Taj Mahal ranks second best in the world heritage site

NEW DELHI: The Taj Mahal, a mausoleum crafted in ivory-white marble, located in Uttar Pradesh's Agra, has been declared as the second best UNESCO world heritage site in the world.

The survey, conducted by online travel portal TripAdvisor, lists the UNESCO Cultural and Natural heritage sites which are best rated by travelers around the globe.

In an interview conducted by India’s PTI, "You can find hundreds of tours and experiences to visit this mesmerizing site, from a private tour with guide and visit at sunset or sunrise, to a visit including a home-cooked meal at a local home in Agra," the travel portal was quoted.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It is described as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". The monument receives 8 million visitors per year.

Government statistics, however, show that every fourth foreign visitor to the country visits the Taj but there has been a decline in the number foreign tourists to the white marble mausoleum, widely considered one of the world's seven wonders.

The other monuments that featured in the notable list are Iguazu National Park in Brazil, Italy's Sassi of Matera, Auschwitz Birkenau and historic Krakow in Poland, the old city of Jerusalem in Israel and the historic areas of Istanbul in Turkey.