Who was Shah Jahan's father? Jahangir.

Shah Jahan (lived 15921666, reigned 1627-1658) was the third and favourite son of emperor Jahangir. Jahangir's other sons were Khusraw, Pervez and Shaharyar. What was Shah Jahan's real name? Khurram Shihab-ud-din Muhammed. Khurram Shihab-uddin Muhammed was given the name Shah Jahan (Lord of the World) by his father Jahangir in 1617, after Khurram's military successes against the Lodi in the Deccan secured the southern border of the empire. Zahir ud-Din Muhammed was the full name of

Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty in India. Ali Muhammed Shah is a made up name. Who was Shah Jahan's beloved wife in memory of whom he had the Taj Mahal consructed? Mumtaz Mahal. Akbarabadi Mahal and Kandahari Mahal were Shah Jahan's wives too but their relationship with him had nothing more than the status of marriage. Nur Jahan was Jahangir's wife and Shah Jahan's stepmother. Mumtaz Mahal's original name was Arjumand Banu Begum. Mumtaz Mahal actually means "Jewel of the Palace". Shah Jahan was very taken with her.

How old was Shah Jahan at the time of his marriage to Mumtaz Mahal? 20. Shah Jahan was betrothed to Mumtaz Mahal in 1607, when he was just 15. He married her five years later in 1612. She was 19 at the time. When did Shah Jahan succeed to the Mughal throne? 1627. Shah Jahan revolted against his father in 1622. Though the revolt was finally crushed in 1626 and he had to submit to his father unconditionally, he still became the emperor in 1627 after his father's death. Shah Jahan's military campaigns

drained the imperial treasury. True. Shah Jahan was involved in many wars and campaigns. These exhausted the Mughal treasury. The first signs of an imperial decline became apparent in his later years. Which of these structures was NOT built by Shah Jahan? Badshahi Mosque, Lahore. The Badshahi Mosque was constructed by his son and successor Aurangzeb in 1673. The Pearl Mosque was built in 1645 and the Shalimar Gardens in 1641-42 by Shah Jahan. The Red Fort in Delhi was constructed by Shah Jahan in 1639. It is the place where the Prime Minister of India

addresses the nation on Independance Day (15th August). All of these, apart from the Badshahi Mosque, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. How did Shah Jahan's rule come to an end? He was overthrown by a rebellion led by his son Aurangzeb. In 1657, Shah Jahan became ill and was widely reported to have died. The struggle for succession began among his sons, though the real contenders were his eldest son Dara Shukoh and his third son Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb defeated Dara and declared Shah Jahan incompetant to rule. He imprisoned Shah Jahan in Agra

Fort where he lived till his death in 1666. Dara was eventually captured and Aurangzeb had him marched back to Delhi in chains and then was publicly executed. Shah Jahan is regarded as the last strong Mughal ruler. False. His successor Aurangzeb (lived 1618-1707, reigned 16581707) was an equally strong ruler. Though some historians argue that the empire had already began to decline in Shah Jahan's later years, Aurangzeb was able to keep the empire from breaking apart during his reign. So he, too, can be considered as the last strong Mughal ruler.

An easy one to end with: Where was Shah Jahan buried after his death? The Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb had his father buried in the Taj Mahal, beside his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Babur was the first of the Mughal Emperors. true. After Babur came Humayun, then Akbar, then Jahangir, then Shah Jahan, then Aurangzeb and lastly Badur Shah Zafar. To whom did Humayun lose the throne? Sher Shah Suri. Humayun and his family were homeless wanderers. But then, on realizing Sher Shah

Suri was weak, they fought and Humayun regained the throne. Humayun died soon later leaving his only son, Akbar, who became Emperor at the age of only 13. Between 1556 snd 1560 which places did Akbar conquer? Gwalior, Jaipur and Ajmer. Punjab, Gujurat and Goa were not conqered between 1556 to 1560. Gwalior, Jaipur and Ajmer were big and would bring wealth to the kingdom. After Akbar's father, Humayun's death, who became his guardian? Bairam Khan. Akbar wanted to rule on his own for a while so he sent Bairam Khan (his uncle) on a

trip to Mecca. But on his way, Bairam was killed by rivals. What is Jahangir's real name? Salim. He succeded Akbar to the throne after killing his brothers. What is Noor Jahan's father's name? Mirza Ghiyas Beg. He was a Persian adventurer. Noor Jahan was the wife of Jahangir. She was like Akbar's courtier, Birbal. With her father, she was brought to court, and Jahangir married her. What is Noor Jahan's real name? Mihr-un-nisa. Mihr-un-nisa's name changed to Noor Jahan after her marriage to Jahangir. SHe was fond of Persian literature.

