The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, ……………. (build) by the emperor Shah Jhan for his queen Mumtaz Mahal. The Shah and Mumtaz ……………. (fall) in love at first sight when they were only 15. They ……………. (introduce) to each other by their parents. They ……………. (marry) five years later on 10 May, 1612.

In the following 19 years they ……………. (have) fourteen children. At the age of 39 Mumtaz ……………. (die) soon after the birth of their 14th child, a girl. The Shah was so heartbroken that he ……………. (build) the Taj Mahal as a monument to Mumtaz.

The beautiful white marble……………. (bring) from over 200 miles away and it ……………. (take) over 21 years to finish building the Taj Mahal. In 1666 the Shah died at the age of 74 and he ……………. (bury) next to his queen.

What do these numbers in the story refer to? (You need a little math sometimes)

19

21

14

39

1607

1612

200

1592

74

5