Empire means different things in different historical periods and in different regions. For the Mughals, empire meant establishing a new dynasty in a region other than their homeland. The Mughal emperors were from Afghanistan, northwest of India. Their family came from somewhere else, and they spoke Turkish and Persian, not Indian languages. Even so, they stayed in India and built their power there. From 1526 to 1858, the Mughal Empire controlled much of the South Asian region. Today this area includes the countries of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The map to the right shows how much of the area the Mughals controlled at their height. (Click on the image to get a close-up.) The Mughal Empire lay between the Persian Safavid Empire to the West and the Chinese Ming Dynasty to the East. Babur, Humayun, and Akbar, the first three emperors, built their political power through military, economic, and diplomatic relations with various rulers in India. One of the main things that the emperors did was to create an impression of power through their architecture and art.

They built forts, palaces, religious buildings, and imperial tombs in order to communicate their power over the countryside. These structures represented their stability and permanence in the region. They also commissioned paintings and books which reinforced their image as rulers of the world.

This site explores:

three Mughal royal tombs

three portrait paintings of emperors

and the imperial city, now known as Delhi.

© 1998. Created by Rebecca M. Brown. Last updated 3/28/98.