In Shah Jahan's reign, what was Old Delhi called? Shahjahanabad. Shahjahanabad is now Old Delhi. Shah Jahan had a daughter called Jahanara. Aurangzeb imprisoned his father in a prison across the river Yamuna. Shah Jahan was nursed by his daughter, Jahanara. Was Shah Jahan the last Mughal Emperor? false. The last Mughal Emperor was Badusha, who suceeded Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's son. What is the first name of the last Mughal emperor? Bhadur. Bhadur Shah Jafar was very weak.

Mughal Empire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Mughals) Jump to: navigation, search "Mughals" redirects here. For other uses, see Mughal (disambiguation).

The Mughal Empire

Shhn-e Grkn

15261857
Flag

Mughal Frontiers 15261707

Capital

Language(s)

Government

Agra; Fatehpur Sikri; Delhi Persian (initially also Chagatai Turkic; later also Hindustani) Absolute monarchy, unitary state

with federal structure Emperor - 15261530 - 15301539, 15551556 - 15561605 - 16051627 - 16281658 - 16581707 Historical era - First Battle of Panipat - Battle of Buxar Area - 1700 Babur Humayun Akbar Jahangir Shah Jahan Aurangzeb Early modern 21 April 1526 22 November 1857 3,200,000 km (1,235,527 sq mi)
2

Population - 1700 est. Density Currency

150,000,000 46.9 /km2 (121.4 /sq mi) Rupee

Preceded Succeeded by by Timurid Maratha dynasty Empire Delhi Durrani Sultanate Empire Suri Hotaki dynasty dynasty

Adil Shahi dynasty Sultanate of Bengal Deccan Sultanate s

British Raj Hyderaba d State Nawab of Carnatic Nawab of Bengal Nawab of Awadh Kingdom of Mysore

Bharatpur State
Today part of
Population source:[1]

Afghanistan Bangladesh India Pakistan

The Mughal Empire (Persian: Shhn-e Grkn; Urdu: self; designation:

 [2][3] Grkn ), or Mogul (also Moghul) Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the [4] Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids and Genghis Khan. The Mughal

Empire began in 1526; at the height of their power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they controlled most of the Indian Subcontinent extending from Bengal in the east to Balochistan in the west, Kashmir in the north to

the Kaveri basin in the [5] south. Its population at that time has been estimated as between 110 and 150 million, over a territory of more than 3.2 million square kilometres (1.2 million [1] square miles). The "classic period" of the empire started in

1556 with the accession of Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, better known as Akbar the Great. Under the rule of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony. The Mughals also forged a

strategic alliance with several Hindu Rajput kingdoms. Some Rajput kingdoms continued to pose a significant threat to Mughal dominance of northwestern India, but they were subdued [6][7] by Akbar. The reign of Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor, was the

golden age of Mughal architecture. He erected many splendid monuments, the most famous of which is the legendary Taj Mahal at Agra, as well as Pearl Mosque, the Red Fort, Jama Masjid (Mosque) and Lahore Fort. The Mughal Empire reached

the zenith of its territorial expansion during the reign of Aurangzeb. During his lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 1.25 million square miles, ruling over more than 150 million subjects, nearly 1/4th of

the world's [1][8] population. By the late 17th century, Hindu Maratha Empire had emerged as formidable foes of the Mughals, resulting in War of 27 years between both the forces. Following the death of Aurangzeb in

