The architecture of southern Asia owes to the patronage of the Mughals one of its most creative and richest periods. Each of the Muslim dynasties that established thcrnstlns in the Indian subcontinent from the end of the twelfth century onwards created its own anzhitectunl style, but no other period of Indo-Islamic architecture before the Mughals has bequeathed to us such a wealth of outstanding secular and religious buildings. But before we concentrate on purely architectural issues it will be helpful to provide the reader new to the subject with a little general information on the Mughals.' Tltosc already familiar with the Mughals will perhaps prefer to proceed to the second part of the introduction. In Arabic and Persian. mugbal means “the Mongol" or “Mongolian”, because Babur, the founder of the Indian Mughal dynasty. was descended on his mother's side from C1-tingiz Khan. More important for the self-understanding of the Mughals, however, was Babur's paternal descent from Timur, the great Asian conqueror of the later fourteenth and early fifteenth century. With this Timurid-Mongolian heritage, the Mughals withstood Indianization, at least with regard to physiognomy and language, until about too. Up to this time family portraits still show Tartarian fcarunn, and Chaghatay Turl-ti was spoken in the family. By and by, thnaugh dynastic marriages with Raiput princesses. the Mughals became more lndianized. Also, the family Turlti gave way to Persian, which was already the official language of the court, of the administration and, of course. of poetry.


Mughal Library