The Taj Mahal is to open on moonlit evenings 20 years after security fears e

The Taj Mahal is to open on moonlit evenings 20 years after security fears ends night visits. India’s Supreme Court will allow the famous (26) monument to love to open four nights a month, initially for three months.
The Taj, built in the 1600s by the Mughal (27) emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife, is a World Heritage site. Only 400 visitors will be (28) let in each night, and parking restrictions will be imposed around the site.
The Supreme Court (29) announcement came as state officials in Uttar Pradesh were celebrating the Taj’s 350th anniversary close to its site in the city of Agra.
“This reopening of the Taj for moonlight viewing is going to draw (30) fantastic crowds from across the globe,” State tourism minister Kaukab Hamid said, “We will ensure strict security and follow visitor guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.”
Tourist chiefs said (31) more than 300,000 foreigners visited the Taj Mahal site in 2003, but numbers are down since the terror attacks in the US on 11 September 2003. Night visits to the Taj, once a romantic (32) highlight of any visit to India, were banned in 1984 for some reason.
The Sikh insurgency ended in the mid-1990s, but Indian authorities have remained (33) reluctant to let visitors back to the Taj after sunset. During the height of tensions between India and Pakistan in 2001, officials (34) drew up plans to disguise the Taj from possible Pakistani air attacks.
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as an expression of love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is largely made of white stone that (35) reflects the changes of colour visible during sunset and clear, moonlit nights.