1707, the empire started [9] its gradual decline, weakened by wars of succession, agrarian crises fueling local revolts, the growth of religious intolerance, the rise of the Maratha. After 27 years of war with the Marathas, Mughals lost all of their

territory in the Deccan [10] region. In 1737, Maratha forces sacked Delhi, following their victory against the Mughals in the First Battle of Delhi. In 1739, a weakened Mughal Empire lost the Battle of Karnal, following which the

victorious forces of Nader Shah, the Turkic ruler of Afsharid dynasty, invaded and looted Delhi, carrying away many treasures, including the Peacock [11] Throne. A treaty signed in 1752 made Marathas the protector of the Mughal throne at

Delhi. . The last Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, whose rule was restricted to the city of Delhi, was imprisoned and exiled by the British after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The name Mughal is derived from the original homelands of

[12][13]

the Timurids, the Central Asian steppes once conquered by Genghis Khan and hence known as Moghulistan, "Land of Mongols". Although early Mughals spoke the Chagatai language and maintained some Turko-Mongol

practices, they became essentially [14] Persianized and transferred the Persian literary and high [14] culture to India, thus forming the base for the Indo-Persian culture and the Spread of Islam [14][15] in South Asia.

Contents
[hide] 1 Early history 2 Mughal dynasty 2.1 Decline 3 List of Mughal emperors 4 Influence on the Indian subcontinent 4.1 Mughal
o o

influence on South Asian art and culture 4.2 Urdu language 4.3 Mughal society 5 Science and technology 5.1 Astronomy 5.2 Technology 6 Gallery 7 See also
o o o o

8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

[edit] Early history

A dagger from the Mughal Empire with hilt in jade, gold, rubies and emeralds. Blade of damascened steel inlaid with gold. Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur learned about the riches of Hindustan and

conquest of it by his ancestor, Timur, in 1503 at Dikh-Kat, a place in the Transoxiana region. At that time, he was roaming as a wanderer after losing his principality, Farghana. In his memoirs he wrote that after he had

acquired Kabulistan in 1504, he desired to regain the territories in Hindustan held once by Turks. He started his exploratory raids from September 1519 when he visited the IndoAfghan borders to suppress the rising by Yusufzai tribes. He

undertook similar raids up to 1524 and had established his base camp at Peshawar. Finally in 1526 in his fifth attempt, Babur defeated the last of the Delhi Sultans, Ibrahim Shah Lodi, at the First Battle of Panipat. To secure his newly

founded kingdom, Babur then had to face the formidable Rajput Rana Sanga of Chittor, at the Battle of Khanwa. Rana Sanga offered stiff resistance but was defeated Babur's son Humayun succeeded him in 1530, but suffered reversals at

the hands of the Pashtun Sher Shah Suri and lost most of the fledgling empire before it could grow beyond a minor regional state. From 1540 Humayun became ruler in exile, reaching the court of the Safavid rule in 1554 while his force still

controlled some fortresses and small regions. During 1553 1556, the Hindu king, Hemu Vikramaditya acceded to the throne of Delhi by defeating forces of Mughal Emperor Akbar at Agra and Delhi. However, the Mughals

reestablished their rule after Akbar's army defeated Hemu during the Second Battle of Panipat. Humayun crossed the rough terrain of the Makran with his wife until their son Akbar was born in the fortress of Umarkot in Sind.

The resurgent Humayun then conquered the central plateau around Delhi, but months later died in an accident, leaving the realm unsettled and in war. Akbar succeeded his father on 14 February 1556. He became known as Akbar, as he

was a wise ruler, setting high but fair taxes. He was a more inclusive in his approach to the nonMuslim subjects of the Empire. He investigated the production in a certain area and taxed inhabitants one-fifth of their agricultural produce. He also set up

an efficient bureaucracy and was tolerant of religious differences which softened the resistance by the locals. He made alliances with Rajputs and appointed native generals and administrators. Later in life, he devised his own brand of syncretic

philosophy based on tolerance. Jahangir, son of Emperor Akbar, ruled the empire from 1605 1627. In October 1627, Shah Jahan, son of Emperor Jahangir succeeded to the throne, where he inherited a vast and rich empire. At

mid-century this was perhaps the greatest empire in the world. Shah Jahan commissioned the famous Taj Mahal (16301653) in Agra which was built by the Persian architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri as a tomb for Shah Jahan's

wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. By late 17th century, the empire reached its peak under the leadership of Aurangzeb Alamgir with major parts of present day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

and most of Afghanistan.

