Mughal architecture is a style that developed under the Mughal Empire between the 16th and 17th centuries, blending Islamic, Persian, and Indian elements. Key emperors like Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb commissioned many grand buildings, including mosques, tombs, forts, and palaces. The Taj Mahal, built under Shah Jahan, is considered one of the most beautiful structures ever created and exemplifies the peak of Mughal architectural achievement.

1. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mughal architecture
Mughal architecture
Islam in India distinctive style developed by the Mughal
Empire in India & Pakistan in the 16th and
17th centuries.
Uzbek - Turkic Mughal
architecture
The Uzbek dynasty began with the emperor
Babur in 1526. Babur erected a mosque at
Panipat to celebrate his victory over Ibrahim
Lodi. A second mosque, known as the Babri
History masjid, was built in Ayodhya and was demol-
ished in 1992 by Hindu extremists. A third
Architecture
mosque also built by Babur during the same
Mughal · Indo-Islamic · Indo-Saracenic period was constructed in Sambhal in Distt
Moradabad
Major figures
Some of the first and most characteristic
Moinuddin Chishti · Akbar examples that remain of early Mughal archi-
· Ahmad Raza Khan tecture were built in the short reign
· Maulana Azad
(1540–1545) of emperor Sher Shah Suri, who
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan · Bahadur Yar Jung
was not a Mughal; they include a mosque
Communities known as the Qila i Kuhna (1541) near Delhi,
Northern · Mappilas · Tamil and the military architecture of the Old Fort
Konkani · Marathi · Vora Patel in Delhi, Lal Bagh (Dhaka) in Bangladesh ,
Memons · North-Eastern · Kashmiris and Rohtas Fort, near Jhelum in present-day
Hyderabadi · Dawoodi Bohras · Khoja Pakistan. His mausoleum, octagonal in plan
Oriya · Nawayath · Bearys · The Saits
and set upon a plinth in the middle of an arti-
Meo · Sunni Bohras
Kayamkhani · Bengali ficial lake, is in Sasaram, and was completed
by his son and successor Islam Shah Suri
Schools of law (1545AD-1553AD).
Hanafi · Shafi`i · Maliki · Hanbali
Schools of thought Akbar
Barelvi · Deobandi · Ahle Hadith The emperor Akbar (1556-1605) built largely,
and the style developed vigorously during his
Mosques in India
reign. As in the Gujarat and other styles,
Historic Mosques of India there is a combination of Muslim and Hindu
features in his works. Akbar constructed the
Culture
royal city of Fatehpur Sikri, located 26 miles
Muslim culture of Hyderabad (42 km) west of Agra, in the late 1500s. The
numerous structures at Fatehpur Sikri best
Other topics
illustrate the style of his works, and the great
Ahle Sunnat Movement in South Asia mosque there is scarcely matched in eleg-
Islahi Movement in Kerala ance and architectural effect; the south gate-
Indian Muslim nationalism
Muslim chronicles for Indian history way is well known, and from its size and
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind structure excels any similar entrance in In-
dia. The Mughals built impressive tombs,
Mughal architecture, an amalgam of Islam- which include the fine tomb of Akbar’s father
ic, Persian and Indian architecture, is the Humayun, and Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra,
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2. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mughal architecture
near Agra, which is a unique structure of the sovereigns. He also built the mausoleum and
kind and of great merit. sections of the huge Lahore Fort that include
the impressive Moti Masjid, Sheesh Mahal,
Jahangir and Naulakha pavilion which are all enclosed
in the fort. He also built a mosque after him-
self in Thatta called Shahjahan Mosque.
Another mosque was built during his tenture
in Lahore called Wazir Khan Mosque, by
Shaikh Ilm-ud-din Ansari who was the court
physician to the emperor.
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal, the "teardrop on the cheek of
eternity" (Rabindranath Tagore), was com-
pleted in 1648 by the emperor Shah Jahan in
memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is com-
pletely symmetric other than the sarcophag-
Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daula, Agra us of Shah Jahan, which is placed off center
in the crypt room below the main floor. This
Under Jahangir (1605–1627) the Hindu fea- symmetry extended to the building of an en-
tures vanished from the style; his great tire mirror mosque in red sandstone, to com-
mosque at Lahore is in the Persian style, plement the Mecca-facing mosque place to
covered with enamelled tiles. At Agra, the the west of the main structure.
tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula completed in 1628, The Taj Mahal (1630-1653) in Agra, India
built entirely of white marble and covered and the Shalimar Garden (1641-1642) in
wholely by pietra dura mosaic, is one of the Lahore, Pakistan, are two sites which are on
most splendid examples of that class of orna- the world heritage list of UNESCO. One can
mentation anywhere to be found. Jahangir see the architectural similarities and the love
also built the Shalimar Gardens and its ac- for water that the Mughals expressed in
companying pavilions on the shore of Dal many of their buildings.
