Shah Jahan

Key Accomplishments

• Commissioned the Taj Mahal, one of the most celebrated buildings in human history
• Built the Red Fort and Jama Masjid in Delhi and the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore
• Presided over the artistic and material zenith of the Mughal Empire
• Founded the city of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) as the new Mughal capital

The Full Story

Shah Jahan came to power in 1628 after a succession struggle and quickly demonstrated his ambition to make the Mughal court the most magnificent in the world. His reign saw the empire reach extraordinary levels of wealth, and he channeled these resources into an unprecedented building program that produced some of the finest architecture in human history.

The Taj Mahal, begun in 1632 and completed around 1653, was built as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. The monument, constructed of white marble from Rajasthan inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones, required over twenty thousand workers and artisans. Its perfect proportions, luminous surfaces, and symbolic program of Quranic calligraphy and paradisiacal garden design make it one of the most universally admired buildings ever created.

Beyond the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan commissioned the Red Fort and Jama Masjid in Delhi, the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, and the famous Peacock Throne, encrusted with gems. He moved the capital from Agra to the newly built Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi), designing it as an ideal Islamic city centered on the great Friday mosque.

Shah Jahan's reign ended in tragedy. In 1658, his sons warred over the succession, and Aurangzeb emerged victorious, imprisoning his father in the Agra Fort. Shah Jahan spent his last eight years gazing across the river at the Taj Mahal, the monument to his love and his legacy. He died in 1666 and was buried beside Mumtaz Mahal.

Places

Connected Figures

Sources

• [1]Ebba Koch, The Complete Taj Mahal (Thames & Hudson, 2006)
• [2]Ebba Koch, Mughal Architecture: An Outline of Its History and Development (Prestel, 1991)
• [3]John F. Richards, The Mughal Empire (Cambridge University Press, 1993)