First thorough cleaning of Taj Mahal's dome expected to be challenging

NEW DELHI, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Indian workers have been trying to figure out how to clean the Taj Mahal's grand yet delicate dome, as they complete the first thorough cleaning of the world-renowned historical site, the Associated Press reported.

The Taj Mahal, meaning Crown of the Palace, is an ivory-white marble mausoleum built 369 years ago by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

The workers have been using a natural mud paste to return the marble to its original white, but the metal scaffolding used is too heavy for the dome, asking for alternative methods, such as special bamboo scaffolding, the report said.

The Indian Supreme Court on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to formulate a pragmatic and futuristic policy to protect the Taj Mahal, saying that it must be preserved for at least 400-500 years, the Times of India reported.

The Taj Mahal has become "all yellow" due to air pollution over the past 25 years, superintending archaeologist Bhuvan Vikrama was quoted by the AP report as saying. He noted it even started becoming black in the areas not washed by rains.

Makeover of the World Heritage site started in 2015, and work on the dome would likely take 10 months, which is expected to start next year and finish in 2019. Enditem