CENTRAL ASIA AND THE MUGHALS
Events at the beginning of the 21st century underline the historic importance of the ties between Central Asia
and South Asia. For some 200 years, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus river basin in the
west. The Mughals’ consciousness of their central Asian roots and the prominence of Persian and Central Asian
culture at their courts are an important chapter in the history of the Silk Road. The great founder of the Mughal
Dynasty, Babur, was a descendant of both Mongol Chingisids and the Timurids. The great Babar had also grown in the
Ferghana Valley, present day Uzbekistan. Coming to his grandson, under Akbar, the empire became one of the
wealthiest states of Eurasia. Akbar was open with his cultural views, and you can see this through the art of the
capital he built. The architecture is largely Indian, but the decorative motifs draw heavily upon both Persian and
Chinese models. All of the Mughals, beginning with Babur, invested in their fascination with Tamerlane and their
Central Asian roots; histories of the Tamlerlane’s conquests were read, and Akbar’s successor, Jahangir,
entertained writers from Central Asia and offered to pay for the Gur-i Mir’s upkeep, Jahangir’s son, Shah Jahan,
actually came close to reconquering Central Asia, such as Herat (had succeeded Samarkand as the Timurid capital in
the 15th century) It is also known that 17th century travellers such as John Crowther and Richard Steele, would
note as they embarked on a journey from Agra to Isfahan that they learnt that the land route was considered safe as
long as you were within the lands controlled by Mughals and Safavids, which went on to keep the Silk Road active
even during the age of Sail.