The Legacy of Islamic Empires and their Arts

Under the Mughals, India was the heart of a great Islamic empire and a prolific center of Islamic culture and learning. According to historian Gavin Hambly, the Mughals provided the setting for a brilliant court and a vigorous cultural life which was equal to Isfahan under the Safavid Shahs or Istanbul under the Ottoman Sultans.
The Mughals lived and reigned in India from 1526 to 1858 AD. Their dynasty was the greatest, richest and longest-lasting Muslim dynasty to rule India. This dynasty produced the finest and most elegant arts and architecture in the history of Muslim dynasties.
The name Mughal, writes art historian Barbara Brend (1991), is an Indian version of Mongal; to dwellers in India, the term referred to anyone from Central Asia. Hambly notes that the favorite cities of the Mughals included Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore.