribune India.

The 2025 findings were more specific. Per WION’s report, ASI’s LiDAR investigation flagged three issues:

• Mortar between the dome’s stones had deteriorated.

• The door and floor of the dome’s roof had weakened.

• The iron rod supporting the finial had rusted, and the expanding rust pushed on the surrounding mortar, opening a path for water.

A senior conservation assistant told the same outlet that, given the 73-meter height, the repair would take around six months. Repairs were done from scaffolding with conservation-grade methods rather than heavy machinery, according to Boldsky’s summary. By December 2025, local Hindi-language reports in Amar Ujala said the scaffolding was being taken down from the main dome.

What the Taj Mahal Roof Teaches Homeowners

Your roof is not a 17th-century marble dome, but the failure pattern is the same one roofers see every week.

• Penetrations are the weak points. A finial rod through masonry is the Taj’s version of a chimney, plumbing vent or skylight. Flashing and sealant at those spots deserve the closest attention at every inspection.

• Corrosion pushes back. Rust takes up more volume than the iron it replaces, so a corroding fastener or metal flashing can crack the material around it and open the leak it was meant to stop.

• Mixed materials age at different rates. Mortar, metal and stone expand, contract and weather differently. Joints between unlike materials fail first.

• Find moisture before it finds your ceiling. ASI used thermal imaging and LiDAR. Homeowners can ask a roofer about an infrared or moisture survey when a stain’s source is unclear, since the visible stain is often far from the actual entry point.

• A leak is not always a structural failure. In 2024 ASI found the dome sound. A small leak caught early is usually a repair, not a replacement.

• Access takes time. Six months for a repair 73 meters up reflects how much planning goes into safe access. At home, that means booking work in a dry window and never climbing a steep or wet roof yourself.

If you notice staining, damp insulation or granules and debris in your gutters, a licensed local roofer can trace the source before the damage spreads.

From the Taj Mahal to Modern Roofs: Lessons in Durability 

The Taj Mahal’s architecture is a Mughal synthesis of Persian form and Indian detail, and its double dome is a smart answer to proportion and weather. Yet after nearly four centuries, its weak point was the same one found on countless houses: a metal element passing through a surface that must stay watertight. Regular inspection, early repair and good detailing at penetrations protect a marble landmark and a shingle roof alike. If your roof needs attention, contact Florida’s Best Roofing today to schedule an inspection and help keep your home protected.

FAQ

When was the Taj Mahal built? 

Work began in 1632. The mausoleum was finished in 1648 and the full complex around 1653.

Who designed the Taj Mahal? 

Ustad Ahmad Lahori is widely credited as the architect, working under Shah Jahan. Historians caution that the project involved many supervisors and craftsmen.

Why does the Taj Mahal have two domes? 

The double shell lets the interior ceiling stay in human proportion while the outer dome gives the monument its tall silhouette.

How tall is the Taj Mahal? 

About 73 meters (240 feet), including the finial. The main dome is roughly 25.6 meters high.

What are the four small domes on the Taj Mahal? 

They are chhatris, open pavilions typical of Indian architecture. They are decorative and shape the skyline.

Did the Taj Mahal dome really leak? 

Yes. Reports in 2025 said ASI found seepage near the finial, linked to deteriorated mortar and a rusting iron rod, and began a repair estimated at six months. ASI reported the repair complete in December 2025.