Ahmad Shah invaded the remnants of the Mughal Empire a third time, and then a fourth, consolidating control over the Kashmir and Punjab regions, with Lahore being governed by Afghans.

File: Indischer Maler um 1615 ( I ) 001. jpg | Portrait of Ibrâhîm ' Âdil Shâh II ( 1580 – 1626 ), Mughal Empire of India, 1615 AD

Mughal Empire | Mughal dagger, Louvre.

A Miniature ( illuminated manuscript ) | miniature from Padshahnama depicting the surrender of the Shi ' a Islam | Shi ' a Safavid dynasty | Safavid garrison of Kandahar in 1638 to the Mughal Empire | Mughal army of Shah Jahan commanded by Kilij Khan.

After defeating Ibrahim Lodi and his army, Babur turned Delhi into the capital of his newly established Mughal Empire.

Muslim rule in the subcontinent began in 8th century CE when the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh and Multan in southern Punjab in modern day Pakistan, setting the stage for several successive invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 15th centuries CE, leading to the formation of Muslim empires in the Indian subcontinent such as the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.

Extent of the Mughal Empire in 1700.

In 1526, Babur, a Timurid descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan from Fergana Valley ( modern day Uzbekistan ), swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal Empire, covering modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

During the decline of the Mughal Empire, several smaller states rose to fill the power vacuum and themselves were contributing factors to the decline.

During the Mughal era, the dominant political forces consisted of the Mughal Empire and its tributaries and, later on, the rising successor states-including the Maratha Empire-which fought an increasingly weak Mughal dynasty.

There is no doubt that the single most important power to emerge in the long twilight of the Mughal dynasty was the Maratha Empire.

They started with annual raids, collecting ransom from villages and towns while the declining Mughal Empire retained nominal control.

The Nawabs of Bengal had become the de facto rulers of Bengal following the decline of Mughal Empire.

The Zamburak ( Camel gun ) was introduced from Persia as a major weapon in the Mughal Empire by Humayun.

In the 16th century, the Mughal Empire controlled much of India and initiated second golden age for India.

Mughal territorial expansion reached its greatest extent, Aurangzeb's Empire encompassed the entire Indian Subcontinent.

The modern city gained prominence during the reign of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire.

It remained part of the Mughal Empire until around 1738 when Nader Shah and his Afsharid forces from Khorasan came to take over control.

During his reign, there was a significant increase in the size of the Mughal Empire, half a dozen rebellions were crushed, prisoners of war were released, and the work of his father, Akbar, continued to flourish.

The Mughal Emperor Jahangir, ordered the apprehension of all Portuguese within the Mughal Empire, he further confiscated churches that belonged to the Jesuits.

The Mughals suffered sever blow due to invasions from Marathas and Afghans due to which the Mughal dynasty were reduced to puppet rulers by 1757.

In spite of the significant loss of power that the Mughal dynasty had suffered in the preceding centuries, their name still carried great prestige across northern India.

As a result, Mughal architecture suffered, with all artisans migrating to work under the patronage of local rulers.

But he finally suffered a defeat in the battle of Egarasindur and Bhawal against Isa khan and Masum Khan Kabuli, the defected Mughal General.

The Mughal court had access to European prints and other art, and these had increasing influence, shown in the gradual introduction of aspects of Western graphical perspective, and a wider range of poses in the human figure.

Thereafter, with the decline of the Mughal empire, the 1739 invasion of Delhi by Nadir Shah and the gradual growth of European power within the subcontinent, Persian or Persianate culture commenced a period of decline although it nevertheless enjoyed patronage and may even have flourished within the many regional " empires " or kingdoms of the subcontinent including that of the Sikh " Maharaja " Ranjit Singh ( r. 1799-1837 ).

The gharana system was greatly influenced by the gradual fall of the Mughal Empire, which forced musicians to move from Delhi to princely states such as Gwalior, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Patiala and Rampur.

The Mughal dynasty ruled most of the Indian subcontinent by 1600 ; it went into a slow decline after 1707.

This was aided by the decline of the Mughal Empire in India which left a power vacuum since the death of Aurangzeb and the increased British forces in India because of conflicts with France.

The decline of the Mughal empire in the first half of the 18th century provided the British with the opportunity to seize a firm foothold in Indian politics.

However, with the decline of the Mughals the Deccan attained independence, though the first Nizam continued to owe allegiance to the Mughal Emperor.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Gujranwala.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Sialkot.

After his short reign of less than five years, the Mughal Empire entered a long decline, attributable both to his sudden death and to his father's geographical overextension.

The century and a half following the death of Akbar ( a Mughal emperor ) in 1705 was dominated by the rise of Sikhism as a power, and the decline of the Mughal empire.

Having recognized the steady decline in Mughal political power, Sir Syed entered the British East India Company's civil service.

A scion of Mughal nobility, Sir Syed had been reared in the finest traditions of Muslim élite culture and was aware of the steady decline of Muslim political power across India.

Since the decline of the Mughal dynasty, Sir Syed promoted the use of Urdu through his own writings.

In the Mughal Era, the zamindari system began to ensure proper collection of taxes during a period when the power and influence of the Mughal emperors were in decline.

Muslim rulers almost all used the title " Nawab " ( the Arabic honorific of naib, " deputy ," used of the Mughal governors, who became de facto autonomous with the decline of the Mughal Empire ), with the prominent exceptions of the Nizam of Hyderabad & Berar, the Wāli / Khan of Kalat and the Wāli of Swat.

All this greatly contributed to the decline of the Mughal Empire.

While Mughal political power did decline in his reign, the emperor was a discerning patron of the arts, employing master artists such as Nidha Mal ( active 1735 – 75 ) and Chitarman, whose vivacious paintings depict scenes of court life, such as Holi celebrations, hunting and hawking, and even the Emperor making love.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Lahore District.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Sahiwal.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Wazirabad.