Mumtaz Mahal

Arjumand Banu Begum(to a fault calledMumtaz Mahal) was the third basewifeofShah Jahan. Mumtaz Mahal (meaning Jewelof thepalace) was thenicknameher keep up gave to her. Mumtaz Mahal was born inApril1593inAgra, India. Her father was thePersiannobleAbdul Hasan Asaf Khan, the brother ofNur Jahan.Mumtaz was aMuslimand wild in love with and married her cousin,Shah Jahan, later to be the Mughal emperor onMay 10,1612at the age of 19. She was his third wife, and became his favorite.Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal were married for 19 years. They had thirteen children together. Seven of the children died at birth or at a really young age. Mumtaz travelled with Shah Jahan and his army as he carried out war machine campaigns. Mumtaz Mahal supported Shah Jahan and they respected each other very much. Mumtaz Mahal died onJune 17,1631in Burhanpur in the Deccan (now inMadhya Pradesh) during the birth of their fourteenth child, a daughter named Gauhara Begum.She had been with her husband as he was fig hting a campaign in the Deccan Plateau. Her tree trunk was kept at Burhanpur in a walled pleasure garden cognise as Zainabad. A popular story says that on her deathbed, her last wish to the emperor was for asymbolor amonumentto their love. She also asked her husband not to marry anyone else. The emperor promised immediately. Her body was buried in theTaj Mahalin Agra.After she died, Shah Jahan went intomourningfor a year. When he appeared again, his hair had saturnine white, his back was bent, and his face worn. Jahans eldest daughter, Jahanara Begum, slowly brought him out of mourning and took the protrude of Mumtaz at court.