[edit] Mughal dynasty

A panorama in 12 folds showing the procession

of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II to celebrate the feast of the Eid ul-Fitr in 1843.

Genealogy of the Mughal Dynasty

Sikh and Maratha states gained territory after the Mughal empire's decline. Map showing territories in 1700 and 1792

The Mughal Empire was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent between the mid-16th century and the early 18th century. Founded in 1526, it officially survived until 1858, when it was supplanted by the British Raj. The

dynasty is sometimes referred to as the Timurid dynasty as Babur was descended from Timur. The Mughal dynasty was founded when Babur, hailing from Ferghana (Modern Uzbekistan), invaded parts of northern India

and defeated Ibrahim Shah Lodhi, the ruler of Delhi, at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. The Mughal Empire superseded the Delhi Sultanate as rulers of northern India. In time, the state thus founded by Babur far exceeded the bounds of the Delhi

Sultanate, eventually encompassing a major portion of India and earning the appellation of Empire. A brief interregnum (1540 1555) during the reign of Babur's son, Humayun, saw the rise of the Afghan Suri Dynasty under Sher

Shah Suri, a competent and efficient ruler in his own right. However, Sher Shah's untimely death and the military incompetence of his successors enabled Humayun to regain his throne in 1555. However, Humayun died a few months later,

and was succeeded by his son, the 13-year-old Akbar the Great. The greatest portions of Mughal expansion was accomplished during the reign of Akbar (15561605). The empire was maintained as the dominant force of

the present-day Indian subcontinent for a hundred years further by his successors Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. The first six emperors, who enjoyed power both de jure and de facto, are usually referred to by just one name, a title

adopted upon his accession by each emperor. The relevant title is bolded in the list below. Akbar the Great initiated certain important policies, such as religious liberalism (abolition of the jizya tax), inclusion of

natives in the affairs of the empire, and political alliance/marriage with the Rajputs, that were innovative for his milieu; he also adopted some policies of Sher Shah Suri, such as the division of the empire into sarkar raj, in his administration of the

empire. These policies, which undoubtedly served to maintain the power and stability of the empire, were preserved by his two immediate successors but were discarded by Emperor Aurangzeb who spent nearly his entire career expanding

his realm, beyond the Urdu Belt, into the Deccan and South India, Assam in the east; this venture provoked resistance from the Marathas, Sikhs, Jats and Ahoms. [edit] Decline After Emperor Aurangzeb's death in

1707, the empire fell into succession crisis. Barring Muhammad Shah, none of the Mughal emperors could hold on to power for a decade. In the 18th century, the Empire suffered the depredations of invaders like Nadir

Shah of Persia and Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan, who repeatedly sacked Delhi, the Mughal capital. Most of the empire's territories in India passed to the Marathas, Nawabs, and Nizams by c.1750. The Mughal Emperors lost

effective power in favor of the British after the Battle of Buxar in [16] 1764. In 1804, the ineffective Shah Alam II formally accepted the protection of the British East India Company. The company had already begun to refer to the weakened

emperor as "King of Delhi", rather than "Emperor of India". The once glorious and mighty Mughal army was disbanded in 1805 by the British; only the guards of the Red Fort were spared to serve with the King of Delhi, which avoided the

uncomfortable implication that British sovereignty was outranked by the Indian monarch. Nonetheless, for a few decades afterward the British East India Company continued to rule the areas under its control as the nominal servants

of the emperor and in his name. After the Revolt of 1857, even these courtesies were disposed. The rebels declared their allegiance to Shah Alam's descendant, Bahadur Shah II which led to a protracted Siege of Delhi, after which

the victorious British abolished the institution altogether with transfer of authority to the British crown. The last Mughal emperor was deposed and exiled to Burma, where he died in 1862.

