In this narrative history documentary, we journey through the complete story of the Mughal dynasty, following six generations of one family that descended from the mountains of Central Asia, conquered India, built the Taj Mahal, and ruled the subcontinent for more than three centuries.

Long after a fourteen-year-old prince had briefly seized and then lost the great city of Samarkand, his descendants rose from a single victory on the plains of Panipat to become masters of the richest empire in the world. We'll follow their extraordinary rise and heartbreaking fall, from Babur's conquest of Delhi and the birth of the empire, to the exile and recovery of Humayun, to Akbar's revolutionary embrace of India and its peoples, to a grieving emperor who built the most famous tomb in the world, and finally to a poet-emperor who died in exile with nothing but an unmarked grave.

We'll explore every major chapter of the dynasty, including the reign of Nur Jahan, the Light of the World, the love of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, and the building of the Taj Mahal itself, before following the dynasty's slow unraveling through the wars of succession, the long reign of Aurangzeb, the sack of Delhi, and the final exile of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

From the mountain valleys of Fergana to the banks of the Yamuna River, we'll follow the complete tale of conquest, love, grief, and legacy that produced the symbol of India itself and remains one of history's most remarkable family sagas.

Told as a narrative documentary, this video presents the story of the family that built the Taj Mahal and ruled India.

Please note that while the narrative is thoroughly based on historical research, its primary purpose is storytelling for entertainment. As such, it is not intended to be used as a formal academic or scientific source.