Those tasked with protecting the Taj Mahal have a responsibility to the world

When Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built a stunning mausoleum for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, it was a deeply personal gesture. Today, the Taj Mahal is anything but.

Considered one of the seven wonders of the world, the architectural marvel attracts as many as 70,000 visitors a day. Famed for its beauty and symmetry, the monument no longer belongs only to the state of Uttar Pradesh, where it is to be found. Rather it belongs to the world.

As a result, those tasked with conserving it, with its magnificent marble walls and bejewelled interior, have a duty to the rest of the world. But in recent years, their failure to do so has sparked an angry debate within the country.

India’s Supreme Court this week chided authorities for their lethargy in preserving the monument. “Either we shut down the Taj or demolish it or you restore it,” said the court on Wednesday.

Once a brilliant white, the Taj Mahal's walls no longer gleam. Rather, particulate matter released by heavy industry nearby has left a brownish-green hue. Meanwhile, throngs of insects drawn to the deluge of waste that flows down the adjacent Yamuna river by the Taj Mahal have infested the monument and stained its walls.

It is a fate that has befallen many monuments in the care of the corruption-prone Archaeological Survey of India. The country’s highest court is right to demand foreign assistance be sought if local authorities cannot preserve the structure.

But the Taj’s decay raises another, far more insidious, issue, namely the endemic bias that promotes Hindu monuments over Muslim ones. Last October, the Taj was excluded from an Uttar Pradesh tourism brochure after the state’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the mausoleum did not reflect Indian culture.

The unpleasant episode revealed a deep rot within Indian conservation – and society. Such attitudes miss the point of monuments like the Taj Mahal. They are not preserved to exhibit the superiority of any religion or culture, but to promote understanding and to inspire.

The Taj Mahal belongs to the world. It is time that Indian authorities mobilised to preserve it for us all.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013

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How to report a beggar

Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)

Dubai – Call 800243

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Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372

Ajman – Call 067401616

Umm Al Quwain – Call 999

Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.

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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE

Join parent networks
Look beyond school fees
Keep an open mind

The Bio

Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.

Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.

Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.

Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.