[edit] List of Mughal emperors

Main article: Mughal emperors Mughal architecture

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Complex Arabesque inlays at the Mughal Agra Fort

Lalbagh Fort, constructed in the mid 17th century in Dhaka during the reign of Aurangzeb

The Alamgiri Gate is the main entrance to the

Lahore Fort built during the reign of Aurangzeb Jama Masjid, Delhi built by Shah Jahan, 1656
History of the Mongols

Before Genghis Khan

Khamag Mongol Mongol Empire Khanates - Chagatai Khanate - Golden Horde - Ilkhanate - Yuan Dynasty Northern Yuan Timurid Empire

Mughal Empire Crimean Khanate Khanate of Sibir Zunghar Khanate Mongolia during Qing Outer Mongolia (19111919) Republic of China (Occupation

of Mongolia) Mongolian People's Republic (Outer Mongolia) Modern Mongolia Mengjiang (Inner Mongolia) People's Republic of China (Inner Mongolia) Republic of

Buryatia Kalmyk Republic Hazara Mongols Aimak Mongols Timeline

edit box

Certain important particulars regarding the Mughal emperors is tabulated below:

Re ig D Emp Bir n ea Notes eror th Pe th ri od Zahe Feb 15 D Founde erudd 23, 26 ec r of the 148 26 Mughal in Muha 3 15 , Dynast

mma d Babu r

30 15 y. 30

Reign Nasir 15 interru uddin Mar 30 Ja pted by Muha 6, n Suri mma 150 15 15 Dynast 8 56 d 40 y. Hum Youth

ayun

and inexper ience at ascensi on led to his being regarde d as a less effectiv

e ruler than usurper , Sher Shah Suri. Depose 15 M Sher d 147 40 ay Shah Humay 2 15 Suri un and 15 45 led the

45

Suri Dynast y.

2nd and last 15 ruler of Islam 45 c.1 15 the Suri Shah 500 54 Dynast Suri 15 y, 54 claims of sons

Sikand ar and Adil Shah were elimina ted by Humay un's restorat ion.

Restore d rule Nasir was uddin 15 more Mar Ja Muha 55 unified 6, n mma and 150 15 d 15 effectiv 8 56 Hum 56 e than ayun initial reign of 1530

1540; left unified empire for his son, Akbar. Jalalu No 15 O Akbar ddin v 56 ct greatly Muha 14, 27 expand mma 154 16 , ed the

d 2 Akba r

05 16 Empire 05 and is regarde d as the most illustrio us ruler of the Mughal Dynast y as he

set up the empire' s various instituti ons; he married Maria m-uzZamani

,a Rajput princes s. One of his most famous constru ction marvel s was

the Lahore Fort. Jahangi Noor r set uddin 16 the Muha Oct 05 16 precede mma 156 27 nt for d 9 16 sons Jaha 27 rebellin ngir g

against their empero r fathers. Opened first relation s with the British

East India Compa ny. Report edly was an alcohol ic, and his wife

Empres s Noor Jahan became the real power behind the throne and compet

ently ruled in his place. Shah Under aabud Jan 16 him, din 5, 27 16 Mughal Muha 159 66 art and mma 2 16 archite 58 cture d Shah reached

Jaha n

their zenith; constru cted the Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Jahangi

r mausol eum, and Shalim ar Garden s in Lahore. Depose d and

impriso ned by his son Aurang zeb. Mohi He 16 M uddin Oct 58 ar reinterp Muha 21, 3, reted mma 161 17 17 Islamic 8 d law and 07 07 Aura present

ngzeb Alam gir

ed the Fatawa -eAlamgi ri; he capture d the diamon d mines of the Sultana

te of Golcon da; he spent the major part of his last 27 years in the war

with the Marath a rebels; at its zenith, his conque sts expand

ed the empire to its greatest extent; the overstretche d empire was

controll ed by Mansa bdars, and faced challen ges after his death.

He is known to have transcri bed copies of the Qur'an using his own styles

of calligra phy. First of the 17 Baha Oct Fe Mughal 07 dur 14, b empero Shah 164 17 rs to 17 I 3 12 preside 12 over a steady

and severe decline in the territori es under the empire' s control

and militar y power due to the rising strengt h of the autono mous

Nawab s. After his reign, the empire went into steady decline. Jahan 166 17 Fe He was

dar 4 Shah

12 b highly 17 influen 17 13 ced by 13 his Grand Vizier Zulfika r Khan.

