Mughal architecture is the architectural style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout

the extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It is an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkish, Byzantine and Indian architecture.[1] Examples of this style can be found in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Six Mughal buildings have been declared World Heritage Sites. They are Humayun's tomb, Agra Fort, Lahore Fort, the Lahore Shalimar Gardens, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort and the Taj Mahal. Jahangir Under Jahangir the Hindu features vanished from the style; his great mosque at Lahore is in the Persian style, covered with enameled tiles. At Agra, the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula, which was completed in 1628, was built entirely of white marble and covered in pietra dura mosaic. Jahangir also built the Shalimar Gardens and its accompanying pavilions on the shore of Dal Lake in Kashmir. Shah Jahan Rather than building huge monuments unlike his predecessors, Shah Jahan built elegant edifices.His predecessors built huge buildings to demonstrate their power.The force and originality of their building style gave way under [Shah Jahan] to a delicate elegance and refinement of detail, illustrated in the palaces erected in his reign at Agra and Delhi. Some examples include the Taj Mahal at Agra and the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan. The Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in the Agra Fort and The Jama Masjid at Delhi are imposing buildings, and their position and architecture have been carefully considered so as to produce a pleasing effect and feeling of spacious elegance and well-balanced proportion of parts. Shah Jahan also built the Tomb of Jahangir In Aurangzeb's reign (16581707) squared stone and marble was replaced by brick or rubble with stucco ornament. Mughal gardens Mughal gardens are a group of gardens built by the Mughals in the Islamic style of architecture. This style was influenced by Persian gardens and Timurid gardens. Significant use of rectilinear layouts are made within the walled enclosures. Some of the typical features include pools, fountains and canals inside the gardens. The famous gardens are the Char Bagh gardens at Taj Mahal, Shalimar Gardens of Lahore, Delhi and Kashmir as well as Pinjore Garden in Haryana. Fatehpur Sikri (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is a city and a municipal board in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The city was founded in 1569 by the Mughal emperor Akbar, and served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585. Agra Fort, is a monument, (Hindi: , Urdu: ) a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city.

Agra Fort was originally a brick fort, held by the Hindu Sikarwar Rajputs. It was mentioned for the first time in 1080 AD when a Ghaznavide force captured it. Sikandar Lodi (14881517) was the first Sultan of Delhi who shifted to Agra and lived in the fort. He governed the country from here. The Mughals under Akbar defeated King Hemu finally at the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556. Realizing the importance of its central situation, Akbar made it his capital and arrived in Agra in 1558. His historian, Abdul Fazal, recorded that this was a brick fort known as 'Badalgarh' . It was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone from Barauli area in Rajasthan. Architects laid the foundation and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Some 4,000 builders worked on it daily for eight years, completing it in 1573.[1] The Taj Mahal (/td mhl/ often /t/;[2] Hindi: , from Persian/Urdu: "crown of palaces", pronounced d ; also "the Taj"[3]) is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen Buland Darwaza (Hindi: , Urdu: , pronounced d d ), meaning 'high' or 'great' gate in Persian. It is located in Fatehpur Sikri which is located 43 km away from Agra, India. It is also known as the "Gate of Magnificence." Buland Darwaza or the loft gateway was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 1601 A.D. at Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar built the Buland Darwaza to commemorate his victory over Gujarat he Charminar, built in 1591 CE, is a monument and mosque located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The landmark has become a global icon of Hyderabad, listed among the most recognized structures of India.[1] The Charminar is on the east bank of Musi river.[2] To the northeast lies the Laad Bazaar and in the west end lies the granite-made richly ornamented Makkah Masjid.[3] The English name is a transliteration and combination of the Urdu words Chr and Minar, translating to "Four Towers"; the eponymous towers are ornate minarets attached and supported by four grand arches.[3] Some of the popular myths that are recorded in accord with the monument's architectural appearance are as follows. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the current undertaker of the structure, mentions in its records that: "There are various theories regarding the purpose for which Charminar was constructed. However, it is widely accepted that Charminar was built at the center of the city, to commemorate the eradication of plague",[4] as Qutb Shah had prayed for the end of a plague that was ravaging his city and vowed to build a Mosque at the very place where he prayed. Humayun's tomb (Urdu: Humayun ka Maqbara) is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife Bega Begum (Haji Begum)[1][2][3][4][5][6] in 1569-70, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect

chosen by Bega Begum.[7][8] It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent,[9] and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, India, close to the Dina-panah citadel also known as Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun founded in 1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale The Masjid-i Jahn-Num (Persian: , Devanagari: , the

'World-reflecting Mosque'), commonly known as the Jama Masjid (Hindi: , Urdu: ) of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. Construction began in 1650 and was completed in 1656. It lies at the beginning of the Chawri Bazar Road, a very busy central street of Old Delhi. The tombs of the seven Qutub Shahi rulers in the Ibrahim Bagh (garden precinct) are located close to the famous Golkonda Fort in Hyderabad, India. The galleries of the smaller tombs are of a single storey while the larger ones are two storied. In the centre of each tomb is a sarcophagus which overlies the actual burial vault in a crypt below. The domes were originally overlaid with blue and green tiles, of which only a few pieces now remain Qutub Minar (English: The Qutub Tower; Urdu: ) , also known as Qutb Minar and Qutab Minar, is the tallest minar in India, originally an ancient Islamic Monument, inscribed with Arabic inscriptions, though the iron pillar has some Brahmi inscriptions,[1] and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2] Located in Delhi, the Qutub Minar is made of red sandstone and marble. The tower has 379 stairs,[3] is 72.5 metres (237.8 ft) high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top storey. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak and was completed by Iltutmish. [4][5] It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as the Qutub complex The Red Fort (usually transcribed into English as Lal Qil'ah or Lal Qila) is a 17th-century fort complex constructed by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan[1] in the walled city of Old Delhi (in present day Delhi, India) that served as the residence of the Mughal Emperors. The design is commonly credited to Mughal architect Ustad Ahmad.[2][3] The fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh city in the Delhi site. He moved his capital here from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and interests. It served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian government. The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the walls.[4] The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh Fort, a defence built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546. The construction of the Red Fort began in 1638 and was completed by 1648. The Red Fort has had many developments added on after its construction by Emperor Shah Jahan. The significant phases of development were under Aurangzeb and later under later Mughal rulers.