Twenty thousand labourers from Northern India, sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia and stone cutters from Baluchistan spent 12 years building the plinth and mausoleum.  Inlayers from Southern India created the yellow marble, jasper and jade inlay (pietra dura) of the border of the floral dado and arches.   A specialist built the turrets another carved only marble flowers.

A thousand elephants transported the building materials. The white marble came from Rajasthan and the jasper from Punjab.

Inside the inlay is not pietra dura but lapidary of precious and semiprecious gemstones. Jade and crystal from China, turquoise from Tibet, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, sapphire from Sri Lanka and cameleon from Arabia.  Twenty eight types of precious and semi precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.

A red sandstone mosque stands to the West of the Taj, it's floor was laid with the outlines of 569 prayer rugs in black marble.

 In the interests of symmetry an identical building the Jawab stands to the East but it was never used for worship.