Goodbye to our Lego Taj Mahal #10189...

• Model: 10189 Taj Mahal
• 5922 Pieces
• Released in 2008
• Retail price: $249.99 USD

We initially bought a set of the Taj Mahal as we wanted it to complement our Modular Town. (By the way, we are close to completing our seventh Lego project, 10190 Market Street - we are waiting for the replacements to several missing pieces to arrive. Stay tuned!) However, considering that there are space constraints for such a large set and that we found that the Taj did not match well with the town or our two ships, we made a decision to let it go.

Let's take a closer look at our Lego set.


Introduction to the original Taj Mahal (data taken from Wikipedia)

The Taj Mahal, known as "crown of buildings" in Persian, is a mausoleum in Agra, India. Completed in 1653 after 21 years of construction, the Taj was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara Begum, in 1631.

Known as one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The Taj was built using a labour force of 20,000 workers from northern India; other skilled labourers include sculptors, calligraphers, inlayers, stonecutters, turret builders and marble flower craftsmen from Bukhara, Syria, Persia, southern India and Baluchistan.

While the Taj is perhaps known as one of the greatest tangible monuments of love, the story did not end kindly for Shah Jahan, who was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and put under house arrest at the nearby Agra Fort. Upon the Shah Jahan's death, he was buried by Aurangzeb in the mausoleum next to Mumtaz Mahal.

The Lego Taj Mahal 10189

With the introduction of the real life monument, let us examine its Lego version.

The Lego Taj Mahal was released by Lego in 2008. Weighing a massive 6kg and comprising 5,922 pieces, it is by far the largest set ever created by Lego. The Taj is part of an effort by Lego to replicate real life global landmarks; other prominent structures include Paris' Eiffel Tower and London's Tower Bridge.

Front view of the Taj Mahal

Back view of the Taj

Our Taj Mahal set comes with a protective cardboard box

Protective cardboard flap at the top

Front view of the Taj in the box

The Taj, all sealed up 

Most Lego owners will agree with us that collecting, and building, Lego sets is not an easy hobby. Besides costs involved in purchasing the sets, Lego owners also have to consider display options (on a table, in a glass display cabinet?) and the space constraints that come along.

Well, we are going to break out of our melancholic mood now. The Lego experience is not just about collecting and building Lego sets; it is also about sharing the joy of owning and building sets, whether they be brand new or second hand. We are happy to have made another Lego enthusiast's day by letting this Taj Mahal set go!

Lastly, on the bright side, we still look forward to completing our Modular Town, and we are always on the lookout for interesting Lego series to add to our growing collection! Keep an eye for our next project, the 10190 Market Street! :)