The Taj Mahal took over 20 years to build, a substantial amount of this time was spent to get the marble and jasper stone that was used to construct this stunning monument. The four minarets that you see in the above image are tilted a bit, they tilt away from the monument. This not a mistake, it is also not something that occured over time. The brains that designed this beauty made provisions for an earthquake. It was believed that a strong earthquake could cause the minarets to fall down. With the slight outward tilt, the minarets were more likely to fall outwards and therefore away from the Taj Mahal. Each minaret is over 130 feet tall and has a view post (closed balcony) on the top.