17 17 In 1717 Furru 168 13 19 he khsiy 3 granted

ar

17 19

a firman to the English East India Compa ny grantin g them duty

free trading rights for Bengal and confir med their positio n in

India. Rafi Un Ul17 17 kno Darja 19 19 wn t Rafi Ud- Un 17 17 Daula kno 19 19 wn t a.k.a

Shah Jahan II Un Nikus 17 17 kno iyar 19 43 wn Muha Un mma kno 17 17 20 44 d wn Ibrahi

m 17 Got rid 19 of the Syed Muha 17 Brother mma 170 20 17 s. d 2 , 48 Fought Shah 17 a long 20 war with 17 the

48

Marath a Empire , losing Deccan and Malwa in the process . Suffere

d the invasio n of NadirShah of Persia in 1739. He was the last Mughal

Emper or to have full control over the Empire , since the Mughal

Court was now under control of the Marath [16] a. Ahm 172 17 17 Mughal ad 48 54 forces 5 Shah massac

Baha dur

54

red by the Marath a during the Battle of Sikand arabad;

Alam 169 17 17 Consoli

gir II 9

54 59 dation of 17 power 59 of the Nizam of Hydera bad,Na wab of Oudh, Marath

as, State of Mysore & Nawab of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa; Shah Un In 17 Jahan kno 17 70

III

wn 59 s

Defeat of the combin 17 ed Shah 59 172 18 forces Alam 8 06 of II 18 Mughal 06 , Nawab of

Oudh & Nawab of Bengal, Bihar at the hand of East India Compa

ny at the Battle of Buxar. Treaty of Allaha bad. Hyder Ali

become s Nawab of Mysore in 1761. Ahmed -ShahAbdali in 1761

defeate d the Marath as during the Third Battle of Panipat ; The

fall of Tipu Sultan of Mysore in 1799; He was the last Mughal Emper

or to preside effectiv e control over the empire. Akba 176 18 18 Titular r 06 37 figureh 0 Shah ead

II

18 37

under British protecti on

The Baha 18 last dur 37 Mughal 177 18 Shah empero 5 62 (Zafa 18 r was r) II 57 depose d by

the British and exiled to Burma followi ng the Indian Rebelli on of

1857. End of Mughal dynasty .

[edit] Influence on the

Indian subcontinen t
[edit] Mughal influence on South Asian art and culture

Outline of

South Asian history History of Indian subcontinent

Stone age (70003000 BCE)[show]

Bronze age (30001300 BCE)[show]

Iron age (120026 BCE)[show]

Classical period (11279 CE)[show]

Late medieval age (12061596 CE)[show]

Early modern period (15261858 CE)[show]

Other states (11021947 CE)[show]

Colonial period (15051961 CE)[show]

Kingdoms of Sri Lanka (543 BCE1948 CE)[show]

Nation histories[show]

Regional histories[show]

Specialised histories[show]

v t

A major Mughal contribution to the Indian subcontinent was their unique architecture. Many monuments were built by the Muslim emperors, especially Shahjahan, during the Mughal era including

the UNESCO World Heritage Site Taj Mahal, which is known to be one of the finer examples of Mughal architecture. Other World Heritage Sites includes the Humayun's Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort, Agra Fort, and Lahore Fort.

The palaces, tombs, and forts built by the dynasty stands today in Agra, Aurangabad, Delhi, Dhaka, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, Lahore, Kabul, Sheikhupura, and many other cities of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and [17] Bangladesh. With

few memories of Central Asia, Babur's descendents absorbed traits and customs of the Indian [18] Subcontinent, and became more or less naturalised. Mughal influence can be seen in cultural

contributions such [citation needed] as : Centralised, imperialistic government which brought together many smaller [19] kingdoms. Persian art and culture amalgamated with

Indian art and [20] culture. New trade routes to Arab and Turkic lands. The development of [21] Mughlai cuisine. Mughal Architecture found its way into local Indian architecture, most

conspicuously in the palaces built by Rajputs and Sikh rulers. Landscape gardening Although the land the Mughals once ruled has separated into what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, their

influence can still be seen widely today. Tombs of the emperors are spread throughout [22] India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. There are 16 million descendants spread throughout the Subcontinent and possibly the [23][unreliable source?] world.