Lake in Kashmir. He also built a monument The Taj is considered to be one of the
to his pet antelope, Hiran Minar in most beautiful monuments of love and is one
Sheikhupura, Pakistan and due to his great of the Seven Wonders of the World, when it
love for his wife, after his death she went on comes to tourism.
to build his mausoleum in Lahore.
Aurangzeb and later
Shah Jahan
The force and originality of the style gave
Mughal architecture
way under Shah Jahan (1627-1658) to a delic- In Aurangzeb’s reign (1658–1707) squared
ate elegance and refinement of detail, illus- stone and marble gave way to brick or rubble
trated in the magnificent palaces erected in with stucco ornament. Srirangapatna and
his reign at Agra and Delhi, the latter one the Lucknow have examples of later Indo-Muslim
most exquisitely beautiful in India. The most architecture. He also added his mark to the
splendid of the Mogul tombs, and the most Lahore Fort. He also built one of the thirteen
renowned building in India, is the Taj Mahal gates, and it was later named after him,
at Agra, the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife Alamgir. The most impressive building of
of Shah Jahan.The Moti Masjid (Pearl Aurangzeb’s reign, is the Badshahi Mosque
Mosque) in the Agra Fort and The Jama which was constructed in 1674 under the su-
Masjid at Delhi are an imposing building, and pervision of Fida’i Koka. This mosque is ad-
their position and architecture have been jacent to the Lahore Fort. Badshahi Mosque
carefully considered so as to produce a pleas- is the last in the series of great congregation-
ing effect and feeling of spacious elegance al mosques in red sandstone and is closely
and well-balanced proportion of parts. In his modeled on the one Shah Jahan built at Shah-
works Shah Jahan presents himself as the jahanabad. The red sandstone of the walls
most magnificent builder of Indian contrasts with the white marble of the domes
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3. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mughal architecture
and the subtle intarsia decoration. The ma-
terials depart from the local tradition of tile
Characteristic elements
revetment that is seen in the Wazir Khan of Mughal architecture
Mosque. According to Blair and Bloom, the
• Jharokha
cusped arches and arabesque floral patterns
• Chhatri
inlaid in white marble give the building, des-
• Chhajja
pite its vast proportions, a lighter appearance
• Jali
than its prototype.Additional monuments
• Guldasta
from this period are associated with women
• Charbagh
from Aurangzeb’s imperial family. The con-
struction of the elegant Zinat al-Masjid in
Daryaganij was overseen by Aurangzeb’s See also
second daughter Zinat al-Nisa. The delicate
brick and plaster mausoleum in the Roshan-
Ara-Bagh in Sabzimandi was for Aurangzeb’s
sister Roshan-Ara who died in 1671. Unfortu-
nately, the tomb of Roshanara Begum and
the beautiful garden surrounding it were
neglected for a long time and are now in an
advanced state of decay.Bibi Ka Maqbara a
mausoleum was built by Prince Azam Shah,
son of Emperor Aurangzeb, in the late 17th
century as a loving tribute to his mother,
Dilras Bano Begam in Aurangabad, Maha-
rashtra.The Alamgiri Gate, built in 1673 A.D.,
is the main entrance to the Lahore Fort in
present day Lahore, Pakistan. It was con-
structed to face west towards the Badshahi
Mosque in the days of the Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb. The monumental gateway is an
imposing vestibule flanked by two semi-circu-
lar bastions that have boldly fluted shafts and
lotus petalled bases and are crowned with
domed pavilions.
Architectural Panel, Mughal dynasty, late
17th century, India. This panel either hung in
the doorway of a palace or lined a noble-
man’s tent.
A view of a pavilion in Shalimar Garden, • Mughal gardens
Lahore, Pakistan • Jharokha
• Ebba Koch
• Safdarjung’s Tomb
Mughal gardens
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4. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mughal architecture
References External links
• This article incorporates text from the • Mughal Gardens (Gallery of the
Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Smithsonian Institution)
Edition, a publication now in the public • Jali/Jharokha/Jala/Jalaka (From Mughal
domain. Architecture, Agra, India)
• Keay, John (2000). India: a History. Grove Template:LinkFA
Press, New York.
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Categories: Architectural styles, Pakistani architecture, Pakistani architectural history, Indian
architecture, Islamic architecture, Mughal architecture, Indian architectural history, South
Asian architecture
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