[edit] Urdu language Main articles: Persian language in South Asia and Persian and Urdu Although Persian was the dominant and "official" language of the empire, the language of the elite later evolved into a form known as Urdu.

Highly Persianized and also influenced by Arabic and Turkic, the language was written in a type of Perso-Arabic script known as Nastaliq, and with literary conventions and specialized vocabulary being retained from Persian, Arabic and

Turkic; the new dialect was eventually given its own name of Urdu. Compared with Hindi, the Urdu language draws more vocabulary from Persian and Arabic (via Persian) and (to a much lesser degree) from Turkic languages where Hindi

draws vocabulary from Sanskrit more [24] heavily. Modern Hindi, which uses Sanskrit-based vocabulary along with Urdu loan words from Persian and Arabic, is mutually intelligible [25] with Urdu. Today, Urdu is the national

language of Pakistan and also an important co-official language in India. [edit] Mughal society This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The Indian economy remained as prosperous under the Mughals as it was, because of the creation of a road system and a uniform currency, together with the unification of the country. Manufactured goods and peasantgrown cash crops were

sold throughout the world. Key industries included shipbuilding (the Indian shipbuilding industry was as advanced as the European, and Indians sold ships to European firms), textiles, and steel. The Mughals maintained a small

fleet, which merely carried pilgrims to Mecca, imported a few Arab horses in Surat. Debal in Sindh was mostly autonomous. The Mughals also maintained various river fleets of Dhows, which transported soldiers over rivers and

fought rebels. Among its admirals were Yahya Saleh, Munnawar Khan, and Muhammad Saleh Kamboh. The Mughals also protected the Siddis of Janjira. Its sailors were renowned and often voyaged to China and the East African Swahili Coast,

together with some Mughal subjects carrying out privatesector trade. Cities and towns boomed under the Mughals; however, for the most part, they were military and political centres, not manufacturing or commerce centres. Only

those guilds which produced goods for the bureaucracy made goods in the towns; most industry was based in rural areas. The Mughals also built Maktabs in every province under their authority, where youth were taught the Quran

and Islamic law such as the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri in their indigenous languages. The nobility was a heterogeneous body; while it primarily consisted of Rajput aristocrats and foreigners from Muslim countries, people of all

castes and nationalities could gain a title from the emperor. The middle class of openly affluent traders consisted of a few wealthy merchants living in the coastal towns; the bulk of the merchants pretended to be poor to avoid

taxation. The bulk of the people were poor. The standard of living of the poor was as low as, or somewhat higher than, the standard of living of the Indian poor under the British Raj; whatever benefits the British brought with canals and modern

industry were neutralized by rising population growth, high taxes, and the collapse of traditional industry in the nineteenth century.

[edit] Science and technology

[edit] Astronomy While there appears to have been little concern for theoretical astronomy, Mughal

astronomers continued to make advances in observational astronomy and produced nearly a hundred Zij treatises. Humayun built a personal observatory near Delhi, while Jahangir and Shah Jahan were also

intending to build observatories but were unable to do so. The instruments and observational techniques used at the Mughal observatories were mainly derived from the Islamic [26][27] tradition. In particular, one of the

most remarkable astronomical instruments invented in Mughal India is the seamless celestial globe (see Technology below). [edit] Technology See also: History of gunpowder: India

Fathullah Shirazi (c. 1582), a Persian-Indian polymath and mechanical engineer who worked for Akbar the Great in the Mughal Empire, developed a [28] volley gun. Considered one of the most remarkable feats in metallurgy, the

seamless globe was invented in Kashmir by Ali Kashmiri ibn Luqman in 998 AH (158990 CE), and twenty other such globes were later produced in Lahore and Kashmir during the Mughal Empire. Before they were rediscovered

in the 1980s, it was believed by modern metallurgists to be technically impossible to produce metal globes without any seams, even with modern technology. Another famous series of seamless celestial globes was produced

using a lost-wax casting method in the Mughal Empire in 1070 AH (16591960 CE) by Muhammad Salih Tahtawi with Arabic and Persian inscriptions. It is considered a major feat in metallurgy. These Mughal metallurgists

pioneered the method of wax casting while producing these [29] seamless globes.